Sun & Shower

Autumn is a great time of year.  Football games, post-season baseball and open windows.  I love it!  Unfortunately, there’s something in the air this time of year making me miserable.  I haven’t bothered with getting tested to find out exactly what causes it.  I just know that when the weather changes in September, I’m in for itchy eyes and sneezing until that first frost.

Sometimes I take a Claritin-D in the morning and a Benadryl in the evening but they don’t always help.  Not wanting to go on prescription allergy medicine, I turned to natural remedies and discovered rooibos tea.

Rooibos tea, sometimes called red tea, comes from the rooibos plant in South Africa.  It has a red-brown color and a slightly sweet but nutty flavor.  Like other teas, it is high in antioxidants and full of health benefits.  Rooibos is caffeine-free and has been shown to help alleviate nervous tension, allergies and indigestion. 

Having discovered this information, I had to try it for myself.  Last autumn, I drank rooibos tea nearly every day and suffered very little from my allergies.  This year, I had forgotten about it until just recently and gave it another shot.  Sure enough, I had temporary relief from my allergies.

It seems I would need to drink several cups of rooibos tea every day to keep allergies at bay.  Normally I would have no problem with this but with pregnancy, I wasn’t sure how that much tea would affect the baby.  I did some research and discovered it is generally considered safe during pregnancy.  In South Africa, they often use it to treat colic in babies.  Hopefully that means I’m getting a head start and will have some peaceful nights in my future.

Ah…ah…ah…chooooo!!! 

With the start of school and passing of Labor Day comes changes to the weather in Chicago.  And with changes to the weather comes cold and flu season.  After two colds in three weeks, I can say with complete confidence the season is here.

Most years I get through the fall and winter months with a few minor colds and maybe a 24-hour flu bug.  I credit my good fortune to a strong immune system created by a healthy diet, exercise and some key herbal supplements. 

Throughout cold and flu season, it’s a good idea to stay hydrating with lots of filtered water.  The air tends to be dry so you need more water than usual plus it helps flush your system.  You also need to make sure you get plenty of sleep.  Your body recovers while you sleep, giving your immune system time to restore itself for the next day.  Don’t forget to continue daily exercise.  It doesn’t need to be a lot but it needs to be something while you’re stuck indoors through the cold, winter months.  If you need motivation, just remember that bathing suit season is right around the corner! 

So far, nothing but no brainers for good health.  But what happens when you’re suddenly surrounded by people coughing and sneezing?  You need to increase your immune-boosting vitamins:

• Vitamin C – common in citrus fruits and juices, you can also take as a supplement.  Stick with ester-c and look for a time release formula or plan to take several small doses throughout the day.  Emergen-C and Halls Defense Vitamin C Drops are other good ways to get extra vitamin C.
• Zinc – much needed in times of stress but also needed anytime your immune system is lowered.  Pumpkin seeds provide a good dose of natural zinc but you can also supplement with Cold-eeze drops.
• Echinacea/goldenseal – taken together, these herbal supplement are super immune boosters.  You can buy a jar of supplements or take the popular Airborne concoction.  Be careful to not take too much though.  You should only take echinacea/goldenseal for a week or two and then give your body a break from it.

What about cold medicines?  The truth about cold medicines is that they don’t actually help you get better.  They only mask your symptoms to help you get through the work day.  If this is what you need, by all means, go for it.  I’ve been known to use Tylenol Cold when there is a big presentation on the line.  In general though, it’s best to avoid such medicines and listen to your body’s needs as it fights off the invading virus.  My few exceptions to this rule are the medicines that actually can help you get better:

• Tylenol – acetaminophen can help you break a fever and relieve the achiness that might otherwise be preventing you from sleeping
• Sudafed – decongestants can help get the mucous moving out of your nose
• Mucinex – an expectorant that helps get the phlegm out of your lungs at the end of a cold

In addition to these medicines and supplements, there are some great tools available to help you feel better.  If your sinuses are causing you problems, invest in a neti pot and saline solution to flush out the mucous.  If your throat is sore and the air is dry, use a humidifier.  This is especially helpful if your nose is stuffed up so much that you’re breathing through your mouth.

Finally, a pregnancy lesson: Your body naturally lowers its immune system when you’re pregnant so it doesn’t attack the fetus because it’s a foreign body.  If you’re pregnant during the fall and winter months, buy stock in Kleenex.  All you can do is drink lots of water, sleep and take in as much vitamin c as possible.  Consider all other medicines and supplements prohibited unless approved by your doctor.  And carry hand sanitizer.  You’ll want to keep your hands as germ free as possible!

I heard back from Argo Tea about whether they serve organic and/or fair trade teas.  Here is the response:

Thank you for your message.  Currently we offer two organic teas: Red Tea (Rooibos) and Gunpowder.  Although at this time our teas are not fair trade, we support fair trade principles and are looking into ways to introduce fair trade, as well as a greater offering of organic teas in the future.  Your interest in Argo Tea is much appreciated, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or comments.

Given that they are still somewhat new and trying to grow in Chicago, I’m not going to write them off just yet.  I will, however, be keeping a close eye on whether they follow through with introducing more organic and fair trade teas into their selection.

While walking to work this morning, I was greeted with a glorious vision.  A new Argo Tea location is now open in my office building!  Just yesterday, I was searching for some place other than Starbucks or Caribou Coffee to get my tea.  Today, I have an entire store dedicated to tea located right in my building.

