As it turns out, there are a number of quite harmless and natural ways to help your body be more comfortable and better prepared to deal with aggravating pollen.  The first place to start, of course, is with your diet.  Foods like oranges and carrots, the first of which is full of Vitamin C and the second of which provides beta-carotene, are as good for you during the summer months as they are in wintertime.

I also discovered that increasing the amount of garlic and onions I ate made a drastic impact on how well my body was able to fight hay fever symptoms.  It turns out that this is because these two never-on-a-first-date foods contain plenty of quercetin, an anti-inflammatory that helps to stabilize the membranes of the cells that release histamine because they basically calm the cells down. In a double whammy of nutritional goodness, garlic and onions also increase the body’s production of white blood cells, which are the one’s responsible for dealing with allergic reactions.

Fortunately, I come from a cultural background where garlic and onions are essential to my culinary repertoire; and are used to flavor almost every dish.  If you are not used to cooking with garlic or onions, it is easy to find plenty of recipes online that incorporate them.  Or you can even just try adding some to the dishes you already love, to see what kind of an impact they make on the flavor.  You might be pleasantly surprised.  If it is precisely the flavor that you dislike, try eating them cooked (which makes them sweeter), or you can buy garlic supplements at the drugstore, which are supposed to give all of the benefits without the odor.

If you are doing everything you can to put together an immune healthy diet, but still struggle with allergy symptoms, you can also consider taking a natural supplement such as Optimum Immune System Support, which will help you to ingest more concentrated doses of the goodness of Mother Nature’s bounty.

Unfortunately, my mother does have a number of other ailments (which really makes me wonder why she wants diabetes too) including high blood pressure and arthritis in her knees.  She is also a bit on the plump side.  Together, these ailments have taken a toll on her lifestyle, making it harder for her to be the active, energetic mom that I remember.  As these things go, her less active lifestyle is making the other things she is used to enjoying, such as that sweet coffee and plenty of desserts, a greater threat to her health, as she is simply storing the extra calories instead of burning them off.

I’ve tried everything to convince my mom to cut the sugar, but it’s just too much of a habit.  Not easily deterred, I’ve done my research to find the perfect solution, which is replacing sugar with stevia.  Stevia is an herb which grows wild in South America; and it is best known for being naturally 30 times sweeter than sugar.  Like many of the other ingredients in Optimum Blood Sugar Support, stevia helps one’s body to naturally regulate both its blood sugar and blood pressure, making it perfect for my mom. Oh, did I mention that it has no calories, no carbohydrates and a glycemic index of zero?  No matter if you have diabetes or not, stevia is a smart alternative to both cane sugar and artificial chemical sweeteners.

Stevia has been easy to incorporate into our family’s lifestyle.  While you can find it in full leaf, powdered or liquid forms, I found it easiest to use the liquid form, which I get from the local health food store.  My mom prefers the liquid form as well, as those five spoons of sugar took so long to dissolve in her coffee.

Then, early this year, we found out why it is just so easy for her to break anything. A visit to the doctor revealed that she has been living with osteoporosis, meaning that her bones have become increasingly brittle as time goes on.  Determined to retain the bone mass that she has, if not to try to reverse the process, Sarah started to look more closely at her diet.  While I expected her to do things like eat more dairy products and start taking supplements like OsteoSine , she also did something I didn’t expect. She drastically cut the amount of coffee she was drinking.

Sarah would usually have 3 cups a day or so, but after a bit of research she realized that the caffeine that she was taking in through that coffee was actually making it harder for her body to absorb the calcium that she was already eating.  While a cup a day won’t have a huge negative impact on calcium absorption, she found that ingesting more than 330 mg of caffeine per day can create a notably increased risk of fractures.

Learning from Sarah’s experience, I have done my own research into how diet can affect bone health.  I too cut down on my caffeine intake, though my downfall was not my morning cup or two, it was the sodas that I drank all day long, along with the occasional energy drink or chocolate bar to keep myself going.  Once I started to add up the caffeine (not to mention useless processed sugars) that I was drinking, I quickly gained a taste for water with a wedge of lemon when I wanted something refreshing to drink.

Together, Sarah and I have been attending yoga classes to reduce stress, exercising more and eating fewer processed foods.  Not only do these practices support better bone health, but we are feeling more energized and healthier than we have in a decade.

Got an important meeting coming up? Need a brain boost? Antioxidant-rich foods keep your memory and brain sharp. They also happen to be good at warding off disease. Foods high in vitamins A, C and E are antioxidant powerhouses like berries, dark leafy greens and other brightly colored fruits and vegetables including bell peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, oranges, cherries, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Nuts and beans are also packed with antioxidants. Try a tuna or salmon salad for lunch for a filling meal with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids to enhance your cognitive functions!

Feeling tired sporadically through the day? For breakfast, choose whole grains like a hearty steel-cut oatmeal or a high-fiber cereal. Aim for a cereal with five grams of fiber or more per serving. Fiber will help keep energy, blood sugar and hunger levels stable throughout the morning. Choose unsweetened flavors to skip excess sugar and calories. Top with fresh berries or banana slices and a touch of honey for some natural sweetness and an antioxidant boost. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseed meal or chopped walnuts into cold or hot cereal or mix into a yogurt-fruit parfait for a satisfying shot of healthy omega-3 fats.

Staying late? Get a snack that nourishes and satisfies to keep you energized through the final stretch. Natural peanut butter or almond butter with banana slices or fruit spread on whole-grain bread will give you the balanced energy you need to push through those last few hours. Your snacks should provide a balance of healthy complex carbohydrates, a little bit of healthy fat and protein to ensure you’re revved up and your metabolism and blood sugar levels are kept steady. This will allow you to focus, think clearly and get your work done. If you need a little boost of caffeine, try green or white tea in the afternoon or try a cup of peppermint tea, which has been shown to boost mental acuity and alertness.

NuLivLifestyle has a number of recommendations to get you the sleep you deserve. Stretching before sleeping helps alleviate the bodily pains that may disrupt your sleep. Getting regular exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety. However, avoid exercising before bedtime as exercise generates chemicals that may make it harder for your body to fall asleep. Restrict your intake of highly caffeinated drinks, especially after lunchtime, and never eat pass six p.m. This has the additional benefit of managing your weight, as late night meals tend to stay in your body longer. Finally, we recommend the addition of SleepWell™ to help regulate your body’s natural sleep rhythm and improve your total sleeping time.

More info found at: http://www.expowest.com/ew12/Public/Content.aspx?ID=1017204&sortMenu=103000

A big big thanks to our loyal customers and a big hug to those who are new to NuLivLifestyle. We take pride in the safety and efficacy (what’s stated on the label is exactly what you get) of our products. Cheers to the Year of the Dragon.

~Richard W., one of the younger guys here at NuLiv.