Jason King
AmyHuangEat to Beat the Flu
January 5th 2009 00:18
I have been in bed pretty much since NY's Eve and have slowly been dying of the flu. It totally sux - I had to work NY's Day as who would believe I was genuinely sick. I also had to work yesterday because no one could cover me but had to go home early and have taken today off.
I have so far shaved the end of my nose off with tissues (no great loss there as the beak could do with a shortening), lost about 5kg's - also not a major issue as I am now probably back to pre Xmas Ham and Turkey shape and lost hearing in my right ear due to blocked sinuses. This one does suck. I feel great for a few hours in the morning and then just get tired and lie under a blanket watching DVD's - and this sux watching them in mono!
But while I am energetic this morning I decided it's time to get off the couch and cook some totally yum flu defeating morsels. I also am pissed with the world that I have the flu so really want to visit Coles so I can share my love with the world while coughing into the air conditioning system.
So in doing my Google research of what I need I find this:
Vitamin C. Everyone knows that vitamin C is great to take when sick. It boosts the immunity and taking 100mgs of vitamin C regularly can prevent colds and flus. Take vitamin C in therapeutic doses of 500mg to 1000mg per day to aid in shortening the duration of the cold or flu.
Zinc is used to make the hormones that tell the immune system to get in gear to fight colds and flu viruses. Taking small amounts of zinc at the first signs of a cold and during the infection can significantly shorten the length of the cold. There are plenty of products with zinc to fight colds on the market. Try nasal swabs or lozenges following the package instructions carefully.
Vitamin A protects the integrity of mucus membranes and helps prevent infections. Other than taking the RDA of vitamin A in a multivitamin it is not advisable to take extra vitamin A. Just try eating foods rich in vitamin A like carrots, spinach, red peppers, and sweet potatoes.
Calcium. Getting the right amount of calcium in the diet can help the immune system by boosting the alkalinity of the body. Viruses, bad bacteria, and other body invaders thrive in more acidic environments. Making the body more alkaline can aid in weakening the cold virus. Take no more than the RDA of calcium. For most people it is around 1500mgs. One great way to get calcium during a cold is to drink calcium fortified orange juice.
Probiotics. Seventy percent of the body's immunity cells are in the intestines. So, it makes sense to keep the environment in the intestines nice for the good bacteria to grow there and stimulate growth of more immune cells. Probiotics in the diet promotes a healthier intestinal environment. Eat yogurt, miso, and other fermented foods.
Foods that boost the immune system.
Eating the foods listed below may help ward off colds, are tasty and just make the body feel good.
Vegatable soup. Any broth based soup is actually a great idea. The heat will sooth the nasal passages and the throat. Garlic boosts the immune system and the vegetables are filled with vitamins and minerals. Better yet try a miso based soup. The broth not only has a few grams of protein and healing B vitamins, it also has probiotics. Avoid chicken soup - see below.
Garlic is known to have immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. Eat favorite garlic filled foods as much as you can.
Decaffeinated hot teas. Peppermint tea, decaffeinated green tea, detox tea or any other flavor can help sooth the throat and inhaling the steam can moisturize the nasal passages.
Any fruit. Eat lots of fruit. It is packed with vitamins and the flora in your intestines love the soluble fiber.
Avoid dairy products when fighting the flu
Cow’s milk and dairy products are immunosuppressive. That's because they promote stagnation, including chronic sinus infections and constipation. They create mucus in the body, which is why so many people who suffer from asthma are actually suffering from an allergic reaction to dairy products. Nearly 70 percent of the population of the world is lactose intolerant.
Drinking dairy products when you're trying to fight off the flu is sort of like dumping half a gallon of epoxy into the oil of your car. It will gum up the works. It will make it far more difficult for your body to perform the complex physiological activities on which your health depends. Cow’s milk and dairy products should be strictly avoided by those who don't want to get the flu or who are suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Avoid excess salt
There are other ingredients that create stagnation in the body. Processed salt (ordinary salt) is one of them. Salt constricts blood vessels, which is one way it raises blood pressure and produces symptoms of hypertension. It also impairs the mobility of water in your body, because the water will automatically be attracted to the salt. Wherever salt goes, water follows. So, if you're eating a lot of salt, it could mean that water is not going to get to your organs and cells because it's all tied up in the salt.
