More than 50 easy Holistic Tips to Keep Your Family Healthy plus support your immune system naturally! Boosting your immune system is important if you want to stay healthy plus lessen your chances of getting sick.
When the end of summer hits, people are headed back-to-school and the cold and flu "season" tends to be around the corner.
That means the holidays are quickly approaching and the commercial industry starts bombarding stores with processed candy and desserts.
Nutrition and decreasing our stress load is the key to health.
When the season changes and people start consuming large quantities of sugar-laden foods, immune systems weaken and become overworked.
Boosting your immune system is important if you want to stay healthy. A healthy immune system will lessen your chances of getting sick. If you do get sick, the duration of illness will not last as long and you will recover quicker.
Now is the time to plan for the season change!
Holistic Tips to Keep Your Family Healthy
Stock Your Kitchen with These
- Organic Lemons – Supportive for cleansing and immune boosting.
Organic Garlic – Naturally antimicrobial, both antiviral and antibacterial, supportive for the immune system. - Raw Honey – Naturally antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal (NOT for babies).
- Coconut Oil – Known for strengthening the immune system, it's naturally antimicrobial and has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.
- Organic Ginger – Known to support digestive issues and support the immune system (if pregnant, consult your health care practitioner).
- Organic Cranberries – Known as a seasonal preventative, as bacteria cannot thrive with cranberry.
- Dried Thyme – Naturally antimicrobial, make as a tea to help support the immune system, known to help support the respiratory system and with digestive issues.
- Organic Shiitake Mushrooms – Known to have medicinal, immune boosting properties.
- Elderberry Rose Hip Syrup – Known as a preventative and overall immune system support, plus known for helping prevent the flu and/or lessening the duration of illness.
- Organic Sea Vegetables like Kombu, Kelp, Nori, Wakame – Full of vitamins and minerals, very nourishing, add to soups, beans, grains, vegetables.
- Seasonal Organic Vegetables & Fruits for Juicing – Very cleansing, full of nutrients that are readily available for your body.
- Lacto-Fermented and Cultured Foods – Great for your gut, loaded with natural probiotics, supports digestion and helps boost the immune system.
- Bone Broth or Homemade Stocks – Very nutrient-dense and nourishing.
- High Quality Probiotics – Important for your gut, keeps your gut healthy. You can find high quality ones here, here and here.
- Organic Unfiltered Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – Known as an old school remedy, naturally antiseptic and antifungal, and known for being very healing.
Stock Your Holistic & Herbal Wellness Chest with These
- Organic Olive Oil (high quality) – To make rubs, salves and oils.
- Pascalite Clay or Bentonite Clay – So many uses, a must have for wellness kits.
- Dried Organic Herbs & Flowers – Nettle (a MUST have), Rose Hips, Elderberries, Red Raspberry Leaf, Fennel Seed, Chamomile, Catnip, Lemon Balm, Oatstraw, Peppermint, Spearmint, Slippery Elm Powder, Dandelion Leaf, Calendula Flowers, Lavender – Herbs are great for making herbal infusions, loaded with vitamins and minerals that are readily available to your body.
- Dried Astragalus Root & Tincture – Known for being immune boosting.
- Echinacea Tincture – Known for being immune boosting, and it's naturally antimicrobial.
- Goldenseal Tincture – Very potent, a natural antibiotic. Make sure to take in conjunction with probiotics to help restore good gut flora.
- Calendula Tincture – Known for being very healing, naturally antiseptic.
- Elderberry Tincture or Extract – Known as a preventative and immune support, plus known to help with preventing the flu.
- Cranberry Tincture, Capsules or Concentrate – Supportive during illness, known to help help lessen duration of illness since bacteria cannot grow/thrive with it.
- Bioplasma Cell Salts – 12 essential cell salts that the body needs, many benefits, very healing, increase w/ illness.
- Vitamin D – from sources like this, this and this {or food based sources like pastured egg yolks, certain fish like wild-caught salmon and sardines and raw grass-fed milk}.
- Collagen & Gelatin – Known to help support gut health, dental health, joint health, bone health, build and restore muscle and so much more. It's easy to digest and dissolves easily in cold or warm liquids. My favorite source for gelatin is this grass-fed gelatin. You can also find my favorite grass-fed collagen here. BONUS: I have a 10% OFF collagen/gelatin coupon code just for my readers! Just follow the link here and enter NOURISH10 at checkout for 10% off your entire order.
