I don’t know about you but I dread flu season the minute the school year starts. All I do is constantly tell my kids the same things a million times daily.. wash your hands, get your fingers out of your month, keep your hands away from your face, use your elbow when you cough, did I mention wash your hands? It’s exhausting!!! However I think now that they are getting older it’s nice to see they sort of get it.. we wash our hands the minute we walk in from school. We are not a sanitizer family.. we stick to soap and water! Unless we are out.. then wet wipes are our friend. They RUN for their probiotics at night being it’s a routine and all they know.

And guess what.. my little one got the flu! Some things are just out of our control..

After going through it I wanted to share a few easy things to help keep you healthy during flu season or help you fight illness naturally if it hits your home:

•Wash your hands with soap and water every time you get home from places or come in contact with a sick person and use separate towels or disposable towels. Seems simple however so easy to forget!

•If anyone in school has been sick, take school clothes off and bathe right away.

•Take a probiotic every night before bed- we choose to do this so it absorbs overnight while the body is resting. My entire family takes them! A few notes on this:

1. Obviously if you have any medical issues you should work with your doctor before taking anything.

2. Be aware of which products you are buying. Just because it’s marketed for children or all natural for adults doesn’t mean that’s the case- look for products that need to be refrigerated as well as have no natural flavors, no coloring or syrups.

Recommendation- Pure Encapsulations

•Use essential oils- you can diffuse them in the house or use them topically.

Immunity blends are great for this time of year as well as the following:

Peppermint- Relieves headaches caused by congestion

Eucalyptus- Serves as a decongestant- soothes respiratory issues

Oregano- Antibacterial- fights sinus infections

1. Take a steamy 15 minute shower -you can place 10 drops on your shower floor or on a wash cloth on the floor and breathe it in with the steam.

•Cut up an onion and place around the home- it will adsorb all of the toxins in the air as well as helps minimize coughing (again this has worked for us and I have a bigger post coming on the power of the onion)

•Raw honey- this is a natural antioxidant and has antibacterial properties that benefit the digestive system. This is a cough and sore throat remedy as well.

1. You can take a spoonful daily (do not feed to your children without checking with doctor)

2. You can add to a tea- I use a lot with an organic black tea.

•Lemons-these are loaded with vitamin C

1. You can add to your hot tea or add to a glass of warm water.

•Ginger root-this contains a compound that helps reduce inflammation.

1. You can make a fresh hot tea with this and add the honey and lemon.

•Elderberry-this contains chemical compounds called anthocyanidins, which are known to have immunostimulant effects.

To note-

1. Always research to ensure you are purchasing the cleanest options.

2. Before taking anything always check with your doctor first.

•Avoid overly processed foods, colors, high fructose syrups and any items you can not pronounce on a label as these items lower immunity levels. Try to feed yourself as many whole foods , fruits and vegetables to build immunity back up while it is compromised. Organic and Non-GMO are best if you can!

•Homemade chicken soup- I know this is not a true proven preventative however it works for us-we make soup in my home every week and I believe it helps keep everyone feeling good

Gracefully Balanced Homemade Chicken Soup-

1 whole organic chicken

1 whole organic onion

Organic carrots- peeled and cut (always buy the whole carrots and cut and peel yourself)

Organic celery

Throw all ingredients in pot and cook on low

On the side add another more onion, carrots and celery to vitamix/ or blender with water and blend- blending the vegetables before they are hot allows them to hold more of the nutrients AND the kids are getting more vegetables than they think!

Add organic chicken broth or stock of choice -I have started using Pacific Organic Chicken broth as a substitute until I perfect my own bone broth (it’s on the to do list)

You can also use any organic and Non-GMO pasta or rice if you don’t want to just eat it plain! In an Italian Family we cant help it, we love our pasta.. and our grated cheese.. remember it’s ok.. it’s called balance!

•Green Smoothies- During Flu season I have to say our “go to” smoothies are called nothing other than the “Flu Fighter”. I literally make this every day and my kids even like it. My older one drinks it and for my little one, I freeze it in a pop holder and she eats it frozen. Win win.. whatever works!

This is a great recipe that I have from our friends over at Simple Green Smoothies! Enjoy! www.simplegreensmoothies.com

Flu Fighter ingredients:

2 cups fresh Kale

1 1/2 cups water

1 banana 🍌

2 oranges 🍊 peeled

1 cup strawberries 🍓

Directions-

Blend kale, water and oranges together until smooth

Add remaining ingredients and blend again

*Use atleast 1 frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold (I usually use strawberries)-Serves 2

I hope some of these simple tips help you and your family get through this season as healthy as possible!

Xo

Lisa