Urban Blog

The cold and flu season is no fun, but by being prepared well in advance, you can take some of the potential sting out of the winter months. Your first stop should be to opt for healthy food and up your intake of fruits and vegetables. In addition to opting for a healthy diet, getting enough sleep is a must if you want to avoid catching “whatever is going around” during the winter.

Foods such as fast food, processed foods and foods loaded with sugar all put your immune system under considerable stress. This means that even the very best cold and flu fighting kit won’t do you much if you continue to tax your system by eating the wrong kinds of food and not getting enough rest. If you feel as though you are coming down with something, your first stop should be to stop what you are doing and get extra sleep! That stated, let’s look at the different cold and flu fighters you should have on hand this winter.

Magical Garlic

Magical garlic. Is that an overstatement? Not really, as garlic is nothing short of amazing. If there were a contest for Mankind’s Greatest Food Friend then garlic would have to be in the running for the Gold Medal.

What makes garlic so impressive? Garlic is simultaneously a strong anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anticancer, and most importantly for the cold and flu season, garlic is a strong anti-viral. The list of reasons to incorporate garlic into your diet is indeed long.

Additionally, the complexity of garlic is nothing short of astonishing. Chopped garlic, cut garlic that has been allowed to sit 15-20 minutes after being cooked, raw garlic and cooked garlic all have different health boosting properties. Yes, garlic is amazing, and it is a food you should eat year round to help ward off infections, alignments and inflammation.

Like garlic, onions also have health boosting properties. Onions are also loaded with anti-inflammatory properties and are loaded with antioxidants.

Versatile Ginger

Ginger is another cold and flu superstar. One of the easiest ways to consume ginger is through ginger tea. Most people don’t realize that ginger is, in fact, very nutritious and loaded with vitamins and minerals. This is one reason to consider consuming fresh ginger year round.

In short, ginger boosts the immune system, thanks to its antibacterial properties. Some studies have even have gone so far as to conclude that ginger may have anti-mutagenic properties. Ginger can be consumed either in its raw form, cooked or in teas.

Cayenne Pepper

Spices are another important way to keep colds and flu at bay. Numerous spices, in addition to ginger, can be used to help you decrease the chances of developing a cold or flu. At the top of the list is cayenne pepper.

Cayenne pepper can help open up the mucous membranes and much more. Due to the fact that cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, it causes an increase in blood circulation throughout the body.

Spice Things Up with Thyme and Sage

Thyme is another interesting option, as it contains large amounts of thymol. Thymol is an antiseptic used in mouthwash. Teas made with thyme are also used to help fight coughs and bronchitis. A fourth spice to consider is sage. While it is true that sage can overwhelm many foods with its taste, there is no doubting sage’s ability to help boost immunity.

Sage has been shown to help fight respiratory ailments and infections and intriguing may even boost brain performance. A team at Bristol University concluded that sage extracts could be used to boost overall cognitive performance.

Soothing Honey

Honey has long been known for its ability to soothe the throat. Honey also has antibacterial and antiviral properties. So if you are looking for a very tasty way to fight off a cold or flu, then a spoon of honey could be the answer.

When buying honey, it is very important to realize that there are counterfeit products on the market, so be sure to buy your honey from a reputable source.

A mix of honey, ginger and lemon can do wonders to help tackle many of the symptoms of a cold or flu. Here is a simple, fast and effective recipe for a cold and flu fighter: http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-Cold-Flu-Remedy/.

Making Elderberry Syrup

When it comes to beating back a nasty cold or flu, elderberry has earned high marks. For centuries, people have been using elderberries as a way to treat the flu, boost respiratory health and more. Elderberry is available in tea form as well as elderberry syrup.

Elderberry syrup is believed to have substantial cold and flu stopping power. The bottom line is that elderberry syrup is pretty expensive, but you can make your own. If you would like to see a step-by-step process for making elderberry syrup, then check out this pretty detailed link http://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup/

You’ll notice that the very first step is to cook the elderberries. Elderberries should never be consumed raw. They must be cooked or are otherwise toxic.

There is also a clever recipe for making Flu Busting Gummy Bears, which is a great option if you have children. This recipe also features elderberry syrup as a main ingredient and uses coconut oil. Coconut oil is also often sited for its ability to fight the flu and shorten the length of the flu. http://wellnessmama.com/4599/flu-busting-gummy-bears/.

Fire Cider Packs a Punch!

Sometimes the best move when you already have a cold or flu is to break out the big guns and go for a little fire. In this case the “fire” is in the form of Fire Cider. Spices, such as ginger, have long been known for their ability to fight cold and flu symptoms.

This Fire Cider recipe is pretty powerful stuff as it combines spicy ginger root with even spicier horseradish root, crushed garlic, jalapeno peppers and more into a seriously hot cider.

Ingredients (from Mommypotamus)
½ cup peeled and shredded/diced ginger root
½ cup peeled and shredded/diced horseradish root
½ cup peeled and diced turmeric OR 1/4 cup additional ginger and 1/4 cup additional horseradish
½ cup white onion, chopped
¼ cup minced or crushed garlic cloves
2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped
Zest and juice from 2 organic lemons
Raw apple cider vinegar
Raw, organic honey to taste

Click this link to see the full recipe http://www.mommypotamus.com/fire-cider-recipe/.

The time to prepare for cold and flu season is when you are not under the weather. Once your cold or flu has taken over fighting the effects of the cold and flu are, of course, all the rougher. By keeping these foods and items on hand you’ll be ready for a cold or flu when it strikes!