Living in Southern California, cold weather is not a regular occurrence. This is why when the temperature drops below 70 degrees, everyone throws on their favorite sweater. Unfortunately, with the cooler weather, comes the sniffles and dry coughs. Cold and flu season is never an easy thing to deal with, especially when you have little ones. Here’s our checklist of everything you need to prepare.
Boosting Your Immune System
To start preparing your body for the cold and flu season, it’s important to incorporate immune system-boosting foods into your diet. Certain foods like citrus fruits or kale, contain nutrients and vitamins, such as vitamin C, which helps build your immune system. The recommended daily amount of vitamin C varies, you can view the recommended amounts here.
Every vitamin serves a different purpose for our body. Vitamin C helps the body’s immune system work more effectively. Vitamin A helps keep your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy. Vitamin D helps support your bone health and helps the immune system fight bacteria and viruses. All of these vitamins can be found naturally in certain foods or can be taken as a supplement.
To view more foods that have nutrients and vitamins you need, read our top 5 list of super immune system-boosting foods here.
What To Do When You’re Sick
When you start feeling a cold coming, it’s important to take action early. First, if you’re feeling sick don’t risk it, take the day off from work to let your body rest and keep your germs at home. Make sure to wash your hands regularly and wipe down surfaces with disinfectant wipes or a spray.
Now you can start treating your symptoms by keeping your body properly hydrated, this will help keep your mucus thin, so it doesn’t build up. If you have a dry cough, try drinking some warm tea with honey and lemon. The honey will help soothe your cough and lemon naturally has vitamin C which will help your immune system fight the cold. If the air in your home is dry, you should run a humidifier to keep the air moist. Steam can also help relieve your congestion, take a warm shower with Epsom salt to decongest yourself.
One of the most overlooked things when battling the flu is the importance of sleep. Sleep allows your immune system to work at its best. A study showed that those that slept less than 5 hours of sleep at night were more likely to get sick than those getting more.
What To Eat When You’re Sick
To help your immune system work at its best, you need to fuel your body with the proper nutrients. Try to stick to foods that will help hydrate you and deal with the specific symptoms you’re feeling. Here are some of the recipes we recommend trying when you’re feeling under the weather:
Slow-Cooker Chicken Pho
This recipe is great for when you’re dealing with a cough and cold. Not only will the broth of this soup help hydrate you, but it will also help soothe your throat with its warmth and nutrients from the veggies added to the broth.
Easy Miso-Chicken Ramen
Just like the chicken pho recipe, this recipe is perfect for when you’re under the weather. The chicken and vegetables provide all the nutrients your body needs, while the broth will help hydrate you.
Caldo Tlalpeño (Mexican Chicken Soup)
This traditional recipe is an amazing mix of vegetables, chicken and a delicious broth. It provides you with the necessary veggies you need and hydration as well.
Products We Recommend
Here’s our list of recommended products you should keep in your medicine cabinet that you can find at your local store.
Disclaimer: Please remember to consult with your doctor or a medical professional before using any medication.