***A Note on Tinctures: Glycerin based tinctures are known to not work as well.***
Natural Healthy & Wellness Tips for Your Home
- Change your filters every 1-2 months, especially when the season changes. Replace with high quality filters, not the cheap ones that barely catch anything. You want to use filters that filter mold, viruses, dander, etc.
- Clean ceiling fan blades at least every season.
- Use natural/”green” cleaning products, and if you're buying something store-bought, make sure to read ingredient labels and avoid chemicals.
- Use True HEPA air filtration portable units (not HEPA-Type). I use this one in my daughter's room and this one in our bedroom. Look for one that works best for the size of the room.
- Vacuum your home at least once a week, every other day if possible. Look for a HEPA vacuum like this.
- Add indoor house plants to the home to clean the air (only if you don't have a moisture/mold problem in your home).
- Use Nebulizer Diffusers with pure therapeutic-grade essential oils (like Thieves or Purification essential oil) to purify the air. The body will absorb the essential oils too. I only use therapeutic-grade essential oils {you can learn more about them and buy them here}. Whatever oils you chose, make sure to look for pure, high quality essential oils – many store-bought oils are not pure {you can learn more about that here}.
- Remove ALL commercial-grade scented candles or air fresheners from the home. They are full of toxic chemical and carcinogens. Diffuse these holiday favorites or other blends instead.
- Open your windows as much as possible to allow fresh air into the home. Outdoor air quality is almost always better than indoor air quality.
Health & Wellness Tips for Your Mind, Body & Spirit
- Remember that your body believes what you tell it and it will act accordingly. Talk to your body (seriously!) and tell it want you want to occur and/or thank it for getting your attention. Be positive when talking to your body and be grateful for the messages it sends you.
- Daily Self-talk – Flood your mind with positive thoughts, peace, joy, happiness and comfort.
- Do your best to keep balance and harmony with all things.
- End the day with positive messages to yourself. If you have children, this is an excellent time to talk to them and give them positive messages to sleep with. Tell them that tomorrow will be a happy day, tell them how grateful you are, tell them the things you love about them, tell them that they are happy, healthy, strong, loving and whole. Say the same things to yourself too!
- When you can, get outside and enjoy the fresh air. If there is sun shining, make sure you enjoy it and soak up the vitamin D. Be out in nature as much as possible. Your body will thank you.
- Get some form of exercise, our bodies are not meant to be sedentary.
- Make sure to get plenty of rest. If you do get sick, honor your body by resting and sleeping as much as you need to.
- Practice SELF CARE! It's so important and we all need to do more of this! It can be as simple as making yourself a lovely warming drink or a cup of calming tea. If you have more time, about 30-40 minutes, consider pampering yourself with a detox bath.
Holistic & Natural Remedies
- Raw Organic Garlic + Raw Honey – This excellent remedy comes from my midwives. As soon as you feel illness coming on, mince 1 clove of raw garlic into 1 tablespoon of raw honey, take orally, swallow and chase with a drink if necessary. The garlic is naturally antimicrobial, both antiviral and antibacterial and the raw honey is naturally antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal. This remedy is safe for pregnant moms.
- Garlic Oil – Known to be supportive respiratory and ear infections.
- Bone Broth – Loaded with nutrients, and supportive of the immune system.
- Cranberry Compote – Great way to get cranberry into your body. Bacteria cannot grow when consuming cranberry.
- Vitamin C Tea – Full of vitamin C as well as other vitamins and minerals which are all readily available for your body.
- Thyme Tea – Naturally antimicrobial, strengthens the immune system, and known to help prevent recurrent illness.
- Herbal Infusions – Make herbal tea infusions with various dried herbs and flowers. Typical infusions steep for a minimum of 30 minutes to overnight. Loaded with vitamins and minerals that are readily available for your body, better than a vitamin/mineral supplement. See here for my Nourishing Herbal Tea Infusion and Nettle Cinnamon Herbal Tea Infusion recipe.
- Hot Garlic-Ginger Lemonade – Super supportive for the immune system, drink hot and often preventatively and during illness.
- Elderberry Rose Hip Syrup – Take as a preventative daily. Increase dosage with illness. Known for helping prevent the flu and lessen the symptoms.
