I had an appointment at a specialist’s office in a very busy hospital the other day. I was feeling fine, just checking in on the status of my auto immune. I kept repeating to myself all the things I needed to remember. Don’t touch the magazines. Don’t touch the restroom door handles. Wash your hands as soon as the appointment is over. Don’t set your phone down and then put it up to your face. Don’t put your hands near your face until you can use some sanitizer. No I am not OCD, I was simply trying to avoid the germ festival that lives in hospital settings.
To no avail, two days after my appointment I started feeling it coming on, and by the third day, I had a fever and was all stuffed up! UGH, so now what? Time to pull out my natural remedies wand and do these key things for a speedy recovery:
Make Homemade Chicken Stock and Soup
First, I bought a whole organic chicken and roasted it. I took the meat off and put that aside for later then started some stock. There is a huge difference between the nutritional and healing properties of homemade stock versus store bought. Yes it does take more effort and much more time than opening the store bought version, but the payoff should be worth it. Now, my suggestion is to make this stock when you are not sick and always have some in the freezer. Who wants to take an entire day to make stock (and then soup) when they don’t feel well? Okay, so maybe I did, but you will not want to. Trust me. There are no steadfast recipes you must follow for stock, be creative, but for the basic principles of a good stock and soup see the instructions at the end of this post.
Take My Homemade Cough & Cold Remedy
Of course you should make the cold and cough remedy that I had in a previous post and use that a couple of times a day along with your soup.
Fill the Room with Aromas of Essential Oils
A few other things to have on hand during the cold and flu season are essential oils. Like peppermint, eucalyptus and rosemary. Use these in your oil burners or several drops in a pot of boiling water and let it simmer, sending the essential oils into the room. just make sure you set a timer to remind yourself to turn off the burner!
A few other things to have on hand during the cold and flu season are essential oils. Like peppermint, eucalyptus and rosemary. Use these in your oil burners or several drops in a pot of boiling water and let it simmer, sending the essential oils into the room. just make sure you set a timer to remind yourself to turn off the burner!
Down Clear Liquids
Drink lots of fluids as it not only helps to avoid dehydration but also thins the mucous in your body allowing you to heal faster.
Pack in the Vitamin C
And of course, try to eat fresh organic fruits high in vitamin C and antioxidants to rid your body of toxins.
Rest & Relax
After your soup is made, grab a blanket, a hot cup of green tea, and your entertainment of choice- t.v., computer, book, dancing family members. Okay maybe not the last one because they will either make you laugh and cause a choking hazard while your eating your soup, or they will just annoy you when you’re trying to rest. And rest is key! Make sure you allow your body the proper healing time it needs.
I hope this finds all who are reading this healthy, but if not……hopefully these tips will help.
Stock and Soup instructions:
There have been many scientific studies showing the healing properties of soup. It’s not just an old wives tale.
To start, you’ll need roasted bones, either chicken or beef, depending on what type of soup you want (please opt for organic grass-fed, hormone-free meat; if you don’t, you could be doing more harm than good). The bones should more than cover the bottom of the stock pot you are using. If you prefer a vegetarian soup, simply roast a huge tray of stock veggies (carrots, celery, lots of onion) and follow the same instructions with the exception of cooking time (noted below).
1. Place the bones in large stock pot
2. Put 1 or 2 large quartered onions in
3. Put in 3 to 4 carrots cut in 4 large pieces
4. Put in 3 to 4 celery stalks and leaves cut in 4 big pieces
5. Add 1 large garlic clove cut in three
6.Season with fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and 2 bay leaves (the amount is really up to you; I like loads of flavor so I put in a lot)
7. Add 1/2 tsp salt
8. Add 1 tsp ground pepper or 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
9. Add 3 tbsp of cider vinegar (do not skip this step as the vinegar draws the essential nutrients from the bones, but if you are going vegetarian you can skip the vinegar)
9. Fill the stock pot almost to the top with water; put on medium high heat just until it starts to boil then turn it down so that it is just simmering
10. Simmer for 12-16 hours (4-5 hours for vegetable stock with no meat) then strain into another pot using a fine mesh strainer
Voila! You have healing, nutrient-dense stock!
Maria Romano-Trampe'
Maria currently serves on the Board of Directors and as the Docent Council President for the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown PA. She has volunteered thousands of hours at Elmwood to educate the public about conservation and wildlife issues and their global impact, as well as initiating and heading up the collection of tens of thousands of “waste” items that are upcycled through a program called Terracycle each year, ensuring the reduction of waste in landfills. Her full-time employment is as the Director of Operations and Finance at Fromer & Gross Orthodontics. A premier Orthodontic practice in Pottstown Pa.
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This has inspired me to make my own stock! Thank you. I’ve never done it this way, but I will from now on. I knew about the vinegar, but I never simmered for so long. This must really load the stock with lots of calcium. Well, gotta go! I hear my stock pot calling me…
Not only loaded with calcium but lots of collagen. The more gelatinous your stock when cold the better the nutritional and healing properties!
Great ideas and i’m going to make the soup now!