Cold & Flu: Feeling under the weather? Honey Ginger Lemon Tea

Are you starting to feel like you are going to catch a cold or that you may be coming down with a virus? Here is a Tea that you can make that tastes good and will help boost your body's immune system to resist the cold.


Honey Ginger Lemon Tea:
This tea is great at the beginning of a cold or the flu, particularly when you have a sore throat and/or cough. This remedy is soothing and has a warming effect. Lemon is abundant in vitamin C, which enhances the immune system and has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Ginger helps in enhancing circulation, lowering body temperature and is good for the digestion. Honey provides the body with anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties and yields quick energy.


Recipe: Grate a 1-1.5cm piece of ginger. Add 1-2 tsp honey. Pour in 1 cup of boiling water. Add fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon and mix (You can add more or less of each ingredient to you your own taste). Sip before bed and you can also drink this tea throughout the day whenever you feel like it.

You may also want to supplement with extra vitamin C capsules to help boost your immune system to fight off the cold. It is safe to take up to 6 grams of vitamin C in divided doses throughout the day. For an adult your body can absorb about 1000mg of Vitamin C at one time.

How can you help your hearburn?

Here are some lifestyle tips to help treat and prevent heart burn:

Teas:
• Chamomile tea can help to alleviate esophageal irritation
• Catnip, fennel, ginger, marshmallow root and papaya tea all aid in enhancing digestion and can act as a buffer to stop heartburn
• At the first sign of heartburn drink a large glass of water

Juices:
• Pure aloe vera juice can aid healing of the intestinal tract
• Fresh cabbage or celery juice daily can help to alkalinize digestive acids in the digestive tract

Foods:
• Eat more vegetables.
• Eat fresh papaya and/or pineapple since it contains important enzymes such as bromelain
• Avoid acidic citrus fruits and juices (except lemon)

Heartburn causing/aggravating foods to be avoided or limited:
• caffeine and caffeine-containing products, chocolate, carbonated beverages, creamy cheeses, desserts, fats, fried foods, gravies, rich sauces, processed meats, processed foods, onions (especially raw), peppermint, spearmint, spicy or highly seasoned foods, sugar, tobacco or tomatoes, instant noodles

Eating Guidelines
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals
• Chew your food well (tip: count to 10 before swallowing)
• Eat in a calm, relaxed setting (be sure to sit down and enjoy the meal)
• Wait 3 hours after meals before lying down (this means your dinner should be eaten 3 hours before bedtime)
• Follow a disciplined alkaline diet can help manage acid reflux (GERD)
• Eating a hypoallergenic diet for 2-3 weeks can help to identify offending foods

Detox your Body: Add Lemon to your water

A good rule of thumb is to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

Many feel that drinking 8 glasses of water is difficult to do, because it is not palatable for them. So, to make water taste better - I add a slice of lemon to my glass of water.

Here are the benefits of lemons:

• The sourness of lemon juice stimulates the production of stomach acid (HCL) which helps digest your food (tip: drink a glass of lemon water 15 - 30 minutes prior to your meals)
• Good source of potassium, an  in alkaline mineral, and therefore increases your pH levels in your organ tissues (making your body more alkaline).
• Good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant which helps boost your immune system and helps prevent tumor growth
• Plus, it tastes great!

Fact: the liver does most of its actions at night; the liver is known to be our detoxification organ. Therefore, it may be beneficial to also drink a glass of lemon water at night prior to bed, to stimulate the liver.