Stay Healthy During Flu Season – Flu, which is also termed influenza, is caused by a variety of viruses. Flu is widespread due to the changing seasons; everyone has to face it occasionally. There are no permanent cures for the flu, but there are some ways to reduce the symptoms of the flu and shorten its duration. This article will tell you about the ten natural ways to stay healthy during the flu season. Because having the flu can become the reason for discomfort or frustration, no one wants to have flu for a long time. Let’s find the ten best natural ways to stay healthy during the flu season.
Drink water and fluids.
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One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is to drink as much water and fluids as possible, whether you have stomach flu or respiratory flu. Drinking a lot of liquid helps keep your mouth, nose, and throat moist, which further helps prevent the build-up of mucous and phlegm in your body.
Apart from this, drinking enough water is necessary to avoid dehydration. One of the main reasons you should go for more liquids during flu season is if you have fever and diarrhea, the two most common flu symptoms. These can contribute to colossal water loss from your body, so to fulfill your water requirements, you should drink more and more water and fluids. Here are some healthy fluid options that you can consider to stay healthy during flu season:
- Water,
- Herbal tea
- Broth
- Coconut water
- Fresh juice
- Sports drinks
- Soup
- Raw fruits and vegetables
To know the best way to get enough water intake, you must know if you are urinating and if the color of your urine is pale yellow or almost clear. If you have deep yellow to amber urine, these are the dehydration signs.
Get plenty of rest to stay healthy during flu season.
Do you want to stay healthy during flu season? Make sleep your priority. You should cancel your usual routine for some days and have more rest. If your body gets proper rest, it will strengthen its immunity, which supports your body in fighting the flu and improves your health. So take as much rest as you can.
Up your zinc intake
One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is to increase your zinc consumption as the mineral zinc is essential to boost our immunity system, which increases our body’s ability to fight off bacteria and infections and thus may help you to get rid of flu. Zinc might also slow down the multiplication rate of the flu bacteria and reduce the symptoms of cold and fiver. Here are some foods rich in zinc, and you should consider adding them to your diet during the flu season.
- Red meat
- Beans
- Lentils
- Nuts
- Shellfish
- Eggs
- Seeds
- Chickpeas
- Dairy
Salt Water Gargle
One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is to regularly salt water gargle, which not only soothes the soar throat but also clears the mucous. Here is how you should go for saltwater gargle to clear your throat this flu season.
- Boil the water and let it cool to room temperature. Now add half a tablespoon to the 8 ounces of water.
- Now start gargling with this water for 10-30 seconds to rinse your throat and mouth with the warm salt water.
- Now spit the water and repeat the steps 03-04 times.
Remember not to swallow the salty water and not allow little children to gargle until they properly know how.
Drink herbal tea
Do you want to stay healthy during flu season? Start drinking herbal teas with antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which help boost your immunity, reduce flu symptoms, and save you from various bacteria and viruses. Consuming herbal tea will not only have a soothing effect on your throat but also improve your body’s ability to fight harmful viruses and thus keep you safe from the flu by reducing its symptoms. Here are some of the best herbal teas you should drink to stay healthy this flu season.
- Green Tea,
- Black tea,
- Turmeric Milk
- Fresh or dried ginger or ginger paste
- Cloves
- Fresh garlic
You can further enhance the benefits of herbal tea by sweetening it with natural honey, which also comes with antibacterial and anti-viral properties.
Apply essential oils
One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is using natural oils, as various studies have shown that oils can help reduce the flu symptoms and the multiplication of the flu viruses. Some studies show that using tea oils within 2 hours of the infection is the best way to minimize its effect by blocking the multiplying of the flu viruses.
You can add some drops of tree oil to your liquid hand wash or the lotion you use to wash your hands and clean your body. Here is a list of some of the best herbal oils with anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, and you should use them to reduce flu symptoms.
- Cinnamon oil
- Lemon oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Thyme oil
- Peppermint oil
- Oregano oil
- Geranium oil
Use a humidifier
There are more chances of the survival of the flu bacteria when there is dry air in your house, which makes it easy to spread them. So, if you want to stay healthy during flu season, you should invest in a humidifier, which will add humidity to your indoor air and thus help reduce the spread of flu viruses and lead to more purifying air in your house.
Inhale steam
If you have been brought up with the flu, inhaling steam is the best way to reduce its symptoms. As inhaling steam from the pot of warm water can help soothing your nose, throat, sinuses, and lungs by loosening mucous congestion.
Warm air also helps improve the swallow nose or lungs and soothes the irritated nose, dry cough, and chest tightness. Here are some of the best ways to inhale steam to stay healthy during flu season.
- in a pot on the stove
- in a vaporizer
- in a microwave-safe bowl or mug in the microwave
Remember to check the water temperature before inhaling steam, and don’t inhale over the boiling water. Your hands and face should be at the proper distance to avoid burning from the warm water and the pot. You can also add some tree oils to maximize the benefits because they contain anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
Eat a bland diet.
If you have stomach flu, you should take care of your diet because stomach flu can lead to problems such as nausea and diarrhea. And cramps, so you should try to eat small portions at a time. It would be best to focus more on bland foods as they are more easily digestible.
Foods to eat during stomach flu
- BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast)
- Boiled potatoes
- Cooked cereals (oatmeal and cream of wheat)
- Grilled or boiled chicken
- Crackers
- Soup and broth
- Gelatin (Jell-O)
- Electrolyte-rich drinks
Foods to avoid during stomach flu
- Milk
- Spicy foods
- Caffeine
- Fried foods
- Cheese
- Fatty foods
- Meats
- Alcohol
So, to stay healthy during flu season, you should take care of these things. Beacuse there is not any permanent cure of the flu-like viruses, but still, with proper precautions, we can reduce its effects. These are the best ways to stay healthy during flu season. You should start following these tips now to prevent flu this season. If our information has helped you, or you want us to cover any other topic, please let us know in the comment section below.
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