Anti Inflammatory Diet For The Flu

At time of writing Australia has been hit badly with the flu, including a number of deaths which has been very sad. Personally, I've had pneumonia before and that was bad, but nothing has ever compared to the length of severity of this bout of the flu. In fact it took me close to seven weeks to start to recover. This is why I was inspired to write this post about an anti inflammatory diet for the flu! This was my saviour!

My flu started one Friday afternoon, and it wasn't just a cold, runny nose, aches and pains; I was hit severely with fatigue like I've never experienced before. I've never been a person to sleep during the day, but these last seven weeks I've slept more during than I've ever done in my life! Not only did I feel sick, my back teeth ached, I couldn't sleep and my body felt like it had been beaten.

My flu had me visit the doctor three times, once with a temperature of 39 degrees. Two times I was put on steroids (Prednisone) which I really don't like taking, the first time they helped, but when I finished I quickly relapsed. The second dose, which was longer, did nothing! I was so desperate and felt like my whole body was inflamed and burning inside. I felt sick. Really sick! I remembered a time when I was terribly sick and hospitalised with my Crohn's Disease, and when I came out of hospital, pumped full of steroids, and I was fat because of them, I decided to wean off them (under doctor's supervision) and go on a strict anti inflammatory diet. It worked fast, and I not only got well, people were always commenting on how fabulous I looked. I lost the weight in no time. My only regret? Over the years I let that diet go, especially when I became a popular influencer in Sydney, Australia and my life turned into nightly parties at events.

So I decided to start an anti inflammatory diet for the flu and within days I felt better. I was back at the gym on day three of the diet!

TAKING THINGS INTO MY OWN HANDS - MY ANTI INFLAMMATORY DIET FOR THE FLU

Eating mostly these foods. I find it best to graze all day then you don’t feel hungry.

• Green leafy vegetables,

• Beetroot (raw not tinned)

• Carrots

• Ginger (I'm using in black tea with lemon, also just hot water with lemon and ginger and also eating tiny slithers during the day. Ginger is known for it's high anti inflammatory powers

• Avocado

• Blueberries

• Almonds

• Smoothies (no milk) I use coconut water

• Olive oil

• Purple potatoes

• Purple grapes

• Cherries

• Red cabbage

What I am not eating or avoiding as best as I can:

The White Devils i.e. rice, pasta, white flour, white salt and sugar. Now this is hard, because these things are in a lot of food.

With persistence you will adapt to it. There are some great gluten free foods including cakes on the market and it’s not as hard as it used to be. When you shop, try and buy items that are not processed, so this means more in the vegetable section.

Also cut out anything with Omega 6 i.e. oils except olive oil, margarine and any processed foods. You want to be digesting the Omega 3 Oils.

Get into the habit of looking at labels on packaged food and ask yourself every time you put something in your mouth ‘is this going to cure me or make me sick?”

Cut back on alcohol.

SUPPLEMENTS

Take the following daily: Fish oil, mussel oil, turmeric, slippery elm bark (if you have Crohn's Disease), zinc, probiotic and aloe vera juice 20ml morning (empty stomach) and last thing at night.

I also take a spoonful of Salt Sole in a glass of filtered water every morning. To make Salt Sole: In a glass jar place 4-5 large Himalayan pink salt crystal blocks. Cover with filtered water and let it sit for about 24-36 hours. There should always be some crystal residue in the bottom of the jar. Do not use white table salt.

GETTING BACK TO EXERCISE

One of the worst things about being so sick and fatigued was missing out on my weight training at the local gym. This really stressed me out, however you should not train when you are sick. Finally, I started to move again, and did some gentle stretching exercises and yoga prior to getting back into the weights.

I'm a huge fan of walking whenever I can. So before getting back into fitness program, walking is a great way to transition back into it.

FEELING HAPPY AGAIN

This bout of flu that I had really knocked me about physically and because I felt so tired it also made me feel unhappy. I had to go on a travel review for my blog Sydney Chic during this flu, which meant a plane trip and one hour drive from Queensland down to Byron Bay. I didn't enjoy the trip like I should have because of the fatigue and not feeling well. So what I did was concentrate on what made me happy, which is being in the country, rainforests, and walking. The photo above is one I took on my trip. The tip is to do the things that make you happy to keep your spirits up.

TAKING CONTROL OF THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

It's very easy to get down in the dumps and demotivated when you feel tired and unwell. I certainly did not cope too good these last weeks and it was very hard to keep concentrating plus try to run my business. The trick is to keep positive and 'flip thought' in other words think about the opposite of what is bringing you down. So if you are just focusing on how bad you are feeling, try and think of a time you were really happy or take some time to meditate and imagine you are on a beautiful beach or whatever you love feeling loved, well and healthy.

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Disclaimer: I am not a health practitioner, doctor or nutritionist and my tips may not work for you as it has for me. Please consult with a doctor if you are unwell. This post was written about what worked for me.

#Antiinflammatorydiet #Health