a simple real food recipe :: cold and flu replenishment drink or popsicles

Colds and flu sort of come with the territory of being in the middle of winter in Michigan. And probably most places for that matter.

We are so sun deprived here, that a few months into fall/winter everyone is so vitamin D deficient, holiday overloaded, and schedule crazed, that at some point – crash.

I keep my family pretty bulked up on vitamin D, but coming in contact with winter bugs is just inevitable – we don’t live in a bubble!

A couple years ago, my oldest (now 4 ½ years old) got her first cold. I wanted to listen to her body and not fight it if she didn’t want to eat, but I knew she needed to keep hydrated, and keep electrolytes balanced. She would take some bone broth in a sippy – but not all day. I freaked out over the labels I read in the pediatric “Gatorade” isle, and just decided to make my own.

All I wanted was a little carbohydrate for energy (raw honey), a little electrolyte balance (minerals in sea salt), some water for flushing out the bugs, and I decided on adding lemons for their cleansing effect on the body. What turned out was a great lemonade type “Gatorade” electrolyte drink (without all the junk!) that I have been using when my family gets sick.

If the babes aren’t wanting to drink, or are nauseated, freeze it up into popsicles! The frozen popsicles also work great on scratchy sore throats. Add a quality probiotic to boost the immune system in there too!

Kitchen Tips:

• This makes 2 quarts of drink. Double it if you need more, or half it if you don’t need as much! It makes quite a few popsicles too!
• Read THIS about the benefits of raw honey.
• If your kids don’t care for lemon flavor, use a few TB of organic apple juice instead of the lemon juice. Lemons have great cleansing properties and my girls love the flavor so that is what I choose to use!
• Try getting bone broth down the kids while ill too – it is a great source of minerals and nourishment! Even some simple soups like pea soup, veggie soup, chicken noodle soup, or French onion soup are favorites here while recovering from illness.
• Get quality probiotics to add into your drink HERE.
• Get popsicle molds HERE
• Need more cold and flu nourishment ideas? Try this Immune Booster Smoothie, Lemonade Creamsicle, and Nourishing Smoothie.

YOUR TURN!
Have you had a round or two of colds this winter yet?