Thriving through winter without fatigue or illness starts with smart preparation.
In the colder months, your body channels essential energy into immune defense until spring.
Discover proven strategies from Dr. Aude Senez to maintain peak health all season.
Intestinal flora can be disrupted by antibiotics, poor diet, aging, stress, or illness, heightening infection risk.
Prioritize beneficial bacteria, which renew intestinal cells, enhance barrier integrity, neutralize toxins, and curb harmful microbes.
Top choices: unpasteurized rice miso and kefir.
Nourish these bacteria with prebiotics rich in oligofructose and inulin.
Top choices: chicory root, artichoke, asparagus, garlic, onion, banana, apple, oats, seaweed.
Boost intestinal health with L-glutamine-rich foods, an amino acid vital for gut integrity.
Top choices: fish, dairy, legumes, and meat.
To reduce gut permeability, limit high-gluten cereals like refined wheat.
In winter, target intestinal inflammation with fruits, vegetables, and omega-3-rich oily fish.
Opt for flax seeds and rapeseed oil.
Incorporate antioxidant powerhouses like dark chocolate, green tea, spinach, broccoli, beets, and kale.
Spices shine here: turmeric leads for its potent anti-inflammatory effects—pair it with black pepper and ginger.
Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, plus zinc and selenium, form the cornerstone of immunity.
Essential food sources include:
Dairy products, veal liver, carrots – Vitamin A
Brewer's yeast, dried and green vegetables, nuts, calf's liver, dairy – Vitamin B
Lemon, cabbage, red pepper, chives, parsley, kiwi, strawberries, lychee – Vitamin C
Dairy products, fatty fish (salmon, sardines) – Vitamin D
Cabbage, spinach, vegetable oils (rapeseed), sauerkraut, watercress, broccoli, cucumber, lettuce – Vitamin E
Meat (beef, veal liver), seafood (oysters), pulses, dairy, eggs – Zinc
Whole grains, brewer's yeast, offal, seafood, Amazonian nuts – Selenium
*(non-exhaustive list)
Even with an optimized diet, supplements may be warranted—always after a doctor's blood test.
Winter pathogens trigger your immune response, releasing proteins that boost blood flow to affected areas.
This mobilizes immune cells to fight infection, causing redness, heat, pain, and swelling—classic acute inflammation.
These reactions drive symptoms like runny nose, sore throat, and sneezing.
Article by Dr. Aude Senez, Specialist in Nutritional and Functional Medicine, in partnership with labeauteparisienne.com
Learn more at www.docteuraudesenez.fr
