Are you tired of the haze? We’re all feeling the pinch of the extra cost of air purifiers, suffering with eye irritation, sore throats, coughs and in the worst cases, inescapable headache and vomiting – but what can we do about it?

Last month, one of my clients called up to ask what she could do to protect her family from haze hazards. I decided to resort to haze-related dietary measures, and created a simple health food list that can help strengthen your immune system to resist haze associated health issues. Be consistent and you will reap the benefits!

1. Cook some food in coconut oil or simply drink it; just 1 tsp. a day is enough to work wonders. If you do not like it as a cooking medium, then add it to your smoothies or deserts.
2. Drink at least a glass of carotene rich vegetable juice per day – like spinach, carrot, tomato juice to relax your airways and eyes muscles.
3. Eat yellow and orange squash, dark greens, carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, red peppers and tomatoes. Cabbage family foods (brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, radish and turnip) help prevent low immunity.
4. Check your protein intake and increase it if consuming less than 2 servings a day. 1 serving is a cupful of cooked beans, dals, cottage cheese, a palm sized fish or lean chicken.
5. Fresh sprouts can help increase proteins as well as vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin in maintaining the integrity of lung tissue. So eat citrus fruits (avoid juices), squeeze lemon juice, or add fresh coriander leaves to your food.
6. Flavonoids rich berries, garlic, yogurt, and artichoke also help boost immunity.
7. Add probiotics in your family’s daily diet in the form of yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, or homemade pickles. These are very effective for keeping infection at bay.
8. Consume 2 cups of green tea per day to help production of immune cells.
9. Drink 2.5 – 3 liters of water, warm if possible.
10. Go high on herbs – turmeric, ginger, gingko bilabo, ginseng, Echinacea, dandelion, and/or licorice root. The simplest tip that I always practice is that whenever there is somebody in my family with a cough, cold, or (rarely) fever, I put a pinch or two of turmeric powder, black pepper powder, and cardamom powder in hot milk.
11. Try having hot Indian Masala Milk – with a tsp of dry fruits (almonds, pistachios, cardamom, cashews) powder, kesar (saffron) in it and drink hot. You can feel the difference immediately.
12. Incorporate barley pearls in your diet to boost immunity. It is easily available in many coffee shops in Singapore and is an easy take away.
13. Go low on rice, and other starchy items. They may stress the lungs and cause them to work harder especially if you have rhinitis, asthma or any pre-existing breathing problems.
14. Have timely meals, every 3 hours to prevent any gastric upset which may result in to acidity and headaches.
15. Avoid caffeine. If you are an addict, then reduce the numbers of cups a day.

I hope you find these tips helpful and benefit from them. Let us know which ones you liked best. My favourite is the spice tea!

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