I’m not joking: this flu bomb is the cat’s meow.
Something they don't tell you when you have kids is that you'll be sick all the time because they're sick all the time. In our household, we have a miserable merry-go-round of illness that begins with the oldest. By the time it reaches by poor sinuses, it hasn't been watered down one bit.
It was a while ago now that I gave up on willing sickness away by being in complete denial. However, when the tempestuous tide did hit, I would languish in my room for days on end with a touch of melancholy that could go up against Anne Hathaway's performance in Les Misérables.
Now that I've got kids, I don't get to do this. Another thing they don't tell you when you're thinking about kids is that a mother's work is never done. I'm always last in line for a meal, and I don't trust my husband enough to take the day off work and look after them alone. Oh, the chaos that would ensue.
So instead of preventing it, I have to treat it. I have to find something that’s going to tide me over until the first ugly wave has passed and I can get at least one good night’s sleep in – well, half a good night’s sleep in with the feeds.
If you've already read anything else on my blog, you'll know that I'm a sucker for anything natural. I absolutely loathe taking medicine and refuse to go to the doctor. I mean, what are they going to do, tell me what I already know? They're also trigger happy with the antibiotics which I know I don't need unless things get more serious.
So in the meantime, while I'm still waving hubby out the door and changing dirty nappies, I need to have something up my sleeve that’s going to save me from having to be committed – for much more than flu symptoms at that point.
Now before we progress, a little disclaimer: I realize that we are right on the brink of summer in New Zealand. However, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you will be experiencing anything but sunny weather, which is why I wanted to write a flu bomb blog at this time of year.
Also, to clarify, this nasty affliction that I developed as a result of my two little cherubs only went away at the beginning of last week. So suffering from the flu certainly isn’t reserved just for those winter months, wherever you may be in the world.
It’s flu bomb time. A friend of mine once said that I should be eating a clove of garlic a day if I wanted to keep the sickness at bay (I’m paraphrasing). I’ve always known garlic to be good for you, but I didn’t realize just how good.
So garlic is the first ingredient in my flu bomb. Garlic is known to help reduce symptoms experienced with the common flu and boost the immune system. In fact, one such study showed that taking garlic on the daily reduced the number of colds in participants by an impressive 63%.
Now, this is the real kicker for me, and why I advocate for garlic. I don’t want to languish like I used to. I can really only afford one day of feeling like absolute crap before I’ve got to get back to the insanity that is life. Get this: the average length of these flu symptoms was reduced by 70%, from five days down to one and a half.
Now, I could write an entire blog about garlic I love it so much. But I won’t. I’ve got dishes to wash and a child to pick up from daycare, so we must press on.
Ginger is the next ingredient in my flu bomb. Where do I even start? Ginger can help with that muscle soreness you experience when you're run down. It can also help to reduce inflammation and settle disturbed tummies. The bottom line is it's great.
The next ingredient I use in my flu bomb is lemon. Lemon is a great detox, which is perfect when you’ve got a nasty, unwanted bug in your system you want to flush out. Last up in the flu bomb is honey. Honey, as you probably already know, can help to soothe your throat.
Chop the garlic and ginger up, but only roughly. I would say about a handful of each will do the trick. Place both the garlic and ginger in a pot with water. Bring the pot to a boil and let it continue to boil for 5-10 minutes.
Have a mug with a teaspoon of honey in the bottom ready to go. Once you're satisfied with your boil time, pour your flu bomb into your cup so that it melts the honey. Add a squeeze of lemon juice in once you've given it a good stir.
I try not to get too many of the garlic and ginger bits in my tea because I like to make the most of them and re-boil them. A pot of garlic and ginger like this will last me all day.
When it comes to being sick, there’s always a natural alternative. Before I reach for the aspirin and antibiotics, I like to see what a bit of garlic and ginger can do for me.
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Would you eat garlic every day to keep the bugs away? Let me know!
