Brew up a homemade remedy to fight colds, flu

Most households, ours included, got hit with a flu bug over the holidays. It wasn’t fun or very jolly.

If you or someone you know comes down with a cold or flu virus this season, here are some tips for how to speed up your healing time.

1. At the onset of any illness, eliminate dairy and refined sugar where possible. Both dairy and sugar will worsen any inflammation in the body (i.e. body aches), and they’ll feed the bug, encouraging it to stick around. Dairy is rough for colds because dairy actually increases mucous production.

2. Make sure you’ve got good quality Vitamin D3 and some Vitamin C in the house. I always increase everyone’s vitamin dose when we’ve got a bug running through the house. This time of year we take more than the daily-recommended amounts.

3. Make yourself a homemade hot tonic (recipe below). This stuff is heaven in a mug when you’re feeling sick. It could even become a daily drink during cold and flu season. I’m keeping this close by because I know it’s good for me this time of year, and my husband and I really enjoy it. It’s a perfect blend of warming winter spices. You can increase the amount of honey if you want to get your kids drinking it too. The spices used are great for combating inflammation.

4. Sipping on bone broth (or veggie broth if you’re a vegetarian) will also really assist your body’s natural healing. Soups are not only incredibly comforting when you have a cold; they’re also really good for digestion. It’s always a really good idea to give your digestion a bit of a break when you’re sick. This allows your body to focus on healing instead of digesting heavy meals.

5. Last, you really need rest to get over a cold or flu. Family members and friends HAVE to kick in if you want to get better. It’s not too much to ask for one or two days. And if you can’t take time off work when you’re sick, then you need to hit the hay early and try to get a good night’s sleep. Otherwise you’ll still be feeling crappy three weeks later. Listen to your body, skip the workouts for a couple of days, go to bed early, and REST!

Homemade Hot Tonic

2 cups ginger tea

Juice of one lemon

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (organic)

½ teaspoon cinnamon (organic) pinch cayenne

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar (with the mother)

½-1 teaspoon local honey (or to taste)

Brew a pot of ginger tea using one tea bag and two cups of water.

After 10 minutes of brewing, stir in remaining ingredients. Whisk to combine. I do this right in my teapot.

Let cool slightly and drink as you would any other tea. I store leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge and then heat up as needed.

There will be sediment from the spices. You could strain the mixture through a cheesecloth, or just shoot them back since they’re oh-so good for you!

Maggie Savage has been blogging about healthy gluten-free living since 2009. Find more of Maggie’s recipes at www. SheLetThemEatCake.com