How I Survive The Office Cold

How I survive the office cold? Pack my desk draws FULL of goodness!

I change the fruit and veg I keep in my drawer every few days once I’ve munched my way through the lot, but the teas will pretty much stay the same.

• Green Tea is FULL of polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants; essential for warding off and fighting colds… It also kills bacteria and is great for tooth health too, acting like a mouthwash! Many people will hold the tea in their mouths for a few seconds before swallowing. This is because of it’s anti-bacterial properties which can help protect the body from incoming bacteria, fighting off disease before it can enter the body further. VERY useful in office environments!
• Chai Tea, made with black tea, cinnamon and ginger root (some also contain cardamom and pepper). Black tea, like green tea, is a great anti-bacterial agent when you drink it without milk and sugar. Cinnamon is great for keeping blood sugar regulated (which means if you have something which has sugar in, it keeps your blood sugar more regulated than usual). This is great in colds season because it means your body is less susceptible to infections as it is running at an optimal level. Keeping your blood sugar regulated is very important for increased health! And ginger root has great antioxidant properties which we’ve spoken about in Green Tea, but also has fantastic anti-inflammatory properties and gastro-related healing properties, great for chesty coughs, gland problems and more.
• Lemon and Ginger Tea – as discussed above, ginger is great for winter but is perhaps more for once you have a cold than to prevent. Lemon is high in vitamin C which has been proven to lessen the effects of colds so together with ginger, which is an anti-inflammatory, this tea is fantastic for those feeling like they could be coming down with something!
• Red Grapes are rich is resveratol which is not only great for hair and skin health, but also critical for longevity and good overall health. Red grapes are also low in sugar and low on the GI scale. They are also rich in copper and contain essential antioxidants…
• Pumpkin seeds are one of the healthiest snacks available, and you can pick them up in volume packs for a relatively low amount! Rich in magnesium and used to treat many conditions such as migraines and period pains (low magnesium levels can contribute to many every-day illnesses such as these), they’re also rich in zonc which is essential for maintaining great immune-system health. Need more reasons to eat these little beauties? They’re also a rich anti-inflammatory!
• Vegetable sticks and hummus – rotate your vegetables you use (cucumber, carrots, celery, or anything else you fancy chopping up and eating raw…) vegetables are great for keeping the immune system topped up with the vitamins and minerals it needs to function on an optimum level! Make sure you choose a no sugar version of the hummus or make it yourself – it’s really easy, it’s just chick peas and olive oil!

So that’s what my work draws look like through winter! Follow me on twitter for all the latest