- Echinacea Tincture – Great preventative, boosts your immune system. Take during illness to lessen the duration of illness.
- Thieves Essential Oil – Place in carrier oil (like olive oil, jojoba or coconut oil) and rub on bottoms of feet before bed and in the morning after bathing. Use in a Nebulizer Diffuser Nebulizer Diffuser to help purify the air in the home. I only use therapeutic-grade essential oils {you can learn more about them and buy them here}. Whatever oils you chose, make sure to look for pure, high quality essential oils – many store-bought oils are not pure {you can learn more about that here}.
- Raw honey – Naturally antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal.
- Breastmilk – Known for being very healing and full of beneficial properties. Midwives and old school remedies use drops in the eye/ear for infections, drops in nose for congestion, gargle for sore throat, etc.
- Juicing – Brings balance to the body, very cleansing. Looking for a high quality juicer? Check out this and this.
- Slippery Elm "Candies" for Coughs – Great for pesky coughs. Slippery elm is known to help soothe irritations, moisten dry throats and calm coughs.
Remember, nutrition is key and our body reacts to what we put in it.
Do your best to eliminate or at least limit processed foods and refined sugars. When you buy food, try to buy organic or food that has been grown using organic practices. You don’t want your body loaded up with pesticides, herbicides and GMO foods.
Check out local farmers markets and get to know your farmers. If you need help finding some in your area, to find a local farmer or a CSA box delivery, check here: Eat Wild and Local Harvest.
Nourish the mind, body and soul.
Be well.
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Disclaimer: ALL information you read on Recipes to Nourish is purely for informational and educational purposes only. I love to share and share with love, but I am not a health care practitioner. Information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements within this site have not been approved by the FDA, meaning information and statements regarding health claims on this blog have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All blog posts are solely my personal experiences and opinions and should not be interpreted as an attempt to offer a medical opinion. If you have questions about food, diet, nutrition, natural remedies or holistic health, please do your own research and consult with your health care practitioner. For more information please see all of my disclaimers and disclosures.
Healthy Mamma
Excellent post!!! I do many of the things on this list and thank you for so many other great ideas.
I use tea tree oil for several natural cures and ailments. I have a complete article on my blog if your interested.
Emily Sunwell
@ Healthy Mamma, thanks! 🙂 Yes, thank you, I'll have to go check it out. Take care and be well.
The Every Day Extraordinary
Bookmarking!!! My son was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and keeping him healthy is paramount! Thanks for the great info!
Emily Sunwell
@ The Every Day Extraordinary, thanks, I hope this helps some. Take care. 🙂
Roberta
I love this post! I am just learning about using some of these herbs so it was very helpful. Thanks!
Emily Sunwell
Thank you so much Roberta! That's great to hear. Take care.
NaturalFamiLea
Great information!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasure's Whole Health Weekend Link-Up.
Check back on Friday when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
Emily Sunwell
@ NaturalFamiLea, thanks so much! 🙂
Unknown
How often and how do you use kelp granules and kombu?
Emily Sunwell
@Unknown, I use kelp granules almost daily and kombu whenever I'm making bone broth, soups, chili, pot roast, basically I put it in anything that has liquid in it that I'm cooking.
Barb
Thank you for so much info! I'm pinning it so I can start adding items to my grocery list.
Emily Sunwell
Hi Barb, thanks! Hope it helps some. 🙂
Christy
What a wonderful informative post - I rarely print anything out but I am printing this to keep in the kitchen!
Emily Sunwell
Thank you Christy! I hope it is helpful. Be well.
Smith Jones
Thanks for including as well as Cod Liver Oil & High Vitamin Butter Oil in your tips. Because those things are used very rarely.
Natural Gumption
Informative! Loads of good info, almost overwhelming but with so much to say I guess they have to be long! Thanks for passing out great info!
Charles Brawnyson
I feel like holistic health care is one of the best ways to make sure you stay healthy and don't need to use other medicines or surgery. I know it has helped me out a lot.
Jack
Thanks for the information!
linda spiker
Great tip after great tip! Love it!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks Linda! 🙂
The Food Hunter
This is a great post. I love the part about talking to your body....so important!!
Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri
Thanks so much! It's a good one to remember and so easy to forget. 🙂
Alyse
Very interesting and helpful article with great holistic tips. Thank you.