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xoxoBianca
I went down this past week.
Down HARD.
It all started with a tight feeling neck and dragging my ass at work; and it devolved into sore throat, stuffy nose, aches and in bed by 8:00pm.
But being that I work with food daily as a private chef, getting sick is NOT the vibe; but having a background in wellness means that taking OTC meds is also not the direction I tend to go in.
Generally if I get sick, it’s not for long. And this time was no different!
In this post I’m going to share with you:
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How to avoid getting sick when everyone around you is.
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DIY Immunity Tonic, so that you can stay well.
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My DELICIOUS Healing Soup recipe, because NOTHING beats soup when sick.
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My favourite cold and flu pain product.
How to Avoid Getting Sick When Everyone Around You Is
Look, the best way to avoid getting sick when everyone around you is to stay well well in the first place. And being well isn’t just the absence of illness, it’s an aura of THRIVING. A simple common cold is no match for someone who is eating well, sleeping well and feeling her GD best, so go forward doing these things gurl.
How?
80/20 baby. When it comes to food and drink, 80% should be high frequency, thriving foods and the rest (20%) is fun- red wine (as we enter Fall ;), white carbs and whatever else you find fun but isn’t so high frequency.
Sleep. Seriously. Sleep is when all the magic happens, our night cream start to work, our nutrients assimilate, our thoughts download- sleep is life. When given the choice between sleep or exercise, sleep wins every time. IN FACT when you start to feel yourself coming down with something, prioritize sleep and skip a morning workout in favour of rest. Know your ideal sleep ratio (mine is 7 hours) and get it.
Be happy. This reads as lame- I know- but getting high on your most bad-ass supply (your vibe boo!) helps you stay well. People who are depressed often get sick, because immunity and happiness are intertwined. Do what makes you happy. Avoid people and places who make you feel unhappy. THAT SAID if you eat like sh*t and sleep 3 hours a night, happy as you may be, you’re gonna get sick.
What To Do When You’re Getting A Cold
Sometimes no matter how well we’re living we get sick. In my case, I went BALLS TO THE WALLS for my friends 30th birthday and the result was sickness; sometimes we bring it on ourselves, it’s where the 80/20 collide. I digress.
The following are what to do when you are getting sick, but in all fairness they’re also great ways to stay well!
DIY Immunity Tonic
I’m sure you’ve heard of those Immunity Shots full of horrid tasting, but effective ingredients. I LOVE them. The price? Not so much…
Which is why I have taken to making my own DIY Immunity Tonics. It’s rare that I make this when I’m well, but its effectiveness has me changing my habits. If you can stomach it, taking a shot of this daily will kill whatever is coming for you!
It tastes gross. But it works.
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1/4 cup cold water
Combine, hold nose, swig.
Healing Immunity Soup
It’s no mystery why children are given chicken noodle soup when sick, it’s because the soup of old was the sh*t. Made with bone broth soup known for its abundance of healing vitamins and minerals, all of which need replenishing when we are feeling under the weather.
Hate to break it to ya, Campbell’s won’t cut it…Ok, it probably would cut it, but this is better.
This healing bone broth soup is, what I believe, the difference between me getting full blown sick and me recovering in 36 hours.
Soup is EVERYTHING when we’re sick, here’s why…
Replenishing– personally, when I’m sick, I don’t feel like eating much (this is the ONLY time I don’t feel like eating lol) but soup is always welcome. Soup is one of the best things to eat to avoid getting a full blown cold.
Hydrating– hydration is KEY for delivering all the nutrients in our body. Soup is both nutrient rich and hydrating…so you see why soup is ALWAYS the mood when getting a cold.
I keeps it easy for most recipes, but especially for those being made while sick. Keep is EVEN simpler and get the groceries delivered to your door- it’s what I did!
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1/2 cup frozen kale
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1/2 lb lean ground beef (drained, rinsed, crumbled chickpeas for VEG)
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1 can diced tomatoes, drained
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2 cups prepared bone broth (2 tbsp collagen powder to 2 cups vegetable broth)
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1 tsp Sriracha
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1 tsp coconut oil
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S+P to your tastes**
In a pot heat the coconut oil on medium heat. Add the ground beef and kale and cook, stirring, for 7 minutes, or until meat is browning. Add the tomatoes, and stir for 1 minute. Add the bone broth and bring to a boil. TASTE and adjust seasoning. Add hot sauce.
**you may have lost the ability to taste, so when seasoning keep this in mind and don’t overdo it.
HONESTLY, Get your groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour with Instacart, they SAVED me while I was sick and, once or twice, in a pinch while working!
Sore Throat Pain Relief
My body’s dead giveaway is when my neck starts to feel tight, it means a sore throat is not far behind. It was no different this time around.
Permission to speak freely, FUCK HALLS, they don’t actually cure your sore throat, it just numbs it for a second- and then you need more.
INSTEAD try a CBD topical. CBD is known for reducing inflammation aka pain, and if you’re squirrely about the world of cannabis, this is perfectly entry level as CBD won’t make you high but it will sort out the sore throat pain.
My brand of choice is Omni Botanicals. They are Canadian (Oh Canada!), they are women led (Girl Power) and this shit works! BUT if you are a visitor from outside of Canada (welcome!), Miss Grass will likely be able to sort you out!
I just rub liberally all over my neck and lymph nodes and within 10 minutes the pain is gone.
The Non Negotiable- Rest
I said it before, I will repeat it, everything I just mentioned means NOTHING if you aren’t getting rest. When you feel the beginnings of a cold, rest. Call it an early night, tuck in with Netflix (Explained is AMAZING) and rest up my sweet. It’s not the time to “push through”.
I went to bed at 8:00pm both evenings, in addition to employing the aforementioned tips, and I was able to get better in 36 hours.
And by better I mean, all my weekend plans are still a go!
It’s Funny…
Wellness is something many of us think about only when we are unwell, but everything I speak about in this post are things we can employ daily or weekly and notice a marked difference in how “well” we feel day to day.