Kicking the Flu

I rarely get the flu. In fact, it's been so long that I've had it, I know it was more than 10 years ago. I'm more prone to sinus infections. BUT, I know how to kick the flu faster than the two weeks it generally takes to get over it. I simply hit my body with everything I can think of to take down the virus. And the shit works. It can have you back to work in two days. But you have to do everything on the list!

First, you have to pump up your nutrition up to fight the damn thing. You may not feel like eating, may not be able to taste anything, but the nutrition part must be done. NOOOOO DAIRY PRODUCTS ALLOWED. Dairy produces mucus, let's not get a respiration infection to boot, okay? No effing dairy until you've kicked this mother. You don't have to sit down to a feast and there's the whole "don't feed a fever" thing, but how else are you going to support your immune system? It's got to have something to work with!

Two, hot fresh-squeezed lemonade -- it's crucial. Fresh lemons have more Vitamin C than oranges. A Vitamin C tablet just won't do. Get the good stuff. Use honey or agave nectar, whatever. Skip the white refined sugar -- it's another mucus causing substance, we're trying to get your immune system energized. TWO CUPS of fresh hot lemonade, spaced out, say 6 hours apart or so. To really KICK up the remedy, sprinkle cayenne or chili powder on top of the beverage and be prepared to use a lot of tissues if you're congested. This will open up your breathing.

Three, VICKS or any type of vaporub -- just a small dab on your finger, placed at the base of each nostril. WASH YOUR HANDS after applying it, don't make a mistake I've made and forget and then rub your eye or something. You'll howl!

Four, whatever you can eat, throw garlic into it. Lots. Garlic is a natural germ killer/disinfectant.

Five, if you're coughing, use the vaporub on your chest.... read the label, it's a cough suppressant. Put the vaporub on your feet and put socks on -- yes, it really works.

Lastly, a shot or two of warm brandy or whiskey before bed -- but ONLY for adults. This is not a kid or teen remedy. Go to bed, put socks on your feet, get under the covers. Be prepared to sweat.

If you're cold, (and some people shiver and then get hot and 'round and 'round it goes), cover your head. Yep, sit in the house with a damn hat on if you have to. Just do it.

These steps are really remedies as much as they are an assault on the virus. If you do all of these things, you'll kick it faster, and you'll actually support your immune system.

When you are OVER THE FLU, get some probiotics in you in the form of yogurt. If you don't like yogurt, get to the health food store and get some acidophilus in capsule form. Take according to directions. A health intestinal tract keeps your immune system healthy as well.

As with any advice, I'm not a medical doctor, I'm a nurse who is simply repeating remedies that have worked for me and my family for years. If any of the above contradicts advice given to you by your physician, or if you're unsure of medication interactions and contraindications, check with your doctor before following any of the above steps.

New Findings on Fructose

No fructose here.

The latest “new findings” regarding weight loss is that the sweetener, “fructose,” stops the “I’m full” mechanism from shutting off in the brain, so we overeat. And THIS is one of the causes of our obesity problem in the United States. I’m not buying it.

High fructose corn syrup is a sugar. Read labels, people. STOP BUYING FOOD WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! And learn how many carbs you should eat everyday. AND CUT YOUR PORTION SIZES!

Corn is a starch already and you’re adding sugar (fructose) with some corn. If you read your labels on everything in your typical lunch or dinner that had high fructose corn syrup in it, you would more than likely find yourself eating a big plate of corn with a cup of sugar on it. Oh, that sounds yummy, right?

…and then there are the portions.

Just because a portion size is given on the side of a box, or in a recipe (which is where you should be getting more of your portion sizes from anyway – not off of PROCESSED FOOD BOXES!), does that mean you have to eat it? I had better have heard a ‘no.’

Portion sizes have gotten bigger in this country. Look at your plate in a restaurant. Now look at a plate in a French restaurant. The portion size in a French bistro is about ¼ of what a portion is the United States.

Yes, size does matter

To get fructose out of your diet, eat more vegetables. Eat less of the starchy ones than you do the others. Eat no more than two servings of fruit a day. One large banana can be considered two fruits, as would one large apple. Size matters, and that is something Americans typically don’t take into account.

Portion sizes have increased

Food companies HAVE INCREASED PORTION SIZES SO BE CAREFUL. Also, read the labels on your sports drinks if you indulge in those (I have a Revive Vitamin Water every once in a while because I eat tired of eating bananas and just need a quick potassium jolt.) The servings on those bottles changed, from TWO servings, to now ONE serving. Was it an effort to get you to buy more? Probably. But it’s also making you fatter in the process. A serving size of most drinks is one cup. That’s 8 oz., people. For fruit juice, it’s one-half cup, or 4 oz.

Watch your butt…. er, bottom

What it all comes down to is this: READ YOUR LABELS. Educate yourself. The food industry wants PROFITS. If you eat less, you BUY less. That doesn’t help their bottom line…. But it does make your bottom grow!