By Setareh Kiumarsi
Worried about catching the flu?
Influenza is a contagious viral disease that attacks the respiratory system, causing symptoms such as fever, body aches, and nasal discharge.
How can we boost our immune system to fight this sneaky virus when the flu is spreading?
Start by minimizing the consumption of foods that weaken your immune system, such as:
- Foods with added sugar (various sweets, cakes, desserts, sodas, etc.)
- Foods made from white flour (like baguette, pasta, macaroni, lasagna, pizza, industrial cookies and cakes)
- High-fat dairy products from cows (especially cheese, yogurt, and cream)
- Hard-to-digest animal proteins (especially beef, veal, pork, and seafood)
- Hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils
- Fried foods and fast food
- Very sweet fruits (like grapes, figs, dates, melons, watermelons)
Foods that are phlegm-forming, sticky, and heavy create an environment in the body—especially the respiratory system—that’s filled with undigested mucus. This mucus becomes an ideal feeding ground for viruses and bacteria!
So during flu outbreaks, cut back on heavy, fatty, and phlegm-producing foods.
How to fight the flu beast?
As mentioned, undigested phlegm provides a delicious feast for viruses and increases the risk of contracting the flu.
To clear this undigested phlegm, add phlegm-reducing foods to your daily diet:
- About two hours after each meal, drink a cup of digestive tea or cold-remedy herbal tea
- During lunch and dinner, always have a side of digestive salad (see recipes: Digestive Salad 1 & 2)
- As a daily snack, eat steamed apple with cardamom and rose petals, drizzled with honey, and sweet lemon
- Boil a large pot of water with a handful of thyme, yarrow, lavender, or eucalyptus (fresh or dried). Throughout the day, stand over the pot and breathe in deeply for a few minutes
- Burn a few dried jujubes. Inhaling the scent of jujube dries up mucus in the sinuses
Helping the immune system in its battle against the flu
If you feel the early signs of the flu or a cold (like post-nasal drip, scratchy throat, stuffy nose, excess saliva, watery eyes, heavy head, a single cough, body aches, etc.), use one of the following remedies. These can also be taken once or twice a week during cold seasons as preventive immune boosters:
Turnip & Honey Remedy
- Cut off the tops of 1–2 large turnips and hollow them out with a spoon
- Place them in a lidded container and fill the hollowed space with honey
- Set them somewhere warm (like next to a radiator) for 24 hours
- After a day, the turnips will release juice and create a medicinal mixture with the honey
- Transfer the mixture to a glass jar with a lid and store it in the fridge (it keeps for a week)
- Whenever you feel you’re coming down with something, take 1 to 3 tablespoons throughout the day
This mixture is a powerful phlegm-burner and acts like a natural antibiotic!
Thyme-Honey Syrup (Honey Thyme)
- Get it from a pharmacy and keep it at home
- Thyme dries up mucus in the respiratory system quickly
Herbal Tea with Echinacea
- If you can find a store-bought herbal tea with Echinacea, it’s good to buy and keep that at home. This herbal tea blend also supports the immune system and is great to drink more regularly during flu season
Stay tuned for the natural antibiotic honey recipe in the next article!
Wishing you health, smiles, and happiness! 🙂
Please mention the author “Setareh Kiumarsi” when republishing this article, which has been lovingly written in the hope of better health for all.
