Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?
You're going through your countless daily duties when all of the sudden, the nausea you've been suppressing becomes too strong to ignore and you're down for the count. Double points if it's the Double Dragon.
Perhaps your annoyingly lusty cough suddenly moves into your chest and takes up residence for a few weeks despite your best efforts in getting rid of it.
Maybe you think you've just got a lingering cold, but when your friends make you go to Urgent Care, you're told that you actually have pneumonia.
Welcome to flu season, dear readers.
While I can't promise you that my recipes will fix everything, I can promise you that having them in your flu season arsenal will help you feel more prepared.
A client suffering from the stomach flu asked me this week to post on sick season tips, and I thought that was a grand idea. Thanks Hillary dear, and I hope you feel better soon.
A recipe to prevent illness: Traditional Fire Tonic
Fire Tonics are old kitchen herbalism remedies for colds and flus. I like to use Fire Tonics as a preventative measure. You should start making yours now, as it takes about two weeks for it to cure.
After two weeks or so, use a tablespoon a day to prevent illness in yourselves or your family. You can add a bit of the tonic to hot water and add honey to make a tea. You can shoot it straight, or you can add it to water and sip on it throughout the day.
You can take it three, four, or seven times a day if you need it.
The tonic also makes a great gift. Make a giant batch to give to family members, teachers, co-workers, and anyone else you want to share a little kindness with.
A recipe to help the stomach flu: Healing Congee
Congee is a traditional healing Asian remedy. The soup is used to support healing everything from leaky gut to chronic illness. The concept was shared with me by my acupuncturist and TCM practitioner, Tatyana. Tatyana is constantly recommending congee.
Rice and broth are very easy on the tummy, and you can get a bit of nutrition while battling the stomach flu using these gentle food items.
If you're actively barfing, obviously wait it out before eating congee. If you've got diarrhea, you'll be ok to sip on the soup while you wait for your body to heal itself.
I always recommend making a double or triple or quadruple batch of everything you make. In preparation for your family or yourself (noooo!) getting sick, make this now and freeze it for later.
If you can't tolerate solids, just strain out the rice and and sip on the broth. Have this as often as you need while you are under the weather. Congee is great for regular illness, too- not just the barfy kind!
A recipe to build strength with: Sausage and Kale Soup
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, and it seems to be a client favorite, as well! Sometimes, autoimmune paleo protocol recipes can get kind of boring, but the flavors in this soup never fail to please.
Did you know one of my first jobs was as a server at the Olive Garden? I loved working there! We would all spend our breaks dipping their amazing breadsticks into their equally amazing alfredo sauce. The Zuppa Toscana soup at the OG has always been one of my favorites, and this recipe echoes some of the flavors I adore from the Toscana.
Make a huge batch this weekend and portion out into freezer bags for those days when your family is recovering from an illness and you're not quite ready to cook.
I hope these recipes help you during this time of year. Also remember to optimize your vitamin D levels (get them checked and keep them around 60-100 mg/dL), and keep plenty of Vitamin C at the ready.
Let me know if you use any of these and if they help.
To your seasonal health,
Jennifer
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