5 Ways to Outrun the Common Cold/Flu . . .

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

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. . . or what I use to stay healthy in cold season

Colds seem to be everywhere right now. And who has time for that? Or loves that stuffed up, can’t breath, I’m gonna hack up a long feeling?

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Today I am joining up with the  Friday Five 2.0  from Fairytales & Fitness and Rachel @ Running on Happy to share five things I do to keep colds at bay. Disclaimer: this post includes Amazon Affiliate links; you pay the same price, but I get a very small amount of money from your purchase.

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 A lot of tea helps keep me healthy

Tea & Soup. Lots & lots of it.
I drink tea year round, but when the temperatures dives, I drink a lot more tea than plain water. It’s just so soothing to hold a warm mug on a cold day. Truly most kinds of tea have some antioxidant properties, but when I’m feeling run down, here are a few I turn to:

I also turn from salads to soups as it gets colder (although I don’t abandon salads altogether). Matzo ball soup is my go-to if I’m actively sick, but I like to make a pot of soup most weeks. You can find a few recipes on my Pinterest soup board here.

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Green smoothies help, too

Green Smoothies
Have you picked up on a common theme here? Tea, soup, green smoothies . . . hydration, hydration, hydration. And not the overly sweet coffee drinks, either.

There are far fewer in season fresh fruits and vegetables available during the colder months. And especially if I’m feeling run down, I just may not crave my veggies. Smoothies are a great way to get in freggies, and you can add a lot of variety with frozen fruits and vegetables that are often frozen at their peak — the produce you find in the grocery store may have been picked before they were ripe and traveled many miles.

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Just an occasional indulgence

Limit Your Sugar
I’m not a grinch or the diet police. Of course you’re going to indulge in more than usual sugar this time of year (those coffee drinks, again!), but you don’t have to OD on the stuff.

Pick and choose what is really worth it to you. Get in that tea, regular coffee, the soup, and maybe try a smoothie. Then when there’s a cookie or a slice of pie really calling your name, enjoy every, single, ooey, gooey bite (especially with the knowledge that you’ve already gotten in those freggies).

And if it’s calling just a little too loudly, it’s totally cool to throw it out (or gift to someone else who might appreciate — like my husband’s coworkers). It’s not going to benefit starving children anywhere, and who wouldn’t like to end the year the same weight as they started it (or close to it)?

Zinc Lozenges
While there isn’t a lot of science to support the effects of echinacea on a cold, there is more science to support the effect of zinc. I take these Zinc Elderberry lozenges on a fairly frequently basis. Again, if I’m feeling run down, or if I know I’ve been around a lot of people with colds, or again, if I’m traveling.

Of course too much of a good thing isn’t good for you. And per this article from the Mayo clinic (read it here), I’d stay away from zinc sprays.

Oscillococcinum
Although truly meant to ward off the flu if you’ve already got symptoms, I find that if I’m feeling run down and feeling like I’m coming down with something, Oscillo often helps. I do have to take it for a few days before I feel better. I almost always travel with some.

Oscillo is a homeopathic remedy, and as such, most scientists would not support its use. Is it the placebo effect? All I know is that it seems to help me.

So let me know in the comments:

What’s the first thing you reach for when you’re feeling run down?

Any tried and true cold-busing recipes I should know about?

How’s that holiday shopping coming along — any great deals to share?

20 thoughts on “5 Ways to Outrun the Common Cold/Flu . . .”

  1. It is odd how my body craves sugar when I start feeling run down, yet it is the worst thing in the world. My last cold I took Zicam right away and started feeling much better. I’ve been sick with colds a lot this year.
    I do love a warm mug on a cold day 🙂

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    1. Most of the time I don’t crave sugar when I’m sick. But usually by that point I’m really run down & am not hungry at all.

      I have felt run down a bunch of times this year, but I’ve been lucky enough to dodge real sickness (knock on wood).

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      2. Manischiwetz! In fact, I just fed some to my husband for lunch because he has some cold/allergies crud (not sure which) and it seemed to help a lot — before that he was coughing up a lung.

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    1. I used to do Emergen-C, too, but now I go for Zinc first. I only take Ibuprofen if I have a fever — or a scratchy throat — and then only at night, usually, so I can sleep.

      I’m one of those weird people — Nyquil makes me wired, instead of putting me to sleep. I do usually sleep better if I take Ibuprofen (if sick).

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  9. None of the above.

    Thankfully I rarely catch a cold. I think it’s all that contact daily for years with students and now germy adults. I may be immune.

    I do like soups stews and chilis in the winter.

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