FOLIO | BOOK REVIEW - WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Letitia Fitzpatrick

Where The Crawdads Sing is a bestselling debut novel by Delia Owens set in North Carolina in the Fifties and Sixties. It has sold more than 4.5 million copies and topped Amazon’s list of Most Sold Books in fiction in 2019. It’s also a favourite of book clubs everywhere.

It combines a murder mystery, a coming-of-age story and a celebration of the natural world. For years, rumours of the ‘Marsh Girl’ have swirled around Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. In 1969, when a handsome young local man, Chase Andrews, who’s a bit of a celebrity, is found dead, suspicion immediately falls on the Marsh Girl, Kya Clark.

Shy and rejected by the townsfolk, she’s a complex individual who has had to survive alone in the marsh she calls home, making friends among the wildlife, and learning an astonishing amount about nature. She’s extremely clever, becoming self-sufficient since she was a young child. As she grows up, navigating her lonely life, she yearns for love, and two young men from the town become fascinated by her.

“Learning to read was the most fun she’d ever had. But she couldn’t figure why Tate had offered to teach po’ white trash like her, why he’d come in the first place, bringing exquisite feathers. But she didn’t ask, afraid it might get him thinking on it, send him away.

“Now at last Kya could label all her precious specimens. She took each feather, insect, shell, or flower, looked up how to spell the name in Ma’s books, and wrote it carefully on her brown-paper-bag painting.

“‘What comes after twenty-nine?’ she asked Tate one day. He looked at her. She knew more about tides and snow geese, eagles and stars than most ever would, yet she couldn’t count to thirty. He didn’t want to shame her, so didn’t show surprise. She was awfully good at reading eyes."

However, Kya’s new life brings danger, and the gripping plot twists and turns. Kya is a compelling and sensitive character, and the author’s descriptive prose draws you into her life in the wild, evoking the beauty of the marshland and its inhabitants.

Where The Crawdads Sing draws on themes of survival, of racial and social division, and ecology. The heroine is portrayed sympathetically, and her story examines how isolation affects our behaviour and how abandonment and rejection cast long shadows on our lives.

It’s a real page-turner, right to the end.

FITNESS | HEALTH 911 - FEEDING THE FRONTLINE PATHOGEN FIGHTERS - IMMUNE BOOSTING 2.0

You were all well used to me raving about the importance of healthy eating before coronavirus kicked in, (despite often being teased about it in the past - yes, really), so as you can imagine, I've seriously ramped things up now.  

Regular readers will know that I did an immune boosting foods blog back in January
(link here) , so this is a 2.0 version, if you like.

But while eating certain foods isn't going to avoid or prevent disease completely, taking certain steps can definitely help boost the immune system - and prepare your body to fight off the virus or indeed a whole host of other pathogens.

Oh and wash hands, plus #StayHome too. Obvs.

In short, it's all about balance - so if you’re eating a varied but healthy diet and taking regular exercise, getting sleep and avoiding stress, your immune system should be in fairly good shape already, but let's get it to the best that it can be, right?!

In an effort to protect myself, my loved ones and YOU, I've been doing even more research into which foods, supplements and activities can boost the body’s natural defences, according to experts. As you know though, I’m not a doctor, but you can look up ‘pubmed’ beside any of these listed foods on your search
engine to find published medical articles on each of them.

INCREASE VITAMINS - up your intake of Zinc and Vitamins C & D, a trio which really pack a punch. Take them daily as supplements if you suffer from chronic infections, get sick frequently, or are feeling run down; however if you want you get your vital vitamins from your food, I recommend bell peppers, kale, spinach, Kiwi and of course, orange as fab sources of Vitamin C. Before all this craziness happened I had worked with
The Juice Jar to develop The C-Tox, a zinc-selenium-Vitamin C booster juice in either bell pepper or orange. If you live near enough, you can order online HERE for pick up.

Some evidence suggests that zinc is helpful in the prevention of colds and viruses and minimises symptoms for allergy and hay fever sufferers. D Vitamins (particularly D-3) are excellent for boosting the immune system and helping the antibodies needed to fight off viruses which make their way into our bodies and
there are massive advocates of Vitamin C megadosing out there – and in China, (Shanghai) some doctors are using high dose IV Vitamin C to clear pneumonia and actually fight Co-Vid19.

It's a common statistical fact that most of us in the UK and Ireland are vitamin D deficient, so this is something we should be topping up in supplementation.

FERMENTED FOODS - Fermented foods encourage the growth of good bacteria in your gut, increasing immune levels and defending you from viral infections. If you like sauerkraut, miso, kefir et al, add a couple of spoonfuls to your daily diet. You can make your own kefir too, and there are easy recipes at www.happykombucha.co.uk – and on the subject of the gut… we move swiftly on to our next recommendation, ,which is:

TAKE A PROBIOTIC -
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are two of the most important families of bacteria that populate our gut from birth, and have been shown to positively affect our immune health.

