orange | Johnny La Pasta

Fall is here and it’s brought more than just pumpkin spice everything with it. This time of year marks the return of cold and flu season. But before you grab your hand sanitizer and don a face mask, Johnny La Pasta has a few tips to help you stay healthy and fit this sick season!

While I do fall ill sometimes just like everyone else, I have a pretty good track record of staying healthy most years, often completely missing the major flu or cold that everyone around me seems to catch (knock on wood). Even when I do contract an illness, I often bounce back from it rather quickly. This has led many of my friends, family, and students to ask me: How?

Here are my tips for staying healthy and fit during the flu & cold season –

-1- Hydration

Hydration is always key, including during flu & cold season. Staying hydrated promotes your elimination system which can help to flush build ups of toxins from your body before they can take root and do any harm. So even if it’s cold outside, drink your water like it’s a scorching summer day!

-2- Citrus All Day, Every Day

One of the ways I stay healthy all year long is I am almost always consuming some form of citrus. As we all know, citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes are rich in vitamin C which is key for immunity. Citrus fruits have been shown to strengthen your white blood cells as well as increase your white blood cell count. White blood cells are the guys that fight off infection, so you want them strong and in abundance! So, how do you get your citrus in?

Put citrus into your water! Cut up citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit into wedges and store in mason jars in your fridge at home and at work. Anytime you refill your water, squeeze any combination of the fruits into the water and drink. This will make your water tastier and be consistently providing you with a powerful source of vitamin C.

-3- Apple Cider Vinegar

Another way I keep my health going throughout the year and especially during this season is Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). ACV is rich in minerals, vitamins, and enzymes that help to bind to and then remove toxins from the body, promote better lymph circulation, and act as a natural antibacterial and antiseptic within the body. ACV has been used medicinally since ancient times in many cultures and science shows there is no reason to stop now!

Take a shot of ACV a couple of times a day or add a couple tablespoons to your water at least twice a day. Yeah, the taste is not the best, but the results are worth it! And if you do get sick, drink ACV all damn day to promote that illness getting killed off!

-4- doTerra On Guard® Protective Blend Essential Oil

I swear on Oprah by this oil. Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Cinnamon Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Leaf, and Rosemary Leaf/Flower essential oils come together to create a master oil that supports the immune and respiratory systems, protects against environmental threats, and supports the body’s natural antioxidant defenses.

Throughout last year’s epically bad flu season, I used this oil in a few different ways. The first was that every night, I mixed a few drops of On Guard into a couple tablespoons of coconut oil and rubbed that mixture into my neck, chest, stomach, and the bottoms of feet so that my body could absorb the oil and all its benefits overnight as my body restored. Secondly, I diffused a few drops of this oil in my oil diffuser next to my bed as I slept. Lastly, when I felt like I was rundown or perhaps coming down with an illness, I added a drop of On Guard to my water a few times per day and drank it down. And I will be repeating all of these techniques with On Guard this sick season.

You can learn more about doTerra’s On Guard® Protective Blend and how to safely use it here.

-5- Oil of Oregano

Oregano Essential Oil has been used by the Chinese, Greeks, and Romans since ancient times as a medicinal substance. Oregano is highly potent with a phenol called carvacrol that possess powerful antioxidant properties. When ingested, oregano oil acts as an antibacterial, antiseptic, and antiviral.

I do not take oregano essential oil on the regular because it’s nasty AF. However, when I feel myself getting sick or am sick, I will use the oil to help fight and kill off whatever is in my system. You can honestly almost feel the oil burning away at the infection inside you. Again, oil of oregano is extremely powerful and so be mindful to use with caution. Best practice is to dilute 1 drop of oregano oil in at least 4 fluid ounces of water and drink, trying to avoid getting the oil on your lips as it can cause a burning sensation.

I use doTerra’s Oregano Essential Oil, which can learn more about here.

-6- Good Nutrition

This one should go without saying. Making a nutritious diet part of your lifestyle is simply key to overall health and wellness. If you are eating wholesome foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, then your body and immune system are going to be better supported to resist and fight off infection.

-7- Exercise

Here again, exercise is just important to living your best life. When it comes to immunity, exercising promotes the elimination of bacteria from your lungs and airways. It also promotes the circulation of your white blood cells; it makes them more active in doing their job of fighting infection. So just move!

-8- Sleep

Making sure you get your 7-8 hours of sleep per night is essential during flu & cold season. Deep sleep is your body’s time to restore and rejuvenate. If you give it the time it needs to do this, then it is going to be more equipped to ward off sickness. I swear, whenever I find myself in a situation where I am sleep deprived, I end up getting some sort of illness. We really do need our sleep, so be diligent about it.

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These are the practices and techniques I have incorporated into my lifestyle which have served me in keeping my healthy and strong. I invite you to try a few or all of these on and see how you fair this sick season. Good luck!

Christmas Biscotti

Truthfully, I am not a huge baker and much more of a cook. When it’s Christmas time, however, I do enjoy donning on an apron, covering myself in flour, and whipping up a few sweet holiday treats. Like any sane human, I love baking and eating Christmas cookies. But with so many people opting for traditional holiday favorites like sugar cookies, I like to make something a little bit different when I make the effort to bake up some Christmas cheer.

My original Christmas Biscotti gives me the satisfaction of Christmas baking while paying homage to my Italian roots. Ever since I developed this recipe about 7 years ago, these biscotti have become a friend and family favorite I bake and share every December. This is one of my original recipes I very much look forward to sharing with my children one day!

My Christmas Biscotti are just the right amount of sweet and satisfyingly crunchy! With red from tart dried cranberries, green from earthy pistachios, a bit of warm orange zest, a splash of lively amaretto, and rich dark chocolate, these biscotti look and taste like Christmas! Try them with a nice cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa for an optimally festive experience.

Christmas Biscotti

Serves: 12–14 Cookies | Prep Time: 2 Hours | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons orange zest
½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Amaretto liqueur
½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dark chocolate chips
Optional: 1 cup dark chocolate chips to make glaze

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter, and orange zest with a hand mixer until a crumb-like texture is formed. Add one egg at a time and beat until completely incorporated. Mix in the Amaretto liqueur. Working in thirds, add the flour mixture and beat together until all ingredients are mixed and dough starts to form. Add the pistachios, cranberries, and chocolate chips until well distributed throughout the dough.

Place the dough in the center of the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and form a log that is 13 inches long and 3 inches wide. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the log is golden brown. Remove from oven and baking sheet and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Using a sharp or serrated bread knife, slice the log in ½ inch to ¾ inch slices (be careful as the slices will be quite fragile). Place the slices with cut side down on the baking sheet and bake an additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a baking rack.

Optional: melt the 1 cup of dark chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the melted chocolate onto a plate. Dip the flat bottom of the biscotti in the melted chocolate and set aside until the chocolate hardens. Enjoy!

Buon Natale!