The flu has made itself felt again this year, and we all know the inconvenience of being stuck at home sick. Inconveniences that, beyond the personal sphere, affect everything around us: work, family, home. In this day and age, staying home sick until we are completely recovered has become a luxury, and it only takes a few days to find ourselves overwhelmed by a thousand unfinished tasks.
The only thought that haunts us as we take our temperature is: “When will this pass? When will I be well? ” The answer and the recovery time are dictated by our diet.
The quality of the food we eat can both prevent attacks from viruses and bacteria and help us recover more quickly. How? It’s easy to explain.
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables combined with regular physical activity will keep our immune system in shape, but if that’s not enough to block those annoying viruses, here’s what to do to get back on your feet quickly and without any after-effects.
First of all, we need to change our diet a little, trying to reduce animal proteins (meat, fish, cheese, milk, eggs, cold cuts), especially dairy products, as they increase mucus secretions, worsening coughs and colds. In addition, animal proteins favor putrefactive intestinal flora at the expense of fermentative flora, slowing down the healing process and fatiguing the intestine.
Choose vegetable proteins (legumes, tofu, pasta, whole wheat bread and rice, oats, spelt, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts…), which, in addition to not weighing you down, will help you heal quickly thanks to their beneficial qualities.
Once you have taken this important step, you need to significantly increase your intake of water and organic fruit and vegetables to ensure you always have mineral salts and vitamins available, which are essential weapons for our immune system and for restoring the reserves lost through sweating.
At this point, you are (almost) done, but now here are a few final tips on simple natural remedies that will help you recover. An infusion of lime blossom, both for you and your children, helps to lower fever and relieve coughs. If, on the other hand, you have a cold, use herbal teas made from balsamic plants such as eucalyptus, thyme, mint, and pine.
If you suffer from digestive problems, herbal teas made from chamomile, mallow, ginger, and licorice will help, at least 3 cups a day.
Of course, propolis and honey (make sure they are organic and Italian) are a must when we are ill, along with liquid extracts or capsules of echinacea.
Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, a Greek physician and researcher from 300 BC, wrote in one of his books: “You cannot know human diseases if you do not know food”, and we must treasure these words not only when we are ill but every day, because it is (also) what we eat that determines our health.
