"look at all the little piggies...."-Beatles:)

Hey, with all the pandemonium about the swine flu it has completely SHOCKED me that no one has mentioned nutrition as a wonderful preventative measure. Building your immunity is the best thing you can do to avoid any kind of flu. We try very hard in our family to stick to a whole foods diet, limiting meat and dairy(and other mucus causing foods that clog the immune system). I know families that do this and their kids are NEVER sick. I know switching to a whole foods diet can be overwhelming, but there are some really simple ways to start. Here is one.:)

Here is an AWESOME recipe that we use pretty much every morning that is completely whole foods yummy.:)

Frozen fruit oatmeal:
(you can use any whole grain, whole oats are just the easiest to start-you can use quick oats too, whole oats just take a few extra minutes and are healthier)

Measure out your water, and start boiling. Add any kind of frozen fruit you like. We usually like peaches, mangos, or strawberries. By the time the water is boiling and ready to put the oatmeal in the fruit is almost cooked through already. Add the oatmeal, cook for suggested time. Put in a bowl, add a little cinnamon and chopped bananas and a little milk. Enjoy! SO easy. You could add apples instead of the frozen fruit, or pretty much anything else after the oatmeal is cooked, honey and raisins, craisens, sunflower seeds, any kind of nut. Fresh fruit, etc. This recipe is so easy and SOOOO yummy. It is milder then some forms of fruity oatmeal because it is lacking preservatives and sugar, but I was surprised how sweet it was!

Food is something that is so simple, yet somehow so overwhelming! to incorporate into immunity building skills. Just start out simple. Try to buy more whole grained breads, and less white flour products. Try to limit processed foods as much as possible.(In our family we do this by mostly limiting our processed foods in the form of whole grain pastas:). Oh, one awesome thing we have done, in the process of changing our food lifestyle, is to not focus on taking out the bad foods, but upping the good foods. Making sure we add atleast one more vegetable serving at lunch and dinner.

Denny is needing some serious Mumma time, so this is a bit short and crazy, but there is a great website:

http://realfoodliving.com/

There are lots of other ways to build up your immunity. SIMPLE THINGS, things you probably do everyday. Here are some I have found helpful. Keeping a sanitary house. People forget to air out there house every now and then, and this is really important for keeping the air quality good in your house. Florence Nightingale wrote an awesome book that talks about this and other things called NOTES ON NURSING.
Also, make sure everyone gets outside once a day. Sunshine and fresh air is really important. I know it is still snowing in some places, but even five, ten minutes really helps. Make sure everyone is excersizing, even a little bit everyday. This SO includes housework, dancing with your babies, hubby, etc.:) Excersize doesn't have to be taebo, or jogging, etc. Make things you do everyday count. Just make sure you are moving!

There are sooo many things you can do to prevent illness in your family and build immunity that don't include harmful medications. Sometimes medicine IS neccesary, but I really feel that Heavenly FAther has been genius in the way he made our bodies, and they can be a lot stronger than we think they can if we give them the right nutrients and tools. In learning more and more about the body, I am just amazed at what it can do!

IF YOU HAVES ANY QUESTIONS EMAIL ME!Cheers-Clair:)