Rest 

Getting enough rest is one of the most important things you can do during illness. This means both sleeping as much as needed as well as general bed rest. If you have the flu you should stay in bed for a minimum of 7 days. If you stress out your body by attempting to go back to your regular schedule there is an increased risk for a relapse. 

Dairy

Stay away from all dairy products during an illness. Milk, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, etc. can often create congested mucous in the body – something you don’t need even more of during a cold or flu. 

Avoid alcohol

I include avoiding alcohol as a reminder that alcohol does effect your immune system poorly, so while the infection has hold it’s best to refrain from drinking alcohol. But what about tinctures and cough syrups? These both contain very little alcohol per dose. A standard tincture dosage contains about the same amount of alcohol as a ripe banana. 

Orange Juice and Vitamin C

I remember orange juice being the first thing I reached for as a teenager when I was sick. There are several reasons why I skip it now – the most significant being that rose hips contain far more vitamin C (and other nutritious goodies) than oranges and can be found outside my door. Drinking quantities of cold liquids are also not a good idea when you have a cold as this can encourage thick mucous production. Lastly, a glass of orange juice has a tremendous amount of sugar. Although this is a naturally occurring sugar, drinking large amounts of orange juice does have the side of effect of being immunosuppressive. 

Not hungry while sick? 

Listen to your body’s signals: if you aren’t hungry, don’t eat! Try bone broth soup and nourishing herbal infusions until your appetite has improved. These both give your body needed nutrients while being easy on your digestive system. Even when not eating during sickness, always get plenty of fluids. 

Cleanliness

Being sick is a sign that your defenses are down and so you don’t want to be tempting more pathogens to square down in your body. Besides washing your hands frequently, changing your sheets and towels often is a must. And although I am usually all for using handkerchiefs, when sick disposing of used tissues immediately is also a good choice. 

Even though you’re sick this does not mean you have to stay cooped up in bed all day. Airing out the house and getting some fresh air yourself is very important, although when you are sick limit your exposure to extremely cold weather.