Argo Tea is an up and coming urban cafe in Chicago, seeking to be like Starbucks for tea drinkers.  There are now 7 locations spread throughout the city and Evanston.  The tea is loose leaf and imported from all over the world.  An exhaustive internet search came up short on whether Argo Tea serves fair trade and/or organic teas.   I have sent them an email and will provide an update when I receive a response.

Putting the fair trade/organic question aside, Argo Tea provides a wide range of teas including my favorite: white tea.  Today’s cup was a mix of white and peach ginger.  By combining a fruity herbal tea with a white tea, I get the benefits of white tea’s antioxidants and the taste of sweet fruit.  I highly recommend this combination.

Today is my 5th anniversary of being a vegetarian.

In honor of celebrating five years without meat and with my fiance embarking upon 30 days of meat-free living, I present to you my lessons learned about how to go veg.

• Your body will need time to adjust to having less protein.  If you feel weak or light-headed, eat a spoonful of peanut butter.
• Take your vitamins!  The bare minimum I recommend is:
  • Multivitamin with iron.  The iron is especially important if you’re used to a diet full of red meat.
  • B-complex.  Vitamin B12 is typically found in meat so vegetarians need to take a supplement.
  • Calcium citrate with magnesium and vitamin D.  Combining the three will help ensure good bone health.
  • Flax. Omega-3s are abundant in fish, particularly salmon, if you choose to eat fish.  Otherwise some form of flax seed, flax oil or flax supplement will get you the important essential fatty acids your body needs.
• Don’t be afraid to order off the menu.  Even at a steak restaurant, vegetarians can find something to eat.  Some places will have a vegetarian option on the menu.  At some places, you’ll need to request a plate of grilled vegetables.  You’re not the first vegetarian to eat at a steak restaurant so the chef will have no problem obliging your request.
• Veggie burgers won’t taste the same as hamburgers but if you add the right toppings, you’ll hardly notice.
• Boca Ground can replace ground beef in any recipe – hamburger helper, tacos, etc.
• If you don’t love vegetables, you will learn to love them.  Start by steaming them and adding melted butter or cheese.  You can also add mixed vegetables to pasta dishes, pizza and eggs.  Mix them in with whatever you’re having and you’ll forget you’re eating something healthy.
• Keep bags of frozen vegetables in your freezer and you’ll always have them on hand to add to the main dish.
• If there is a food you really miss, there is probably a vegetarian alternative for it.  Go ahead and try them but keep in mind that many are loaded with salt and preservatives.
• A serviceable option for buffalo wings is Trader Joe’s Soy Nuggets with your favorite hot wing sauce.  I also like to add hot wing sauce to pizza.
• Tofu has a weird texture and takes some getting used to.  The best way to get used to it is in a stir fry with a strong flavored sauce and lots of vegetables.  Order it in a restaurant before trying to cook it at home.

Congratulations on making the decision to go meat-free!  It won’t be easy at first but you will adjust in time.  And no matter how long you remain a vegetarian, you will always continue learning how to eat.  It’s been five years for me so far and I learn something new about vegetarianism every day.

If you’re like me, Diet Coke is a staple in your diet. Well, it used to be for me. I used to drink up to 100 oz. of Diet Coke per day! I’d get a “big pop” for breakfast, lunch and the ride home from work. Each one was a 44 oz. cup filled with about 2/3 ice and the rest Diet Coke. Some days I’d even chug down a few additional cans of soda.

Then one day, in December of 2004, I was sitting at my desk and my heart started racing. Next thing I knew, I was cold and sweaty. I could barely breathe. I really thought I was having a heart attack! I had read that you should cough so that’s what I did, along with some focused breathing I had learned in yoga class. Pretty soon, I returned to normal.

Scared out of my mind, I immediately scheduled an appointment with my doctor. He said I wasn’t having a heart attack. I was having a panic attack. I had two choices – go on medicine or cut out caffeine. As someone who doesn’t think a pill will fix all problems, I didn’t want to go on medicine for the rest of my life. My doctor and I agreed I should cut out caffeine.

And that was it. I switched to Caffeine-Free Diet Coke and Sprite Zero, and I never looked back.

So that took care of the caffeine but isn’t soda in all forms bad for you? The answer, it appears, is yes. Not only does soda put avoidable toxins in your body, but it also leeches calcium out of your bones. As a woman with a family history of osteoporosis, this discovery was alarming! I thought, “If I don’t drink soda, what will I drink? Water?” The answer, of course, is yes.

Quitting caffeine proved to be easier than quitting soda for me. With caffeine, I was able to trick my brain into thinking I was still getting caffeine by drinking nearly the same tasting sodas. That wasn’t going to work for giving it up all together though. In the spring of 2006, I decided to give up soda for Lent. It was brutal! I craved the sweet, fake, sugary goodness of a Caffeine-Free Diet Coke.

Over the course of the 40 days, I never gave in. And on the 41st day, with a fresh soda in hand, I realized I didn’t want it. By flushing out the toxins and letting my body heal, I was able to discover how great I felt without soda in my life.

So what do I drink now?

• Water – 64 oz. minimum per day.
• Cranberry juice -fill a large glass with ice, add 1/2 juice and fill the rest with water. It cuts down on the sugar but still adds a natural flavor to the water. I learned this trick recently from Mariel Hemingway.
• Iced Tea – I particularly like Unsweetened Nestea out of a soda fountain because it’s cold and watered-down. It adds a different flavor to water when you want a break from sweet. I should note: iced tea does have some caffeine in it.
• Hot Tea – This is especially great for recovering coffee drinkers. It’s hot, tasty and some teas have caffeine. Plus, many herbal teas have additional health benefits.

I would have never guessed it a few years ago but it’s true. There really is life after Diet Coke.