While being sick for almost a week so far, I have been pondering ways to prevent illness. After creating my list of “things to do to prevent getting sick,” I realized that I am doing all of them. So what am I missing? My list includes consuming abundant amounts of fruits and vegetables, including lots of leafy greens; lots of water; healthy grains like quinoa; coconut; tea; flax and chia seeds; garlic; greek yogurt; legumes; and limited amounts of processed foods and sugars. As you can see, my diet is pretty clean. So, seriously, what am I missing?
Then it hit me – I have been drinking a bit less tea. For some reason in the morning before work, brewing a single cup of coffee seems far easier. I wonder if giving up my morning cup of tea and substituting coffee has contributed to my getting sick.
I am a big fan of preventing illness and keeping my immune system strong. While in college, I was highly stressed all the time. And stress for me equals getting sick … a lot. I graduated last May and was told by someone that it takes a year for pent-up stress to get out of your system completely. Throughout college, I was a devout tea drinker, hardly ever drinking beverages other than tea and water.
I have now made a promise to myself to switch back to my morning tea instead of my morning coffee. I’m hoping this makes a difference in my immune system. I’ve even considered investing in some good immune-boosting tea. Does anyone have favorites? I regularly drink green tea and have been favoring some herbal vanilla rooibos. What are your favorite immune-boosting rituals and teas?
I have to say that green and white teas have been my faithful companions and I rarely get sick. If I’ve been around people who are coughing or later call me to let me know they just got sick, I take some echinacea tincture. It hasn’t failed me yet. You’ll know it’s fresh as it causes your mouth to feel numb for a brief period. I also bring it along on the plane when I travel and take it before, during and after the flight. Works like a charm. I also drink green tea on board.
I would be really careful with the way you are thinking about tea as an immune booster. Yes, many teas are known for the immune boosting benefits, but those studies are only looked at from one perspective. Another perspective is from Chinese Medicine that your body may be getting sick and may be too hot or too cold. You may need a different type of tea to balance that. For example, a black tea can be warming where as a green tea can be cooling. If you are too cool internally and you begin drinking green tea it can have a negative effect on your organs, and on your immune system.