Eating Well When You're Not Feeling Well

Oh the joys of being sick.
I've been dealing with it for a month straight.
O N E  M O N T H
First, I had some upper respiratory stuff that held on for dear life.
Then a stomach bug.
Then food poisoning.
Then another stomach bug ...
Needless to say, the past month has been MISERABLE in the DeMoss house ...

Something that I noticed about myself is that when I'm sick, I crave BAD food.
Not just things I'm not supposed to eat.
I mean BAAAAAD FOOOOOOD.
Fast food.
The WORST fast food.
And I'm noticing that this is a trend - for everyone!!

Why is it when our bodies need healthy food the worst, we end up craving the bad stuff?

But take heart, friends! There is a way to survive being sick and still stay away from the icky things that will make us sicker than we started out with.

For colds, flues, and any other upper respiratory junk:

Bone Broth - This stuff is AWESOME. It is seriously like antibiotics in a bowl. And is so easy to make. You take a whole chicken and toss it in your slow cooker along with some carrots, onions, garlic, kale, celery, and whatever other veggie you want to toss in (peeled and cut into hunks), then you add a handful of fresh parsley, some rosemary, and any other herb you want. Season it with salt and pepper to taste (or do what I do and use a tablespoon or two of seasoning blend - I love Montreal Chicken). Cover it with water, turn on the cooker and let it go for about 12 hours. Then you turn off the heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes before straining it. Let me tell you, this stuff is flavorful, delicious, and will make you feel better pretty darn quick!

Juicing - There is no quicker way to get the vitamins and minerals you need than by juicing. Seriously. You can get so much bang for your buck here. A great juice for illness is an apple, a rib of celery, a handful of kale, and a lemon. So much vitamin C and natural antibiotics going on in there!!

Protein Smoothies - Okay, yes, I know. We tell you to avoid these things like the plague. But in reality, when you're feeling sick, you need your nutrition from SOMEWHERE and this is a great place for that. You can add fruits and veggies to your smoothie to to bump up the vitamins. One that we really like is from my friend Audra Baker:

1 Scoop Protein Powder
½ banana
½ avocado
½ cucumber
Handful kale
½-1cup frozen fruit (I like blueberries)
Enough coconut water or unsweetened almond milk to blend.

Sounds weird, but is delicious and will knock out any oogie stuff out of your system!!

Spicy Food - If you can tolerate it, the spicier the better! Mexican food, Thai food, Indian food ... It's all so delicious and will help you feel better!! I love chips and salsa when I've got a cold or the flu. The natural antioxidents, vitamin C, and antibiotics are flowing through the stuff, plus the heat will help clear your sinuses! One of my favorite Salsa recipes:

2 plum or Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced

Juice and zest of 1 lime

couple tablespoons chopped cilantro

Mix it all together in a bowl and let it chill for at least an hour.

For Tummy Junk

I hate having stomach virus. It's the PITS. The number 1 key with this is to KEEP HYDRATED! It's SO easy to get dehydrated when you have a tummy bug! Here are some great ways to keep hydrated:

Water - of course, this is the simplest solution. Keep it by your side at all times!! Just like when we first had our surgeries - SIP SIP SIP!

Bone Broth - Remember from the first section? This stuff is great for stomach bugs too. When you're sick, sometimes all you can stomach is chicken broth. This is a step up from that!

Ginger ale or lemon-lime drinks - The old stand-by from childhood. Now, most doctors don't want you having carbonation, so serve it over ice and let it sit for about five minutes to go a little flat before you sip it. 

Sports Drinks - Again, something that we don't necessarily recommend on an every day basis, but when you're sick, you need SOMETHING. And if this is all you can keep down, go for it!

I hope that this helps you all a bit in wondering how you can still eat well when you're not feeling well!
<3 Jen <3