Despite the fact that since August of ‘07 I have a.) been staying in a foreign country and b.) cooped up in dorms and hotels, there is one thing that hasn’t happened that I thought for sure would be inevitable, and has in fact afflicted many other people, including those I have come into close range with.

I have never caught a cold since my move to Japan.

I am no expert, but I do believe that diet and lifestyle has had a lot to do with it. Here are some habits that I think may have attributed to my well-being even in this winter season, even after coming in close contact with sicklings, and even after having to adjust to a new climate and polluted atmosphere. (Again, these are just my opinions not backed by any scientific documentation because I am too lazy, so follow at your own risk!)

- Good Sleep Routine: Even on my off days and vacation days, I try to go to sleep around midnight. I also try to get myself up at 10am at the very latest. I think that a good sleep routine induces less stress on your body then if you were to change it from day to day. The people that I knew that got sick often went to sleep at various hours of the night, and napped for hours on end during the day.
- Fruits and Veggies: It wasn’t too long after I had my first taste of real mikan that I started to eat them everyday, almost without fail. I also incorporate dark greens like spinach into my food. Once in a while I buy raw fish and cook it with some olive oil, pepper, and spinach in the toaster oven (microwaving it will kill any nutrients) and I try to throw some frozen veggies into any instant curry I make.
- Careful with Instant Foods: Even though I buy instant curry, rice, and soup, I don’t buy instant ramen or yakisoba, even though they are much cheaper. For one thing, instant noodles aren’t filling and for another thing, they are filled with sodium and MSG like you wouldn’t believe (if you do eat the stuff, don’t drink the broth or only use half the seasoning packet!). At least with the curry, rice, and soup I can incorporate vegetables and other healthy ingredients and still get the added bonus of saving time.
- Stay Away from (Red) Meat Products: Not only is red meat very fatty, but I always feel like you are taking a risk when you buy pre-made foods with meat in it. Just speculation, but I think diets that leans more towards the vegetarian way provide more health benefits. I try to minimize the meat in my diet the best I can.
- Keep Hydrated: I always feel like crap when I’m thirsty, which is when your body is already dehydrated. Keeping a steady intake of liquids in the form of teas (with no milk and sugar) and water is a good way for your system to clear itself.
- Don’t Abuse the Heat: Whenever the heat is on for prolonged periods of time, my nose/throat always gets irritated and my eyes feel dry. This probably makes an ideal environment for common colds. I think you should try to maintain your room at a comfortable temperature, and not unnecessarily crank up the heat just because it is cold.

To me, these are just common sense things but you never know. It could just be in the cards for me to receive a huge ass-kicking flu right as school/mid-terms/finals/insert-important-event-here starts, and everything I have said above will be null.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment