No one needs a cold slowing them down this busy holiday season. Let’s be real – as much fun as the holidays are they can also be a stressful time. And, stress weakens our body’s defenses leaving us more susceptible to getting sick. So, how can you boost your immune system naturally this winter?

It’s one of those solutions that’s so simple it’s almost stupid. Amp up your vitamin C intake, peeps!  And, as with most things in life (with the potential exception of hair color and milk) natural is better.

Airborne and emergen-c are great; I turn to them in times of real need – like when traveling. However, why use a packaged powder when you can actually gobble down the real stuff? The good ‘ol apple gets a lot of play but let’s not underestimate the immune boosting properties of an orange or grapefruit a day. Both fruits are at their prime in the winter. Therefore they taste better and have traveled a shorter distance before hitting the grocer’s shelves.

I eat one of each everyday during the late Fall to Winter months. In fact, my former colleagues used to tease me about my whole office smelling perma- citrus. (Could be worst, right?)

An average sized orange contains roughly 70 mg of vitamin C.  Red grapefruits clock in at around 44 mg. The recommended everyday intake is 75 milligrams per day for adult women and 90 milligrams per day for adult men.

Some other lesser known great sources of vitamin C include red peppers, spinach, broccoli, kiwi and strawberries.

I know the vitamin C preaching has me sounding like your Mom. But again nobody wants to get sick when they’re supposed to be shopping, gallivanting, cocktailing, and spending precious time with family and friends. Eat up!

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Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari