Well chickens, I’ve made it back from around the world. And I haven’t even managed to get myself sick while traveling for eight of the past ten weekends. I don’t know how I possibly managed that other than to say I have become more into using food as a medicine in the past couple of years, and it’s been working.
One of the things I do when I think I am getting sick is take oregano oil. It seems to help keep colds at bay, and if I am getting sick it shortens my colds by days, too. I used to be down and out for a couple of days, and now I usually can get through by going to bed early a couple of nights and I end up not actually being laid up at all.
Another thing I do is drink lots and lots of smoothies. This one is banana, blueberry, and ginger, lemon, and turmeric, with just enough milk to make it smooth. It’s perfect for when I am feeling stuffy – turmeric is great for cold symptoms, too!
Turmeric Smoothie
1 medium banana
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup milk, depending on consistency you prefer (I like my smoothies thick!)
juice of 1 lemon
generous grating of ginger (I use about 2 teaspoons)
1/8 tsp turmeric
Directions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Chill or serve immediately. Makes one smoothie.
One final trick I have is to make this honey-based remedy that I learned over at Brave in Love. I doubled the garlic because #GMS, and I second Melissa that it absolutely makes colds shorter and less aggressive.
Honey-Garlic Cold Remedy
4 tbsp honey
4 big cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Directions: Swallow about a tablespoon a couple of times a day at the first sign of a cold. Do not chew, just swallow. I once made this horrible mistake and smelled like garlic for DAYS.
So there you have it – three of my go-to remedies (usually used all together!) to avoid getting sick or staying sick for too long. For those of you that know me well, you know I tend to get sick a lot, but I haven’t had a cold in three months, which is AMAZING for me.
Now excuse me while I head to the kitchen to garlic up…
[addtoany] Yum