It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood! Lalalalalalalalalala...

Hi everyone!  I am just checking in because life keeps getting in my way of staying current on my blog.  

Just read this article (which prompted the title of the post) and thought I'd share a little about my health.

People who know me personally know that I'm always complaining about having a cold or being on the verge of getting a cold.  I have twelve little children at my house every day, and am exposed to not only their germs but also their wider germ networks of people they are exposed to.  Basically I live in a germ factory, despite our policy about washing hands upon entry, which has been shown to significantly reduce the spread of illness in child care centers.  (I would practice this at home, too, if you find your family getting sick a lot.)

Well I am in tip-top form lately because 1. we bought a new mattress at Costco and I'm finally sleeping wonderfully, and 2. I'm taking lots of immune-boosting supplements (I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again).  My husband keeps asking my why I'm in such a good mood and I think the answer lies in the supplements.

1. Zinc.  Studies have come out again saying zinc may help fight common colds after all.
2. WTCB.  I'm not sure how this precious combo of herbs and roots and flowers works, but I feel amazing.  My amazingly healthy 74-year-old friend recommended this.  Seeing how healthy she is, walking several miles each day, doing those crazy PX90 or whatever those intense workout videos are, she is the Amazing Healthy Lady. 
3. Mushrooms.  My vegan nutritionist, Sid, told me about these (although he suggests taking a powdered form found here which is gentler on the tummy) and when I feel a cold coming on I take a little extra, otherwise I just take one per day.  I take the LifeShield Immunity because that's the brand stocked at Whole Foods.  Take them with food if you have a sensitive stomach like me.
4. Vegan DHA.  Although vegan women seem to have significantly more good fats in their blood than others (read the article here), Sid recommended that I take a supplement nonetheless.  He recommends this one: v-pure DHA.  I swear my mental clarity and overall mood have really improved since starting this supplement.  I eat a ton of walnuts but still seemed to need a supplement.
5. Other supplements I've been taking (these may be controversial): 
• Vitamin B Complex.  You are probably already taking a supplement if you are a vegan, but I don't take these late at night because they keep me awake
• Magnesium-Potassium.  I started taking this because it relieves my restless leg syndrome.  When my body has an ailment, I look to my diet first to see if I can alleviate the problem.
• Sea Vegetation.  I can't find a link for it but my esthetician, who sees my skin up close frequently, told me to take it to help my skin health and overall health.
• Vitamin C: I just bought these for days when we don't have orange juice or oranges in the house (rare) or when there are nasty cold bugs going around the preschool population (like this week).  I like them because they are bright purple which tells me there are natural antioxidants in them.  There has also been controversy over whether vitamin C supplements are useful but I tend to believe in them.

While it seems I'm probably getting paid to recommend these, I'm totally not.  I don't think a blog with less than ten followers would qualify for endorsements : )

The reason I like the Wachters products is that they have sea vegetation which seems to help the digestibility.  I've never been able to take vitamins without resulting digestive, er, backups.  None of the Wachters brand does that at all.  I'm sure there are other good ones out there but none that I have found.

A vegan who is intentional about what they consume will most likely get everything they need from their diet.  However, even eating very healthy I felt like I was missing "something" (I've blogged about this before).  Most days were fine but every now and then I'd feel like I needed "something" that I couldn't pinpoint.  I don't feel that way anymore.  Granted, I have a high-intensity job and being a business owner + working with preschoolers tends to really deplete my system entirely.  So I may be more high maintenance than your average vegan : )

I hope you found something useful in all of this.  Please post comments, even if you disagree with something I've said here!

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Wishing you an immune-boosting optimism in your day today...

And with that I leave you with this video about a drug-induced optimism which you may find funny or you may find totally crass and offensive.  My husband and I cannot watch this one without cracking up every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5czRoFqcxNs&feature=youtube_gdata_player