RAW GARLIC - a superfood with very strong antimicrobial and antiviral properties, known to treat serious GI infections making it a must-have for your health. It is also thought to lower blood pressure and slow down hardening of the arteries, so add it to your meals for a little zing and lots of immune-boosting goodness! Some say that the doses needed to really fight pathogens are intense, and they recommend
supplementation as opposed to chopping garlic and throwing it on everything.

FRESH GINGER - this antioxidant is believed to fight off cold and flu symptoms, combat nausea, and is full of iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium. Many of us turn to ginger after getting sick because of its ability to help decrease inflammation, which can help reduce a sore throat and other inflammatory illnesses.

Every morning, and especially during the winter months, I make myself a drink of apple cider vinegar, honey, lemon and ginger (with turmeric when I can find the fresh root, because it has UH-MAZING anti-inflammatory properties in itself) plus some cooled-down, boiled water which seems to have helped me avoid
catching any nasty colds or flus for the last five + years – touch wood! *Read
up on my separate Apple Cider Vinegar blog here.

GREEN TEA: People have been using green tea as a type of natural medicine for thousands of years. Researchers believe that one of the reasons it is so good for you is because it contains a substance known as catwchin which is a powerful antioxidant that also helps maintain your immune system. If you’re not a fan of Apple Cider Vinegar,
try replacing your morning cup of coffee with a warm green tea and some added honey and lemon and get ready to reap the benefits.

MANUKA HONEY - honey is a natural immune supporter, natural anti-inflammatory agent, and antimicrobial agent. Manuka in particular has substances that can kill bacteria topically, and improve the efficacy of
antibiotics when ingested. Best taken on its own or with some lemon and warm water. (boiled but cooled)

BONE BROTH - the benefits of drinking and cooking with organic bone broth have siginficant effects on the immune system, improving wound healing, and helping to support the health of individual immune cells
such as lymphocytes. Your granny was right about making a pot of home made chicken soup when anyone felt poorly!

MUSHROOMS– being high in beta glucans and Vitamin D means mushrooms can help keep your immune system strong. They also combat many diseases by providing other important vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Varieties like maitake, reishi and shiitake are particularly good for staying healthy during cold and flu season.

ALMONDS: Nuts, particularly almonds, contain many different types of nutrients, such as protein and vitamin E (a half-cup of almonds provides your daily recommended amount of vitamin E). And although Vitamin E isn’t as important to a strong immune system as Vitamin C, it is still needed to keep your immune system
healthy (plus it’s fab for your skin – and the skin forms part pf your immune system!).  Almonds also contain zinc, calcium, selenium, copper and magnesium and are richer in nutrients that any other nut.

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES: Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts - which are all packed full of vitamins A, C and E as well as antioxidants and fibre. They are healthiest when
eaten raw or slightly cooked and a great immune system booster. Crunchy stir fry anyone?

OREGANO OIL - this has a long history of being used as an antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal.

COLLODIAL SILVER is another supplement you can use as a preventative; and a treatment should you become infected. I repeat though, there is no absolute prevention – it is about reducing your chances.

ECHINACHEA PURPUREA – Proponents of echinacea claim that it stimulates the immune system and prevents and treats upper respiratory tract infections and, sometimes, lower urinary tract infections. It is also used topically to enhance wound healing and treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions. Boom!

LIFESTYLE - It's not all about food of course - other steps we can take to boost the immune system include:

PHYSICAL EXERCISE - mobilises white blood cells. Any is better than none. Walk, skip, run, jump on a mini trampoline or do an online workout. Loads of people are offering them for free right now, including
The Body Coach Joe Wicks, who is running morning PE sessions for kids, which adults can join in with too.

REDUCING STRESS - not easy for any of us right now, but exercise most definitely helps. As does being in nature, meditating and of course - a healthy diet.

AVOID BOOZE – I’m baffled at the numbers of people taking to drink with their new found #StayAtHome #StayHome status. Whilst alcohol hand sanitiser can fight the virus on hands and skin, consumed alcohol
depletes the immune cells leaving less resources to fight off infection - and lowers our mood the next day. A vicious cycle if ever there was one.

GET PLENTY OF SLEEP - a lack of sleep can chip away at our immune system and of course leaves us feeling more anxious, which we could all do without. Enough of that already! I dislike taking pharma medicines where possible, but I do highly recommend Magnesium if you’re having trouble sleeping. It’s the best thing ever for settling the central nervous system.

Like I said, while these steps may not entirely fend off flu or coronavirus, they will help our bodies fight infection more effectively and speed up the recovery process.

Take care and stay well everyone!