Ten CRAZY Tips To Keep Colds Away This Winter

I HATE getting a cold- the grossness of a drippy nose or non- stop hacking and sneezing - it just screams uncomfortable, miserable and totally disgusting!

The good news is YOU CAN PREVENT THOSE PESKY COLDS! I used to think that getting sick 3-4 times a year was normal (usually when other family members got sick or around the changing of the seasons). Eating a plant based diet reduced the amount of colds to extremely rarely/ never. I write down whenever I get a cold and the last time I got one was August 2015 (knock on wood!)

So what's the secret formula? Well, it's not such a secret- JUST LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. The secret to preventing a cold is recognizing the exact moment before it begins- maybe it's a tickle in your throat or maybe it's a sneeze. No matter how it manifests, that first moment where you notice something may be off is when you take HUGE ACTION!!

Here are some of my pre- cold rituals. I won't even bother citing scientific proof for these, but I do have personal experience with every one.

1. ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR OR DAIRY- Because those two things normally cause inflammation you don't want your body dealing with any more crap than it has to.

2. LIQUID DIET ONLY- I like to make sure every cell in my body is devoted to fighting germs and disease. I don't want my body trying to multi task by digesting my giant pound of kale. This usually means I have hot water with lemon and turmeric for breakfast with oatmeal or something lumpy like that. Lunch is soup. Snacks are soup and tea. Dinner is soup. After dinner is possibly a warmed up apple sauce or something similar. Sounds sad? When you wake up a few days later feeling well, feel free to enjoy ALL.THE.FOOD. It is only for a short time (though my stomach does rumble all day long when I do this....)

3. Apple cider vinegar shots- In order for this to be effective you have to be in the pre- sick stage of sick. Once you are full fledged sick, it will not cure you. However, if you are feeling a little under the weather, try an ACV shot (2 oz straight up or with a drop of water) every 4 hours. I won't lie to you, this makes me gag afterwards, but I just go on hoping I'm gagging out diseased germs.

4. Raw manuka honey- The easiest of the rituals to implement, manuka honey has amazing medicinal purposes, especially if you have a sore or tingling throat. I take a teaspoon twice a day when my throat is feeling weird.

5. Coconut oil pulling -Yes, this may do nothing, but what the hell, its 10 minutes in the morning before I brush my teeth. I put some coconut oil in my mouth and swish it around a bit. Whether or not it kills germs I could not tell you, but there's no negative side effect. Look up the possible benefits of coconut oil pulling and you may just adopt it every day!

6. Consider staying home from exercise. There, I said it. I don't usually listen...

7. Rest.

8. Rest.

9. Rest. Yes, did you notice that I repeated this a bunch of times? That's because it is the most effective way to get you back to your normal self as soon as possible. By resting, you give your body the main resource it needs to fight the bad guys and get you back to 100%. Even if you are the type of person that can't sit still (that's def me) try to do some easy computer work or just Netflix and chill.

10. Do it all again the next day! Sometimes you think you beat the cold only to find it comes back with a vengeance several days later. Stay vigilant and do the whole crazy routine one day after you think you are better. That will ensure it's really gone.

Do you have any rituals that you swear by to make yourself feel better? Let me know!