We’re well into winter and with so many colds and flus about, boosting your immune system is the important key to keeping healthy.

Make a healthy immune system your priority: here are our best tips to get well and stay well:

1. Diet: Garlic, Ginger, Plenty of Cooked Vegetables, Nourishing Broths and Slow Cooked Warming Meals. These are the foods to keep you warm on the inside when it’s cold outside. Avoid too much sugar and refined carbs, too much alcohol or coffee

2. Sleep: The importance of sleep cannot be over emphasised. If you can, get 8 hours - yes 8 hours. Make it a priority. Sleep in a cool dark room but well covered and cosy. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and remember that your body is busy detoxifying and rebuilding during the night. The hours before midnight are possibly the most important ones in which to be asleep.

3. Hydration: Good quality water – alkaline if you can get it. Hot drinks are key; don’t drink cold or icy cold drinks. Herbal Teas are good but may not be your thing. Try ordinary tea (weakish) and add your own ingredients e.g. lemon and ginger with boiling water and honey. Earl Grey is a favourite for this.

4. Stress: Stress uses up nutrients and leaves you open to infection through your emotional reaction to what’s occurring. You can drop your inherent immune guard when you are emotional. So it may be difficult, but if you can minimise your stress it can be really helpful in keeping your immune system strong.

5. Supplements: It pays to boost your immune system with selected supplements, especially through the winter. Amongst the best are Vitamin C, Echinacea and Horseradish but the hero of them all is Propolis

Propolis is the cement that holds a beehive together. The bees create it from their own secretions mixed with the resin from trees. The bees use Propolis to seal holes in the beehive making it watertight and preventing foreign intruders from entering. So whilst the bees use it that way, we can use it the same way, making ourselves watertight against infections and repelling the foreign intruding bacteria and viruses. Greatly prized in Chinese Medicine for its anti-bacterial and antiviral properties it can often stop a cold in its tracks or at the very least minimise the symptoms and length of the infection. More than this, Propolis helps your immune system. Build immunity so that you stay cold-free and resist new infections during the worst of the flu season.

Immune System basics: wash your hands!

Finally one of the best things that you an do to stop the spread of infection is to wash your hands regularly when you are away form home and out and about. Forget the anti-bacterial soap by the way; it does more harm to your body with its chemical ingredients and does nothing for your immune system.

Mr Vitamins Recommends

It’s important to choose a premium quality Propolis supplement. Mr Vitamins trusts Nature Clinic Propolis 2000 – a high strength Australian made Propolis supplement in a one-a-day formula. Find out more here.

Nature Clinic has also introduced a Propolis liquid in a convenient spray pack. 

Nature Clinic Propolis Spray also contains Australian Manuka Honey for extra soothing, antiseptic, antibacterial effects. Nature Clinic Propolis and Manuka Honey Spray fits neatly into your handbag to be used when sore throats strike!

WARNING: Propolis may cause allergic reactions. If irritation or swelling of the mouth or throat occurs, discontinue use.