Natural Ways to Kick Your Cold Before it Starts
INTRODUCTION
It's that time of the year when we start to get a sore throat, runny nose, bad cough, or some other sign that getting ill is about to happen. We are fitness-minded individuals and don’t want this to happen for the obvious reason of, WE DON’T WANT TO TAKE UNPLANNED TIME OFF FROM THE GYM! Although this may not be the best mindset, it is one I can truly relate with and because so, I have experimented with various supplementation stacks over the past year to figure out exactly WHAT vitamins and minerals my body needs to combat getting sick. Beyond this supplement stack that I am about to discuss, there are obvious things that are going to need to be in place in order for this stack to be effective:
Caloric maintenance and/or surplus
Ensure optimal rest
Stay properly hydrated
Ensure fruit and vegetable intake is moderate to high
Avoid any overreaching training for at least a week
Avoid excess sugar (excessive sugar intake has been found to decrease the body's white blood cell efficiency by up to 40%)
Avoid excessive alcohol (which in general depletes your body’s nutrients significantly)
NOTE: There is a wide array of other beneficial health products that I did not include as I wanted to make this the most simple, cheap, and effective stack possible.
INGREDIENT BREAK DOWN
Before giving you the exact stack, I would like to breakdown the various health benefits of the ingredients I suggest:
Vitamin C - boosts immune system, helps repair DNA, natural laxative, aids in combatting depression, aids in lowering blood pressure, aids in healthy cholesterol levels, as well as helps to combat heart disease, osteoporosis, age-related macular degeneration, asthma, arthritis, and gout.
Cinnamon - great source of anti-oxidants, polyphenols, has anti-inflammatory properties, aids in the increase of HDL, improves insulin sensitivity, inhibits the buildup of tau (a protein found in the brain to be a major link to Alzheimer’s disease), and acts to reduce the growth of cancer cells and formation of blood vessels in tumors.
Lemon Juice - helps with the prevention of kidney stones, natural remedy to alleviate a sore throat, has a stimulatory effect on your digestive track when mixed with warm water, is very high in potassium, and has anti-cancer properties
Greens & Reds Shake - extremely concentrated form of fruits and vegetables high in micronutrients, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc. This combined with a healthy diet ensures your getting enough healthy nutrients within your day to ensure your body is operating at maximum capacity (which in turn reduces recovery time from sickness)
THE STACK
The day you begin feeling common illness symptoms, you want to implement the above practices as well as begin the stack as follows.
Day 1 - Origin of Symptoms
*It is generally a good idea to implement this into your typical meal schedule
With meal #1: 1-2g Vitamin C +1/3 of a well dosed Greens & Reds Shake + 1g cinnamon extract + 1/4 cup lemon juice
With meal #2: 1-2g Vitamin C + 1/2 of your basic multi-vitamin amount for the day
With meal #3: 1-2g Vitamin C +1/3 of a well dosed Greens & Reds Shake + 1g cinnamon extract + 1/4 cup lemon juice
With meal #4: 1-2g Vitamin C + 1/2 of your basic multi-vitamin amount for the day
With meal #5: 1-2g Vitamin C +1/3 of a well dosed Greens & Reds Shake + 1g cinnamon extract + 1/4 cup lemon juice
Day 2 - Symptoms should be lessened (repeat previous day of stack)
With meal #1: 1-2g Vitamin C +1/3 of a well dosed Greens & Reds Shake + 1g cinnamon extract + 1/4 cup lemon juice
With meal #2: 1-2g Vitamin C + 1/2 of your basic multi-vitamin amount for the day
With meal #3: 1-2g Vitamin C +1/3 of a well dosed Greens & Reds Shake + 1g cinnamon extract + 1/4 cup lemon juice
With meal #4: 1-2g Vitamin C + 1/2 of your basic multi-vitamin amount for the day
With meal #5: 1-2g Vitamin C +1/3 of a well dosed Greens & Reds Shake + 1g cinnamon extract + 1/4 cup lemon juice
Day 3 - Symptoms should be completely cleared
CONCLUSION
As you can see, its nothing flashy or fancy, just the basics that WORK. The amount of vitamin C will vary from person to person but in general sticking in the 5-10 gram per day range for a very brief period of stress will not have any detrimental side effects. The basic principles are health-based supplements that are fairly cheap and can generally be bought in bulk. This above stack has helped me get over numerous sore throats in a matter of 2-3 days versus the traditional 5-10 days.
References
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Gironés-Vilaplana, A., Valentão, P., Andrade, P. B., Ferreres, F., Moreno, D. A., & García-Viguera, C. (2012). Phytochemical profile of a blend of black chokeberry and lemon juice with cholinesterase inhibitory effect and antioxidant potential. Food Chemistry, 1342090-2096. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.010
Gironés-Vilaplana, A., Valentão, P., Andrade, P. B., Ferreres, F., Moreno, D. A., & García-Viguera, C. (2015). Beverages of lemon juice and exotic noni and papaya with potential for anticholinergic effects. Food Chemistry, 17016-21. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.08.021
Kawatra, P., & Rajagopalan, R. (2015). Cinnamon: Mystic powers of a minute ingredient. Pharmacognosy Research, 7S1-S6. doi:10.4103/0974-8490.157990
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Robertson, C. (2015). The Link Between Vitamin C And Optimal Immunity. Life Extension, 9-17.
Singletary, K. (2008). Cinnamon: overview of health benefits. Nutrition Today, 43(6), 263-266 4p.
Talaulikar, V. S., & Manyonda, I. T. (2011). Review: Vitamin C as an antioxidant supplement in women's health: a myth in need of urgent burial. European Journal Of Obstetrics And Gynecology, 15710-13. doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2011.03.017