Often, sick people say, "I'm going to have some chicken soup" because that's supposed to be good for a flu. Chicken soup is actually one of the worst things that you can eat when you're sick due to its high sodium content. There is so much salt in a can of chicken soup that it directly acts as an immune system suppressant.
On top of that, chicken soup often has noodles in it, and those noodles are made with refined white flour, which also depletes vitamins and minerals from your body. So, chicken soup really offers nothing of value except, perhaps, the onions and garlic (the medicinal plants in the broth).
In contrast to processed salt, sea salt or Himalayan salt is very good for you. Mined from natural salt deposits, these salts contain an array of health-promoting minerals (including trace minerals), far beyond the sodium and chloride found in typical processed salt. Find some sources for sea salt and trace minerals at: HERE
At this point, you're probably getting some ideas about how you can defend yourself against the flu by avoiding many of these stresses. If you could live a stress-free life (which is probably impossible these days), you might never get sick at all.
Part of this article is excerpted from the book How to Beat the Bird Flu by Mike Adams.
A lot of the articles I have read actually contradict each other, including the two I have written here so eat what feels good for you. Stop the coffee and excessive milk would be my suggestion or go the skim milk or soy if you can.
So, I am off to Coles and here's my list of flu fighting purchases to enjoy throughout the day:
1X Giant bottle of calcium packed Orange Juice
1X Premade (too tired to actually chop things up) Vegetable soup, salt reduced, with garlic
1X bag of mixed fruit
1X punnet of strawberries - I know I have to avoid dairy but I love chocolate when sick and I need to keep me happy so I will use the chocolate dipping sauce I got for Xmas to eat my strawberries with.
1X container of yoghurt - I know it's dairy but I am stopping milk and coffee and cereal and the Yoplait 97% fat free yoghurt berry flavor is insanely nice
Peppermint tea
Another bloody box of tissues!
I have so far shaved the end of my nose off with tissues (no great loss there as the beak could do with a shortening), lost about 5kg's - also not a major issue as I am now probably back to pre Xmas Ham and Turkey shape and lost hearing in my right ear due to blocked sinuses. This one does suck. I feel great for a few hours in the morning and then just get tired and lie under a blanket watching DVD's - and this sux watching them in mono!
But while I am energetic this morning I decided it's time to get off the couch and cook some totally yum flu defeating morsels. I also am pissed with the world that I have the flu so really want to visit Coles so I can share my love with the world while coughing into the air conditioning system.
So in doing my Google research of what I need I find this:
Vitamin C. Everyone knows that vitamin C is great to take when sick. It boosts the immunity and taking 100mgs of vitamin C regularly can prevent colds and flus. Take vitamin C in therapeutic doses of 500mg to 1000mg per day to aid in shortening the duration of the cold or flu.
Zinc is used to make the hormones that tell the immune system to get in gear to fight colds and flu viruses. Taking small amounts of zinc at the first signs of a cold and during the infection can significantly shorten the length of the cold. There are plenty of products with zinc to fight colds on the market. Try nasal swabs or lozenges following the package instructions carefully.
Vitamin A protects the integrity of mucus membranes and helps prevent infections. Other than taking the RDA of vitamin A in a multivitamin it is not advisable to take extra vitamin A. Just try eating foods rich in vitamin A like carrots, spinach, red peppers, and sweet potatoes.
Calcium. Getting the right amount of calcium in the diet can help the immune system by boosting the alkalinity of the body. Viruses, bad bacteria, and other body invaders thrive in more acidic environments. Making the body more alkaline can aid in weakening the cold virus. Take no more than the RDA of calcium. For most people it is around 1500mgs. One great way to get calcium during a cold is to drink calcium fortified orange juice.
