Holiday Toolkit
Getting and Staying Well
I bet you thought today’s post would be about casseroles, huh?
I mean, it is important to have a bunch of casserole recipes at your fingertips. But today, we’re talking about something a little bit different.
I’d like to share how I work on staying well at the holidays.
We all know how important this is. We are in flu season after all. Nobody likes to find themselves too sick to attend a long-anticipated family fun day, or to walk away from it needing a week in bed.
I used to think about wellness like most people: “I think I am getting a head cold—pass the Dayquil!” I hated going to the pharmacy to pick out cold and flu medicine. There’s 57 choices in a variety of colors and shapes, and still you never know what to get.
Like everyone, my medicine cabinet was filled with one of everything. We had pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, cough syrup, decongestants, antihistamines and leftover antibiotics at least a decade old. In fact, I always carried Sudafed and Dayquil in my purse. Just in case.
I believed these modern pills would make me “well” when I was sick. In fact, I spent a good majority of my adult life believing that. What I should have done is take stock out in Tylenol back in the 90’s. Having headaches several times a week was normal for me.
Today, anyone asking for a pain reliever in my house has to scrounge around to try and find one. I don’t buy them because I don’t need them.
It’s not that I don’t believe there are occasions where modern medicine is useful and warranted. But today I view “wellness” through an entirely different lens. I have spent a lot of time researching and working on healing my body using a cellular methodology. And it’s working.
It used to be that I thought getting healthy meant diet and exercise. But once I switched from “relieving symptoms” to “healing my cells”, my entire life changed. And I now know those pills that used to be in my medicine cabinet were never meant to be a solution to wellness.
Since I am very tuned into the signals of my body, I can reach for my toolkit at the first sign of illness. This helps me get on top of what is ailing me.
Last night I had an earache. I called my mom and she tried to convince me it was ok to take something. I did take something, just not what she meant. I went into my kitchen and took some oregano oil, a shot of elderberry, and some echinacea tea. Later I put a heating pad to my ear. Today, the pain is gone, but it doesn’t mean something isn’t brewing. The first thing I did this morning was drink a flu bomb tea with manuka honey, then head out on my daily walk. Later, I jumped in the sauna.
This is healing on a cellular level. It doesn’t include popping pills to merely relieve symptoms while our cells are begging for our attention. Instead, it relies on the power of natural food.
I used to talk about the harmful nature of ultra-processed food. But then I realized that is only half the equation. It’s not merely about what to avoid, but more importantly, what to eat. It’s really about the healing compounds in the food that matter. All those compounds do different things. For instance, if you have an inflammatory disease like arthritis, you should consider drinking a daily matcha. Green tea (especially matcha) is the most concentrated source of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), one of the most powerful polyphenols for inflammation control and mitochondrial energy. (It’s also great to improve skin elasticity and preserve collagen, among other things.)
On the other hand, if you’re suffering from a bacterial infection, consider fresh thyme. Thyme is rich in thymol that fights E. coli and Staph aureus, and carvacrol that reduces gas and intestinal cramps. You can make a thyme tea, put thyme on your food, or even infuse it into honey.
So, while our thoughts are focused on turkey and pumpkin pie, and enjoying it at a long table with our loved ones, just remember to take some time to take care of yourself as well.
For me, I’ve simply relocated the medicine cabinet to my kitchen. This is something everyone can do. Here’s what is in my winter apothecary:
Elderberry Syrup (Flu/Immune Boost)
Flu Bombs (Flu/Immune Boost)
Fresh Herbs for Steaming (Lungs/Chest Congestion)
Thyme for making thyme tea & thyme honey (Sore throat, respiratory support)
Garlic/Ginger/Turmeric Honey (Colds/Immune Support)
Homemade Pickled Onions w/ garlic, black pepper & thyme (Inflammation/General Support)
Fully Stocked Tea Pantry incl. Echinacea (Cold, Cough, Throat)
Local Raw Honey & Manuka Honey (Immune support, anti-inflammatory)
Ceremonial Grade Matcha Powder (Inflammation)
Oregano Oil (cold & flu, calm gut)
Onions for pickling and making onion honey (Expectorant)
Chai Spices (comfort and energy)
Rosehip powder (Vitamin C boost)
Marshmallow Root for tea (coats and soothes throat)
Bone Broth: (soothes gut, anti-inflammatory)
You don’t have to have all of these. At first it seems over-whelming, but it really is so much simpler (and cheaper) than stocking a bunch of medicines that don’t help your cells to rebuild. I suggest starting with the flu bombs, recipe below.
Let me know if you’d like more recipes like this one. Trust me, it’s life changing to begin to work on your health in this way.
Flu Bombs
Ingredients
2 organic oranges (peel on, washed well)
2 organic lemons (peel on, washed well)
1 C coconut water (more if needed)
2-4 inches fresh turmeric root
2-4 inches fresh ginger
2-4 T raw honey
1/4 t black pepper
Instructions
Chop citrus, blend with other ingredients until smooth
Adjust taste (add more honey if needed)
Pour into molds, freeze solid
Store in freezer up to 6 months
How to use:
Drop in hot water for tea
Add to smoothies
Stir into soup or broth
Note: I typically double the recipe and make a big batch that lasts me a good while. You can find molds most places now. I use silicone molds I purchased on Amazon. After freezing solid, I place them all into a freezer bag in my freezer. (yes, some of the molds are in the shape of a pawprint!)
Another note: it is really important to buy organic citrus for this recipe since you will be consuming the peel.
Stay well, friends!
XO,
Michelle