How about some citrus fruits that are high in vitamin C?

FaylinaMeir wrote: »

I don't wanna be "that person" but I'm looking at your diary and bread, canned soup, peanut butter, and those protein powders just to mention a few aren't paleo.

My suggestion is this: cut out the grains, legumes, dairy, and processed foods for 30 days, heck even 14 days I think would work. At first you might feel like crap because your body goes "wow give me my addiction" which for a lot of people like bread or pasta, but after that you'll feel better. I tried to eat wheat even after 10 days on full on paleo and yeah, my body didn't like it and I was miserable.

Several pieces of good advice here.

Gargle with salt water -- 1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt in 8 oz warm water. Be sure to spit it out.

Do you happen to have apple cider vinegar? (ACV) The best kind to have is raw, organic (with the mother) like Bragg's. (I buy whatever raw organic ACV happens to be on sale at the best price.) Take a TBSP in 8 oz of water every hour. It's very sour. When I first started doing this for colds, I mixed in equal amounts of raw honey (that's also soothing to the throat), but I gradually cut down on the honey (because sugar stresses the immune system) until now I only take ACV and water when I feel as if I'm coming down sick. The ACV changes your body chemistry to make you less hospitable to viruses.

Bone broth is good -- and easy -- just throw bony chicken pieces into a crockpot with water, 2 TBS apple cider vinegar (organic is best, but if you only have regular, do that), and 1 TBS sea salt. Cook it on low for at least 24 hours. If you can't get free-range, organic chicken, take the skin and extra fat off before you put it in the pot. You don't even need to add any vegetables. The bone broth I've made this way tastes amazing.

You can refrigerate homemade bone broth for (what? 5-7 days if you leave a layer of fat on top of the jar?) or freeze it for a month.

While you're waiting for the homemade bone broth to cook, sip hot chicken broth that you bought pre-made. The free-range, organic kind in the UHT packaging would be better than canned soup, I think, if you can find it. If you want a little more substance, bring the broth to a boil, scramble a couple of eggs and swirl them into the soup (Egg Drop!), and add some fresh or frozen spinach right at the last.

You can buy elderberry syrup sweetened with honey at most nutrition centers or natural food stores. That can help knock out a virus.

Minimize sugar (other than the elderberry syrup) -- fruit is not the best choice. Lots of liquids. Scrambled eggs with thawed frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, brussels sprouts, that kind of thing) stirred in. Custard made with eggs and coconut milk (scramble together 4 eggs with a cup of coconut milk, bake at 350 in a water bath -- set custard cups in a metal pan and add boiling water halfway up the sides of the custard cups when you first put it all in the oven -- until the custard is set or a knife comes out clean. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon or nutmeg, or stir in a tsp of vanilla for flavor).

And yeah, you're very likely going to crave carbs for the next few days. If you can just stick it out, eating plenty of healthy fats, your body ought to switch over to fat-burning and all of a sudden the cravings will be gone. You'll also be sleeping better and will have more energy, if you're anything like I've read from several of the people who post here, as well as my own experience.

And a bonus, for paleo and primal eaters, is that we seem to catch a lot fewer viruses that are going around. I think I've had fewer colds, the past couple years, and quite often I'll feel like I'm coming down with a cold, and will do the elderberry syrup, and/or the ACV, and/or extra vitamin C, and just feel rotten for one day -- and then wake up feeling normal, rather than having a cold for the usual 7-10 days.

Homesweeths, that' great advice! Thank you, I didn't know about the ACV and will use it when needed!

Wyldwood Cellars makes an Elderberry Concentrate or artificial sweeteners that works very well.

I usually get the elderberry-raw honey syrup at the nutrition center. I'll have to look for that concentrate.

I've made Elderberry tincture with dried Elderberries and Vodka that worked well and stored forever. Alcohol is no longer in my plan, and the concentrate is easier to use and more concentrated than my tincture was.

Your syrup sounds pretty awesome.

p.s. if you buy dried elderberries, say, from Amazon.com -- keep them in the freezer! They can develop little white worms in your cabinet. Some people might say, "extra protein!" but it really doesn't float my boat.

Easiest thing to do (I find) is to take some frozen meat (like 2 or more meals' worth) out of the freezer just before you go to bed, to thaw in the refrigerator. Then you're ahead of the game -- you can put them in the crockpot when you get up in the morning, or in the oven an hour before you want to eat them, season and bake.

Some of my favorite seasoning combos:
- Costco granulated garlic and Himalayan pink salt (can use garlic powder and sea salt if you're not fancy)
- brush or rub olive oil over, then sprinkle with rosemary and a grinding of black pepper
- Penzey Spices Fox Pointe seasoning (we have a local store, but you can also order their spices online)
- olive oil, then lemon pepper

I don't do nightshades anymore (my joints thank me), but I used to enjoy dumping a can of tomatoes over the top of a pan of chicken, and sprinkling garlic powder and Italian seasoning over it all.

Thaw frozen veggies (put in a colander and run water over them) and spread in a baking pan, drizzle with some olive oil (I love to do this with Normandy mix -- carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) and put your chicken pieces on top, then season the chicken however you like and bake. The lovely chicken juices go into the veggies and make them really good. Great for dinner, and leftover breakfast or lunch the next day.