I became a master when I learned to prevent cold and flu with these easy steps. 😉

One of the gifts our family received several years ago, after several ER visits, was almost no cold and flu bugs. Yep. While we haven’t gone a whole year yet without a visit from the bugs, we tend to have on average one cold virus a year. I can’t think of when we actually had a flu bug, and no, we do not get flu shots.

My special needs son was born and whisked away to NICU during his first two weeks of life. After this, he spent his infancy attached to an apnea monitor and a feeding tube. I still have his oxygen tanks in the closet from those harrowingly close nights when came down with yet another case of pneumonia. Illness struck frequently until he was about 4 years old.

I gave him the RSV shot until age 3 (when insurance stopped covering it). However, historically, our family had more flu bugs with a flu shot. While I believe that every parent should choose to make the best decisions they can about their child’s healthcare, I do think that we should reconsider using mercury in our children’s vaccinations. I also do not believe that flu shots, which are targeted on the “latest” flu bug, are really worth the effort.

So, how do we do we stay healthy? These changes in our lifestyle have helped us stay generally healthy most of the year.

How to prevent cold and flu

There are plenty of ways to prevent cold and flu viruses. This post contains only a few. During the cold and flu season, this can make or break your wellness.

Wash your hands

Rinse, repeat and listen to your mother’s voice in your head. Wash your hands, especially if you go to public places. People may cough into their hands, but they then wipe their hands on a door, shopping cart, or other items.

Take elderberry

Later, I will share my elderberry recipe, but look one up if you need to. Elderberry is antiviral and stops viruses from spreading in your body, as well as to other people. If taken early enough, it can actually prevent a virus, so this is a must have to prevent cold and flu.

Get off foods that make you sick

This was the first thing we did. Some people just don’t digest wheat well, or tolerate cow’s milk. If someone is eating food that makes them sick or feel bad, get them off. Eating foods that appear to cause symptoms of illness means that your child is intolerant or allergic to the food in question. The five most common foods people are allergic to are wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts or soy.

And seriously? If you have to take Pepto Bismol to eat it, don’t!

Eat antioxidant fruits and veggies.

Make shakes and smoothies with berries, kale, spinach and even sweet potatoes. Add some squash or pumpkin to them to mix it up a bit, then a dash of pumpkin spice. We drink smoothies twice a day in our household and it really boosts your immune system. My favorite night time drink is raw tomato, cucumber, parsely and kale, with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. I blend it with about a cup of water and drink. Talk about pure health!

Take your daily vitamin C and D

Both of these vitamins have been known to fight against illness. I DAILY pass these out to prevent cold and flu.

Taking large doses of both will keep you well, and increasing them when you feel a virus coming on will help stop it all together. On average, my special needs son takes 2,000 mg of vitamin C and 1,000 IUs of vitamin D a day. If he seems like he’s coming down with something, I may double that dose. I don’t give it to him all at once, but break it up to twice a day.

Adults can take as much as 8,000-10,000 mg of vitamin C a day. I can only tolerate 4,000-6,000 mg a day, spaced out. I can also take as much as 8,000 IUs of vitamin D a day.

Take probiotics

Either make yogurt or take a store-bought probiotic to boost your gut with good bacteria. You can even make your own kombucha or probiotic lemonade or other fruit drink to boost your health. Eating fermented veggies can also help your gut health and keep you from getting sick excessively. If you have a yeast overgrowth, take care of it when you aren’t sick, so that your body’s immune system is not weighed down.

Drink bone broth

We have seasons where we do this more than others, but drinking bone broth, particularly before you go to bed, will improve your health. This goes hand in hand with adding dry beef gelatin to your shakes and smoothies. The bones and joints of animals contains 7 amino acids, which help heal your gut. Plus, bone broth (and gelatin) is the best anti-aging thing you can take. It is better than all those expensive jars of collagen cream women use for youthful skin.

Drink lots of water.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Get a water record app on your phone if you have to, but drink tons of water to flush out all of the toxins you daily put into your body.

Need an extra detox? Add lemon and stevia to water and call it lemonade! Kids love this idea. 😉 It purifies their body and helps their digestion. Digestion and PH really alter your body’s ability to prevent cold and flu.

Exercise regularly

Many people tend to think that if you exercise, it will wear your body out. Yet, that actually isn’t true. Moderate exercise is actually beneficial for your body, building muscle tone, agility and releasing toxins through sweat.

Even better, exercise outdoors and get some fresh air. All of this helps your child stay healthy and prevents cold and flu.

Take omega-3 fatty acids

Taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements boosts your immune system and provides serotonin for your brain. It is an easy fix if you just cannot get enough of them from your diet. I have even found them at Dollar Tree (and yes, they work). You can take as many as 4,000 mg a day—just drop a capsule if you begin to have gastric upset.

Antiviral natural remedies

Yes, they do exist. Some are in this post. For the rest of the antiviral natural remedies to help stop a viruses, read this post!