Winter Survival Series Part 3: Staying Healthy
~ Submitted by: Cheyenne Caza, AHA Student Member
Now, there are common health conditions that can occur this time of the year more so than others, like scurvy for instance. Scurvy used to be a rampant winter blight in Northern countries, a deficit of vitamin C in the body, often diminishing the immune system (our body's immune function relies on heavy hitters such as vitamin C) and making wound healing seemingly impossible-- certainly something to avoid when in a survival situation. With winter being the time of year with the seemingly smallest selection of foods containing vitamin C, it's quite a beautiful thought to think that it is also the same time of year that Mother Nature gives us one of the most powerful sources of vitamin C-- rosehips! (Also known as the itchy bum berry, so be sure to read on for handling instruction.) Approximately 3 single rosehips, gives you the equivalent vitamin C content of a whole orange. Not too bad for backwoods foods. When adding vitamin C rich foods to anything you are cooking (soups, stews, teas), make sure you are adding it at the very end, to previously boiled and allowed to cool slightly water (or soup or stews) and consuming it right away. Vitamin C is a highly sensitive vitamin, especially to things like heat and processing. This is especially crucial during the winter, when you need every ounce of nutrients you manage to find. Keep your eyes and mind open to all possibilities within nature. There is no such thing as certainty out there. If it's mid-January and you come across still-green Alfalfa, for instance, securely tucked away under a spruce tree, don't dismiss the gift because it shouldn't technically be there. Instead consider it an honour, give thanks to the plant's gift, and utilize the blessing. There is no black and white, written in stone rules within nature, no matter who says otherwise.
Stay tuned for Winter Survival Series Part 4: Seasonal Saviours, Alfalfa!