Fighting Illness On the Road with Food

This week Carissa Berres at Team Run Smart went over a few things that can help truck drivers naturally protect themselves from illness and the costs from being off the road. Some are pretty simple, low-cost changes you can make during the germy seasons to keep you rolling more miles on the road instead of home clocking wage-free hours.

We’re doing this because the truck driving industry is currently under siege by conditions and diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis. Many of these diseases can be managed by maintaining a better diet.

Berres classifies your plan of attack in two ways: Foods To Eat, and Habits To Form. First, the foods.

Look for fruits that have high levels of B type vitamins to fight infections – Bran muffins, pistachios, garlic, sunflower seeds, chicken breast meat.

Get foods high in vitamin C for immune system boosts – oranges, bell peppers, strawberries, jalapeno peppers, and broccoli.

Find foods high in antioxidants – dried or fresh blueberries and cranberries, apples, potatoes, pecans.

Second, build better habits.

Drink more water – water is the best thing for you, without a doubt. It doesn’t matter if it’s in a bottle or from the tap, water helps your body do what it does best, better. Drink at least four 8 oz. servings of water a day.

Limit your refined sugars – sodas and candy reduce your body’s ability to fight off infections for up to 5 hours after consumption.

Drink and smoke less – these things make your body work harder and longer for the same results a healthy body can handle. Ask your company if they have any anti-smoking, or smoking cessation programs available for you to join. You might be able to save or make a lot of money doing it.

Take some time each day to exercise – even if it’s just for a little while, the health benefits outweigh the hassle it puts on your schedule. It only has to be around 15 – 30 minutes a day. Think it over.

To read the rest of what Carissa has to say, and watch some helpful videos, head over to Team Run Smart to have a look. Stay healthy, truck drivers!