Avoid getting Sick with these Immune Natural Boosters

It’s cold and rainy and kids have been back at school at the winter break for a little while. They’re wiping their cute little faces with their cute little hands and getting snot on everything. They bring their germs home and wipe their dirty little fingers on you and stick them in their mouths. Ugh. I’ not sure when it happened but I’ve become a germaphobic and I’m quick to yell “NO!!!” when I see a had about to go into a mouth. Gross.

Sick Family Lying In Bed At Home

I don’t want to get sick- I have no time to be sick. I sure don’t want my daughter getting sick and if my husband gets sick that’s even worse because it’s probably as terrible as having to take care of 10 sick kids at once. So instead I try my best to keep all of our immune systems boosted. Here are some of the things I do.

Bone Broth which you’ve certainly seen me write about many times before but that’s because it is a well deserved super-food. According to an old South American proverb a good bone broth will resurrect the dead! So it will certainly help to keep you healthy. It contains a wide range of minerals in a from that are highly absorbable to the body and it can help fight inflammation and inhibit infection. This previous article has some more great information about my favorite super-food, bone broth. I drink it like a cup of tea but my husband and daughter won’t – so I cook with it instead. I cook rice, chili, quinoa, soup- anything I can think of that needs some sort of water base to cook in I replace with bone broth. My favorite is white rice cooked with bone broth, it’s a hit with the whole family.

Vitamin D taken year round is important in keeping you healthy but when someone you’re in frequent contact with gets sick or you start to feel a little run down it becomes even more important. There may even be a link between vitamin D levels and your chances of getting the flu. You can certainly take a vitamin d supplement and at times I do too, like when I’m feeling a little run down but I do try to get my vitamins through food as often as I can. Salmon skin (make sure to buy wild salmon!) is a great source of vitamin d and you can crisp it up really nicely in a pan with some pastured butter which also happens to be a good source of vitamin d. Egg yolks, liver and pure pig lard are also great food sources- just always make sure to buy products from healthy, pasture raised animals that are eating food intended for them to eat. And of course if you have the chance to spend time in the sun that’s another great way to get some vitamin d!

Garlic shots are enough to keep vampires away. You’re sure to smell like garlic but there are so many immune boosting benefits to it that it’s worth it. Try taking a garlic shot every other day or every few days unless of course you start feeling sick or are caring for someone who’s sick then try two to three times a day for a few days. There are lots of ways to get this done. Chop the garlic very finely and try putting it in a shot glass with some water, mixing it with some water, putting it on some toast for a garlic sandwich or my personal favorite making a hardboiled egg, scooping out the yolk, filling it with garlic and then put the yolk back on top. Make sure it’s raw garlic to get the most immune boosting properties!

Tinctures are powerful stuff. They’re liquid herbal extracts and they can pack a powerful immune boosting punch. Echinacea is a great one for the grown ups. You just put a few drops in some water and take it on an empty stomach a few times a day to keep your immune system boosted. Herb Pharm also makes a great one for kids called Immune Avenger which even my daughter who is ridiculously picky, will happily take a few drops of in her water.

There you have it. My favorite things to do to keep the germs from getting you sick! We do also take elderberry syrup on a regular basis but I’ve found that getting in the ones I just mentioned are great at keeping you healthy even when you’re in constant contact with someone that’s sick or if you start to feel like you may be coming down with something.