GBA SMOOTHIES / JUICES 2021 - Autumn/Winter

Say good-bye to Winter’s chills and blues! Winter’s well and truly underway! Get out those winter woollies, cook up a soup and sip a warming Winter Wellness Glühwein (see page 23) … but is that ENOUGH to keep us healthy through the cold months? We asked German naturopath Beatrice Dean – who now calls Queensland home – for her top immune-boosting tips to stay healthy.

What are your 5 top fruit or veggie tips to keep winter chills and colds away? My top 5 fruit and vegetables to keep you healthy in winter are: 1 Citrus fruits

A passionate advocate of healthy living and lifestyle, Beatrice brings extensive experience in natural medicines and pharmacy work from Germany, and now adapts this to the needs of the very different climate and lifestyle of people in Australia – a healthy win-win combination! When we want to keep healthy in winter, we think of oranges, because of their Vitamin C. Is this the best option? Oranges are, of course, one of the first fruits that come to mind if we want to increase our Vitamin C levels, but there are many other fruits that have even more Vitamin C and other health beneficial components. Higher in Vitamin C are guavas, kiwifruit, strawberry, papaya, black currants, lychees, rose hips, starfruit, goji berries and top of the list is the acerola cherry. Acerola cherries contain one of the highest levels of Vitamin C in natural grown foods! They are also high in antioxidants and other vitamins. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, water-soluble and a required nutrient. As it’s not stored in our bodies we have to consume a water-soluble vitamin C source every day. Vitamin C sourced from plants is highly absorbent and bio- available, and therefore beneficial for many different body systems. It strengthens the immune system, boosts heart health and is highly beneficial for our joints and bones. These are only a few examples that show how important a daily intake of vitamin C is. Rabenhorst 11plus11 Yellow Multivitamin Juice is a good example, it is a very tasty blend of fruits rich in vitamin C in one mix to satisfy your tastebuds and boost your immunity not only in winter!

Almost all citrus fruits – such as grapefruits, oranges, lemon, mandarines, limes, to name a few – are high in vitamin C. As mentioned, vitamin C is essential for our immune system, and is thought to support the production of white blood cells which play a vital role in fighting infections caused by viruses or bacteria Vitamin C is also responsible for the effective absorption of many minerals from within our diet. An outstanding example is the absorption of iron. Iron needs an acidic (low pH level) environment for high uptake levels into our bodies, therefore a sour juice made from lemons or oranges an ideal companion for high iron absorption levels. Have a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice or Rabenhorst 11 Plus 11 Multivitamin juice first thing in the morning with your iron supplement. Talk to your health professional or doctor if you suffer from a sensitive stomach. 2 Broccoli Broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can find! It’s packed full of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidant components, which are beneficial for our digestive system, elimination processes and the immune system.

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