So, it happened. This week, I got my first cold. Well, the first one I’ve had in over a year. I mean, everrryone at work was coughing/sneezing/blowing their noses to such extreme measures that my hands were starting to crack from the massive amounts of soap/hot water/hand sanitizer I was using to avoid this nasty little bug. Oh well, I did all I could. I could feel congestion setting in + was determined to not let it progress to a sore throat/cough stage. Soooo, since I refuse to take cold medicine (crazy, I know), I amped up my healthy living this week + after 3 days, I can say I believe it’s on its way out. I’m okay with 3 days because the average length of stay seemed to be about 2 weeks, per my investigator work. Oh, hell no. Not 2 weeks. Let me share with you what’s in my kitchen, especially this week, in hopes that you if you get a lil’ cold, you can kick it ASAP:

1.) Water. Tons of it.

2.) Vitamin E Oil. Apply before bed to your red + irritated nose… This stuff works wonders!

3.) V8 Juice. I like the low sodium kind. One small can has 120% of your daily Vitamin C needs.

4.) Miso Soup. This soup has a ton of health benefits including a stronger immune system. I just followed the recipe on the side of the Miso Broth container which included butternut squash + ginger + turmeric + kale + garlic + onions. Talk about some seriously nutritious foods!

5.) Yerba Mate Green Tea. More nutritious than green tea, Yerba Mate is packed with vitamins. It’s used in many herbal medicines and this Yerba Mate + green tea is delicious + energizing.

6.) Lemons. Rich in Vitamin C. Although I love plain water, it’s so healthy (and fun) to put a lemon in your water!

7.) Ginger. Eases congestion. I add ground ginger to my teas + soups.

8.) Kale. Hello, Vitamin A + Vitamin C! Eat it raw in a salad or add to your smoothies.

9.) Airborne Gummies. These gummies are amazing! Chew up to 3, twice per day + you get 2000 mg of Vitamin C! Plus, they have all kinds of awesome vitamins + minerals + herbs like ginger & echinacea.