It stinks when you’re sick, running around after one or two kiddies, with no time to rest and recuperate.
So I’ve decided that I’m going to share the occasional tip on how to “nix the poop.” Meaning ways to help life feel a little more healthy, pretty and fun, amidst the nearly constant flow of poop, demands and tears.
Today, my ardent followers, I focus on your health. And the immune system.
I have two key recommendations to keep Winter colds and chills at bay. I swear, they work. I used to be barraged with colds over the Winter season. I still get sick now and again – who doesn’t when surrounded by snot and sticky hands?? – but Cod Liver Oil and Bee Pollen have kept me functioning at a higher level of health than ever before.
Cod Liver Oil: I insist on a daily dose. “Bleeaaaagh!” I hear you cry. Indeed, the boychild and hubby refuse to take it, but I am a convert because cod liver oil provides a healthy wallop of Vitamins A and D, crucial in sunless Winter months, as well as omega 3 fatty acids, all in a beautifully fishy spoonful.
Check out the best brand recommendations from the fab folks over at Weston Price. Today’s cod liver oil is a far cry from some kind of Victorian punishment and is flavored with fairly decent choices like cinnamon, orange and lemon. Truly palatable. Honest! Especially when chased with a nice thimble of tequila.
Bee Pollen: Raise your hands if you like honey! Bee Pollen is a super duper and tasty way to get a daily dose of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and juicy enzymes. Even the boychild enjoys it because it’s sweet and crunchy and kind of fun to munch on. Bee Pollen is a superfood, which means it contains nearly all nutrients and minerals that we humans need. And loaded with protein. Reeeaaaaalllly good for the immune system.
There are all kinds of websites that tout its ability to promote weight loss and improve one’s sex drive. I can’t attest to any of those. Obviously. But I can say if you hate swallowing vitamins and gag at the horse pills on the market, this is a really easy way to feel like you’re taking care of yourself. I personally like the stuff made by these fine folks, but this post isn’t about flogging some random product on you. There’s plenty of stuff to research online. Or buy it from one of our local Brooklyn bee keepers!
I am a total snot factory. Seriously, I’m so vile I can barely stand to be around myself. This winter is so depressing. . . I like the idea of bee pollen. Appealing side effects indeed!
When we all four got the evil virus, my husband went to bed for three days and I completely hated him for it. HATED him and bitched about how men were such terrible patients to all my friends. I soldiered on, bravely wiping noses and rubbing in mentholatum and re-starting the Teletubbies DVD in between my own nose blows and coughing attacks. Then, when weeks had passed and everyone else was better, I got sicker. It literally took me weeks of low-grade agony to learn that the only true way to help yourself get better is to get your ass in bed by whatever means necessary–calling in favors from friends, hiring extra help, letting the little darlings roll around in dirty diapers, picking food from a trough you leave out on the coffee table. I even apologized to my hubs, who took all the duties I was neglecting (finally relinquishing?) in stride while I lay in bed and devoured “Unbroken” for two days straight.
I’m still gonna get some bee pollen though, and I already have a bottle of cod liver oil here, ready to go. I’m just too scared to try it. How fishy is it?
You are so right. I think having a baby in the house intensifies the germ factor somehow. You know, cod liver oil really ain’t so bad. Depends which flavor you get. I actually really love the fermented kind. I won’t lie though – it’s not exactly pleasurable – but you do get used to it!