Hey guys, it’s cold season, and a lot of people I know are sick, and it has come to my attention that some people don’t know some of the things I know to do if you’re sick (like with a cold or sore throat or mild bug, I mean), so in case you guys don’t already know, here’s some things it’s usually good for you to consume if you’re sick (barring allergies and other dietary restrictions and stuff, of course).
(These are mostly also very good if you are just trying not to GET sick when everyone else is.)
-Ginger. You can buy a big hunk of ginger root in the produce section and rough chop it (and ideally peel it, but if you’re tired or low on spoons don’t worry, the peel won’t hurt you) and throw it in the blender or food processor with some water, and then put whatever of the paste you aren’t using immediately in ice cube trays in the freezer, and just pop out a cube whenever, and add it to everything. Hot teas or hot honey water, soups, etc. It’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory and it’s also good for your tummy if that’s upset. These are also really good, they dissolve in hot or cold liquid and they have a lot of real ginger and honey in them. I buy them at my local food co-op but lots of health food stores carry them as well, and obviously you can get them various places online.
-If you don’t like ginger try a little bitty bit of cayenne pepper in your soups and teas. Same properties more or less, and surprisingly good with lemon and honey.
-Honey is also antibacterial and has a lower glycemic index than sugar, and it’s very soothing for a sore throat.
-Hot liquids– tea, water, soup– as much as you can consume. It helps thin your mucous secretions and hydrates you and washes germs out to sea. Your goal should be to be actively consuming a liquid at every moment you are not peeing instead.
-Garlic and onions, also antibacterial and tasty. Make garlicky gingery oniony broth and slurp it incessantly.
-Lemon juice for vitamin C (although, note, don’t consume a lot of vitamin C if you’re pregnant). Fresh lemon juice squeezed into your teas. Hot lemon ginger water with honey. Lemon is better than orange juice for vitamin C because it’s better hot and it’s not as sugary so you can adjust the sweetness (by judiciously adding honey) and not get mouth sores or a yeast infection from too much sugar. Also fresh lemons are cheaper than oranges or the good OJ.
-Zinc lozenges. Zinc boosts your immune system, and it works best in lozenge form because it’s most effective when it dissolves slowly over a period of time. You can also get a zinc lozenge that has throat soothing ingredients like honey or menthol (myrrh is good too but those lozenges tend to be pricier. Don’t consume non-food-grade myrrh).
-Mashed potatoes (instant if necessary for your energy levels, but it’s cheaper and more nutritious if you can to rough chop, boil, and mash fresh ones) are easy on your stomach, filling, affordable, and easy to fill with sauteed garlic and onions. Use olive oil or coconut oil instead of butter if you can (see below under Dairy)
-Magnesium for muscle aches. Ibuprofen is good for aches, headaches and fevers.
-Dairy, because it thickens your mucous secretions
-Caffeine, because it dehydrates you, although if you’re addicted to it don’t go cold turkey or you’ll think you’re dying. I learned that the hard way. Teas (black, green, and white) are a better source for it than coffee or soda: less dehydrating, and better with honey and lemon and ginger.
-Things like Dayquil/Nyquil and Mucinex and Theraflu can be good for managing symptoms, but be careful with them because they usually have acetaminophen which is what’s in Tylenol and it can be very dangerous to take too much of it, so don’t take more than the recommended dose, or double up with more than one kind, or with Tylenol.
-Super sugary juices like apple or grape juice. They’re not BAD for you but you shouldn’t drink too much of them. They’re not as hydrating as water and tea, or as nourishing as broth, and too much fruit sugar can mess with your stomach, especially if it’s already sore or upset.
-Alcohol; it dehydrates you and has a lot of sugar also, and it’s dangerous to mix with painkillers/anti-inflammatories like acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
Other generally useful things:
-Hot baths and hot showers
-Heating pads and hot water bottles. Sweating is good for you, as long as you’re replenishing your fluids.
-Lotion tissues, to avoid chafing your nose raw
-Lots and lots of sleep and rest
-Imagine your cold is the first that Wonder Woman (2017) has heard of human susceptibility to mild illness, and picture her distress, her compassion for your suffering (on top of every other trial you have endured by virtue of living on earth!), and her gentle but inexorable insistence (once you have convinced her there is no Cold Virus God she can slay) that you do absolutely everything in your power to alleviate and shorten this condition of additional suffering, no matter how comparatively mild
