Without fail, come January, I'm going to get a cold.
It's inevitable. Like clock work, the sniffles are coming with a fever and a massive headache.
I don't care how healthy you are or how well you eat, you can't avoid being sick forever. I do believe that by taking good care of yourself, the length of time you're sick will probably decrease. But, I don't think you can entirely avoid it.
Whenever I'm feeling under the weather, here are a few of my go-to zero waste remedies.
tea:
ALL THE TEA!!!!
There's nothing like a hot cup of tea to make you feel better. I've also been known to make a hot toddy with a splash of Southern Comfort.
Being zero waste, I try to stick to loose leaf tea. Did you know that most tea bags are made with plastic?
I would prefer not to steep my drink in carcinogens. This video from the BBC shows how they're made.
fermented foods:
I don't eat as many fermented foods as I should, but my diet definitely contains it's fair share. It's probably what I accredit most to my shorter sickness periods.
Fermented foods help with gut health, and gut health help regulates over all wellness in the body.
When I'm sick, my go to feel better food is miso soup. I keep miso past on hand from rainbow grocery.
I mix 1 tablespoon of miso paste for every 8oz of water. I like to sip on this for lunch. I'm not typically hungry when I'm sick.
elderberry syrup:
I have a whole post on elderberry syrup. Taking a spoonful makes me feel kind of like Mary Poppins.
raw honey:
Justin and I both have pretty bad seasonal allergies. We help combat them with with local raw honey. I try to infuse it in lots of our snacks. I always load it up in our tea or put it in these cookie dough bites.
If you have seasonal allergies, look for local raw honey in your area. It's good to start taking it a couple of months before allergy season.
plenty of hankies:
You've heard me say it a hundred times, blowing your nose with a cloth hanky is just so much better for your nose. There's no chaffing!
Plus having something beautiful to blow your nose into, makes you feel just a little better.
a hot shower:
Any time I'm feeling congested, I love to hope into a hot shower. The steam helps me breathe easy. It's even better with hanging Eucalyptus.
Eucalyptus helps open up your nasal passages so you can breathe easier.
What are some of your go to natural remedies for being sick?
