Text Box: ing. Everyone needs at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day to get adequate vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants -- all things we need for a healthy immune system. 
Keep Up Your Healthy Diet    
 - While you want to focus on increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat, don't forget to choose other healthy foods to supply nutrients your immune system needs. A healthy balanced diet with lean meats, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds provides your body with all of the nutrients you need for general health. A healthy body tends to have a healthier immune system.   Of course, avoiding unhealthy food is important too. Stay Text Box: From About.com                           Nutrition expert Lisa Hark PhD, RD , director of the Nutrition Education and Prevention Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, reports that your diet can influence your risk for colds & flu.    According to Dr. Hark, food and healthy lifestyle choices boost your immune system, and that can prevent you from coming down with colds and flu. The key is not waiting until you get sick to make these changes; you need to revamp your diet and lifestyle before the cold and flu bugs get to you.
Dr. Hark suggestions:  Rely on Real Food, Not Vitamins -Foods are better than dietary supplements for the prevention of colds and flu because you get the whole nutritional package. For example, Dr. Hark points out, eating an orange is Text Box: better for you than just taking vitamin C because the orange offers you a combination of nutrients -- magnesium, potassium, folate, vitamin B6, and  antioxidant-rich flavonoids. 
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables - So now that you know you need to eat lots of fruits and vegetables to keep your immune system strong, the next step is to actually make it happen. People tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables in the winter, which is the opposite of what you should be doText Box: Your Diet Can Reduce Your Risk of Colds & Flu
Text Box: Four Healthy Habits that Will Reduce Your Risk for Disease
Text Box: The groups recommended to receive the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine include:
Pregnant women 
Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age 
Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel 
Text Box: All people from 6 months through 24 years of age 
Children from 6 months through 18 years of age 
Young adults 19 through 24 years 
Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influText Box: enza.
Once the demand for vaccine for the prioritized groups has been met at the local level, programs and providers should also begin vaccinating everyone from the ages of 25 through 64 years. Current studies indicate that the risk for infection among persons age 65 or older is less than the risk for younger age groups. However, once vaccine demand among younger age Text Box: West Central Iowa Healthcare Foundation                           
Text Box: October, 2009
Text Box: Volume 1, Issue 4
Text Box: WCIHF Health News
Text Box: What You Can Do to Stay Healthy
From CDC.com

Stay informed. Pay attention to health news in your community.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. 
Take everyday actions to stay healthy. 
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Stay home if you get sick. The CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
Text Box: Oranges can help keep you healthy during cold and flu sea

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