My family’s plan to stay healthy through the flu season:

My family’s plan to stay healthy through the flu season:

Eat foods that strengthen our lungs and large intestines.

Your body’s first line of defense are your lungs, and your colon. Most pathogens make their way into the body through the respiratory system, and through food. It is essential to eliminate daily.

What to keep on your shopping list throughout the cold season:

Garlic (a natural antibiotic), ginger (great antiseptic, good for nausea and for clearing mucus in the lungs), peppermint (wonderful digestive aid), apples and pears (strengthening for both the lungs and large intestine, and are wonderfully warming when cooked, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables – strengthening for the immune system, whole grains especially brown rice (great for brushing out the intestine walls), probiotics to maintain healthy intestinal flora and fauna, digestive enzymes if needed, vitamin D and good essential fatty acids (flax oil or cod liver oil or an EFA blend. I particularly like Udo’s blend udoerasmus.com, but there are plenty of good ones out there).

Things to have in your medicine chest: garlic mullein drops for your ears - great for warding off infection; Nettie pots are excellent for keeping your nasal passages clear, or clearing them out when stuffed up; Natural hand sanitizers are great to have on hand. At our house, everyone washes their hands when coming from the outside.

A few easy remedies that make a world of difference:

At the first sign of a cough slice an inch of fresh ginger into thin slices and put in a pot full of water. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5-7 minutes while you inhale steam with a towel over your head (be careful not to burn yourself!). Then serve with lemon juice and local raw honey.

Another great lung tonic is the above ginger tea mixed with hot pear juice.

Kuzu is great for upset stomachs. Known as a starchy thickening agent that grows wild in the south east of this country, this can be used to make pudding that is soothing and therapeutic.

Chopped garlic with honey and lemon is a powerful antibiotic to take first thing in the morning preventatively or at the first sign of weakness.

What we don’t do:

Eat tropical fruits. They are designed by nature to cool our bodies down. This includes orange juice. To be well, your body needs to be warm.

Eat too many baked goods, bread, and dairy. In excess these can weaken the lungs.

Eat refined sugar or flour. They make for a sluggish digestive system and weaken our immune systems.