With all the weather fluctuations during this time of year, and the close proximity of being around other people, it’s important to keep our immune systems strong so we don’t fall prey to the pesky flu (or one of the gajillion strains of it). Here are 5 tips to keep your immune system healthy throughout the cold months.

Did you know the digestive system and the nervous system are intertwined? And that they can actually talk to one another? You’ve probably felt this when you get butterflies in your stomach when you’re nervous, or when you have a gut instinct about something (or even when you have diarrhea from anxiety). 

Enter lavender. Whether you’re inhaling its soothing aromas via essential oils, tasting it paired with strawberries in a slightly sweet fruit tart, rubbing the flowers between your fingers to smell its ever-so-faint perfume, or drying it out to put on display, lavender is calming, soothing, and emotionally uplifting.

My favorite way to make salads is in layers. Always have a green base, a protein (vegan or non-vegan, assume organic/grass-fed), a fat, more veggies/fruit to round it out, and fresh herbs to top it off. I usually make an apple cider vinaigrette to finish it off.

Whenever I come back from vacation, or feel like I need a reset, I make soup. There’s something about soup that just feels healthy, especially in winter when it’s too cold to eat salads.