Probiotics. Seventy percent of the body's immunity cells are in the intestines. So, it makes sense to keep the environment in the intestines nice for the good bacteria to grow there and stimulate growth of more immune cells. Probiotics in the diet promotes a healthier intestinal environment. Eat yogurt, miso, and other fermented foods.
Foods that boost the immune system.
Eating the foods listed below may help ward off colds, are tasty and just make the body feel good.
Vegatable soup. Any broth based soup is actually a great idea. The heat will sooth the nasal passages and the throat. Garlic boosts the immune system and the vegetables are filled with vitamins and minerals. Better yet try a miso based soup. The broth not only has a few grams of protein and healing B vitamins, it also has probiotics. Avoid chicken soup - see below.
Garlic is known to have immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. Eat favorite garlic filled foods as much as you can.
Decaffeinated hot teas. Peppermint tea, decaffeinated green tea, detox tea or any other flavor can help sooth the throat and inhaling the steam can moisturize the nasal passages.
Any fruit. Eat lots of fruit. It is packed with vitamins and the flora in your intestines love the soluble fiber.
Avoid dairy products when fighting the flu
Cow’s milk and dairy products are immunosuppressive. That's because they promote stagnation, including chronic sinus infections and constipation. They create mucus in the body, which is why so many people who suffer from asthma are actually suffering from an allergic reaction to dairy products. Nearly 70 percent of the population of the world is lactose intolerant.
Drinking dairy products when you're trying to fight off the flu is sort of like dumping half a gallon of epoxy into the oil of your car. It will gum up the works. It will make it far more difficult for your body to perform the complex physiological activities on which your health depends. Cow’s milk and dairy products should be strictly avoided by those who don't want to get the flu or who are suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Avoid excess salt
There are other ingredients that create stagnation in the body. Processed salt (ordinary salt) is one of them. Salt constricts blood vessels, which is one way it raises blood pressure and produces symptoms of hypertension. It also impairs the mobility of water in your body, because the water will automatically be attracted to the salt. Wherever salt goes, water follows. So, if you're eating a lot of salt, it could mean that water is not going to get to your organs and cells because it's all tied up in the salt.
Often, sick people say, "I'm going to have some chicken soup" because that's supposed to be good for a flu. Chicken soup is actually one of the worst things that you can eat when you're sick due to its high sodium content. There is so much salt in a can of chicken soup that it directly acts as an immune system suppressant.
On top of that, chicken soup often has noodles in it, and those noodles are made with refined white flour, which also depletes vitamins and minerals from your body. So, chicken soup really offers nothing of value except, perhaps, the onions and garlic (the medicinal plants in the broth).
In contrast to processed salt, sea salt or Himalayan salt is very good for you. Mined from natural salt deposits, these salts contain an array of health-promoting minerals (including trace minerals), far beyond the sodium and chloride found in typical processed salt. Find some sources for sea salt and trace minerals at: HERE
At this point, you're probably getting some ideas about how you can defend yourself against the flu by avoiding many of these stresses. If you could live a stress-free life (which is probably impossible these days), you might never get sick at all.
Part of this article is excerpted from the book How to Beat the Bird Flu by Mike Adams.
A lot of the articles I have read actually contradict each other, including the two I have written here so eat what feels good for you. Stop the coffee and excessive milk would be my suggestion or go the skim milk or soy if you can.
So, I am off to Coles and here's my list of flu fighting purchases to enjoy throughout the day:
1X Giant bottle of calcium packed Orange Juice
1X Premade (too tired to actually chop things up) Vegetable soup, salt reduced, with garlic
1X bag of mixed fruit
1X punnet of strawberries - I know I have to avoid dairy but I love chocolate when sick and I need to keep me happy so I will use the chocolate dipping sauce I got for Xmas to eat my strawberries with.
1X container of yoghurt - I know it's dairy but I am stopping milk and coffee and cereal and the Yoplait 97% fat free yoghurt berry flavor is insanely nice
Peppermint tea
Another bloody box of tissues!
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Sorry to hear you're feeling so crappy, hope you feel better soon,
Tracy
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By the way, two thumbs up for this article!
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I don't want the weight back!!
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Get better soon!
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Total Randomness