Battling a Cold Naturally

Hey y’all! It is midterms season, which means the cold is tearing its way through campus. As a recent cold sufferer myself, here are some ways to get your cold to go away faster, without having to involve cold medicine!

• Ginger tea!

  1. I cannot stress my love for ginger tea enough. It burns going down your throat, but leaves you feeling less inflamed! To minimize the burn, I like to mix in some 100%, unsweetened cranberry juice and some frozen raspberries, which make the tea more bearable to drink, and also add some Vitamin C to the mix! To make the most effective and potent ginger tea, I like to peel and slice fresh ginger into thin strips, and boil it in a pot on the stove for about thirty minutes.

• Soup!

  1. Soup is tasty, especially when you are feeling under the weather. Throw some chicken and/or vegetables into a pot and let them simmer for about an hour, adding some salt, pepper, and fresh garlic! Garlic is a great defense against colds and the flu, and might help your sickness go away more quickly (allowing you to get back to your normal life sooner). Another great part about making soup is that it requires very little effort, allowing you to lounge on the couch while your food simmers and turns into a tasty meal!

• Smoothies!

  1. When I am sick, the last thing I want to do is eat a leafy spinach salad or handfuls of fruit. Therefore, I break out the blender and combine them in smoothie form! I always try to make sure to include spinach, ginger, raspberries, cranberry juice, orange juice, and tofu in my smoothies when I am sick, as they provide the sickness-fighting power and protein that my body needs to heal quickly and effectively.

• Protein!

  1. Although you might not be very interested in eating while you are dealing with cold symptoms, make sure you consume plenty of protein to fuel your body’s fight against the sickness. I always try to have a serving of chicken per day when I have a cold, but if you are vegetarian, try eating tofu or legumes to give your body some sickness sighting power!

• Unrelated to food: lots of rest, warm blankets, and minimized stress

  1. When I am sick, I am always able to get rid of my cold most efficiently when I bundle up, minimize my school-induced stress, and spend plenty of time sleeping each night. It can be hard to prioritize self-care as a college student, but keep in mind that the less time you focus on healing, the longer you will be sick and miserable!

Hopefully you will avoid cold season this year. However, if you are not so lucky, try these strategies out and see if they help! They have definitely been helpful tools for me!