Staying healthy, avoiding flus and colds, and minimizing winter's 'blue' days

By Daniel Luthi
Translated by Alicia Yu

Winter has arrived here in lovely Taiwan and some wet, cold and depressing days are sure to follow. Let's look at the three deciding factors that you have control over when it comes to staying healthy and happy during the winter months.

Most importantly, pay attention to your diet. Raw vegetables and fish provide you with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, protein and unsaturated fats that your immune system will utilize to stay strong and ward off illness. Eat fresh and, hopefully, organic salads two to three times a week and try to consume fresh, steamed fish a couple of times a week.

Of course, your best option would be to buy organic greens, sprinkle them with a variety of shredded veggies, drizzle them with a little bit of imported, pure olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, pepper, and fresh garlic, and serve them with a fresh, wild-caught, steamed fish of your choice. But, if you are not the type that prepares meals easily, Taichung now has plenty of restaurants that provide delightful choices of freshly-prepared salads that are reasonably priced and very nutritious. Plus, fresh fish and sashimi, my favorite ways to get my "fish fix", are available and safe to eat in many restaurants throughout Taiwan.

The next tip is an extremely simple, yet most crucial, habit to acquire as soon as possible. From the moment you leave your house in the morning, do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your hands before thoroughly washing them. The most common places for viruses and bacteria to enter your body is through those three orifices. So keep your hands away from your face, and wash your hands occasionally and thoroughly with soap, especially after pushing a shopping cart around, or attending a meeting or class that included hand-shakes, or a beer party that included high-fives.

Lastly, it is clearly essential to get regular exercise, as global long-term research undoubtedly shows that exercise produces "happy hormones" that will alleviate the depression that is often part of winter days and months, even in a subtropical climate like Taiwan's. A gray, rainy day does not make a happy day for many people and regular exercise will provide you with that extra boost of happiness as well as better sleep, overall fitness, a leaner and healthier body, plus a splendid way to reduce stress.

Happy, healthy holidays!