Top 6 Tips for Fighting Sickness this Season

Many of you know that we are pretty nature-based in most aspects of our lives and dealing with illness is no exception to that.

I wanted to share my top 6 ways of fighting sickness when it inevitably shows up at our house for a visit.

Top 6 Ways of Dealing with Sickness – the natural way

1. Raw Garlic

This is the very first thing we do when we even feel that first slight twinge of “being off”, itchy throat, or annoying sniffle. . .

We reach for our cloves of garlic and eat at least one, twice a day, during our sickness. I love garlic but it is even hard for me sometimes to muster up to eat all that garlic.

Raw garlic is a natural remedy that can help fight off viruses. Eat one clove, twice a day, during sickness. You can also add it to soup or swallow it with a sip of water to make it easier to consume.

Garlic is one of nature’s superfoods! It is packed full of goodies that help fight off whatever virus happens to be attacking you at the moment. And to me, and our family, it is more than worth the garlic breath to feel better faster when we’re fighting sickness!

Pro Tips from the kids on how to get your garlic down easier when you’re fighting sickness:

• cut it into smaller chunks and swallow it down with a sip of water. (Almost tasteless).
• put it in a soup or your bone broth and eat it like it’s part of the meal (tip #4 below)
• just throw the whole clove in your mouth and chew it up. (Then stay away from everyone you love because you will be breathing garlicky goodness like fire!)

2. Vitamin C.

We don’t normally take any sort of synthetic vitamins as we get what we need from the foods that we eat on a normal basis. But when our bodies are hard at work, fighting off a virus, we figure a little extra vitamin c in the arsenal, won’t hurt.

Boost your immune system with vitamin C by consuming citrus fruits (oranges, mandarins, lemons, and limes & strawberries), broccoli, cauliflower, and white potatoes.

And if you are wanting a slightly less natural approach, I know there are products available over the counter that make it easy to get a super-boost of vitamin c as well.

3. Honey Lemon Tea

This is probably our family’s favorite part of being “under the weather”, and it’s being made in an almost constant rotation when we’re fighting sickness.

It’s just a very simple recipe and it has a total of 4 ingredients that just about all households in America have on hand.

Make honey lemon tea by mixing hot water, raw honey, lemon essential oil, or a squeeze of lemon, and cayenne pepper in a mug. The honey is anti-microbial and can soothe sore throats, while lemon adds vitamin C and cayenne can increase body temperature to help with fevers and chills.

Raw honey is a powerhouse; anti-microbial, anti-fungal, antibacterial, full of phytonutrients and natural enzymes. You name it, it does it. It is great at soothing sore throats almost instantly and makes the hacking coughs subside better than a cough drop. And it tastes amazing too!

Lemon takes us right back to our vitamin c tip above. I am not a huge fan of anything lemon personally, but I can’t argue with the fact that honey lemon tea wouldn’t taste or work the same without the lemon.

And, my brain automatically just assumes that because lemon is so sour and acidic that it goes in and does some sort of kung fu moves on the virus inside my body. I’m sure that’s a thing!

And is the cayenne really necessary? No. You can certainly make it without it. I used to when my littles were super small. But now, it gets a little spicy for everybody and is an important part of fighting sickness.

Cayenne is also a natural pain reliever. It increases your body temperature slightly when ingested. Increased body temperature can help with fevers, chills, and as you guessed; fighting off that pesky virus.

4. Bone Broth

Many times when we are feeling under the weather the thought of food is downright unappetizing. I feel you.

Growing up I had my fair share of saltine crackers and ramen noodle soups. The problem with those is they are full of processed junk. They are doing nothing to actually help your body recover and heal…there are no nutrients to aid our immune system.

Sip on bone broth, which is loaded with nutrients that can help boost the immune system and aid in recovery. You can also add garlic, ginger, and other herbs for extra immune-boosting benefits.

Bone broth is truly incredible. It is easy to make, although very time-consuming, but the health benefits are numerous.

We have used chicken bone broth and beef bone broth and have not noticed a difference in effect either way.

It is soothing and rich and full of nutrients that our bodies NEED to fight off the virus. This is seriously one of the things I see the most benefit from every time we are sick.

And if you don’t happen to have a stock of bones laying around (doesn’t everybody?!) to make your own broth, I believe you can now actually purchase it from most grocery stores. It is not the same as just broth, it must be bone broth.

This is a link to my favorite bone broth recipe.

5. Sleep.

Seriously…..just sleep.

Get plenty of rest and relaxation to allow your body to focus on healing. Try to reduce stress, get plenty of sleep, and take breaks as needed.

This one is the hardest for me. I fight it. Every. Single. Time. Many of you know that I am in constant go mode. I have 1000+ tasks to accomplish on any given day and the thought of resting my day away is not an option.

But the more I fight it, the worse I get and the longer the sickness stays. I learned this tip by watching my kids.

My littles are great at napping when they are tired. And when they are sick, they are tired. And they fall asleep whenever and wherever they happen to get tired, which is everywhere.

They can sleep for hours on the couch, wake up for a honey tea, fall back asleep for hours, wake up for garlic, soup and oranges, sleep again all night, then wake up in the morning and be running around the house like they just ate a bowl full of maple syrup mixed with caffeine!

Over the past 16 years of raising babies, I have watched this play out over and over again, always curious. I’ve always chalked it up to smaller bodies just must be hit less hard by viruses. Silly reasoning, I know.

But that’s not the case at all! It’s because they allow themselves to heal and fight and REST! So take a lesson from the little people in your life, just sleep when you’re fighting sickness.

6. Eat a healthy diet normally

I know this should be a no-brainer for most of us but the truth of the matter is, most people don’t eat that great in day-to-day life.

If you are properly fueling & feeding your body every day when you do get hit with an illness, your body is already set up to attack it and your immune system is already at its best.

Make sure that you are always setting yourself and your body up for optimal performance by choosing to eat a healthy diet. Your health depends on it!

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, herbal teas, and electrolyte-rich fluids. This can help flush out toxins and keep you hydrated while you’re fighting sickness.

Choose Healthy Products from Your Local Farmer

We hope this article was helpful in your quest for a healthy, happy home! Whether you have littles, teenagers, or aging parents you care for, take advantage of farm-fresh foods from your local farmer to stay on the healthy track! Check out our “shop“, stop by for a tour and a cow cuddle, and let us know how we can best serve you!