Kitchen Wisdom For Sickness

Supportive Recipes

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In true change of season style, we’ve had some illness in our household — that’s our pattern.

When the season begins to shift it’s like our bodies are letting go of what was to move toward what is.

Cyclical.

In this house, we lean on real food even more when we get sick.

My favourite thing about kitchen wisdom is that it isn’t fancy, but it’s really supportive. Because it’s just food, there is usually little concern of contraindications; of course, you should always check for your personal situation.

I have a section in our digital recipe collation tagged ‘Immune Support’ so that anyone could come into our house and cook or craft these foods.

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash

So, what do we do when we get sick?

1. First port of call: The ‘Please-bolster-my-immune-system’ Hot Drink

I make this, freeze it in ice cubes, pour hot water over one and add raw honey, especially when everyone is falling around me.

Then pray to my immune system.

I use this recipe here.

2. Then: Chicken Soup

My soup has ginger, turmeric, garlic and herbs like thyme in it — all foods that support the immune system in times of need. Equally important, if mucous abounds, is the amino acid cysteine in the chicken broth. This amino acid is a mucolytic and helps to break down mucous in the body.

Our Grandma’s knew the power of chicken soup even if they didn’t know the why, eh?

We often freeze extra and pull it out if we don’t have the capacity to cook it from scratch, or drop it at friends who need the boost.

Recipe here.

3. Next stop: Garlic & Onion/Ginger Honey

Dead simple to make and actually fairly delicious to consume (at least l think so). Honey is just as, or more, effective, than cough syrups; you can find loads of research on this if you’re surprised.

I use the recipe from Robin Rose Bennett’s book The Gift of Healing Herbs. You can view the recipe in the images below.

Her book is something l return to often and her comment that

“food is the basic medicine we take everyday”

lives in my brain.

Rent.

Free.

3. Arriving at: Tea

Naturally.

If you know me, my blood is 98% tea at all times.

We use a few different kinds depending on the illness:

• Elderberry & echinacea for colds

  • We like the Pukka one

• Thyme for coughs

  • l buy Hilda Hemmes’ Herbals one or pick it straight from the garden

• Ginger and/or chamomile for upset bellies

  • We usually use dried chamomile flowers and cut up fresh ginger, but the Higher Living ones are great too.

What foods do you lean on when your household is sick?

I’d love know!

I am always learning so please feel welcome to comment or message me, or send via carrier pigeon or crow — that l would dearly love. It’s my dream to one day befriend a crow.

And frankly my daughter would be thrilled to meet Pigeonton (if this makes no sense, you obviously haven’t had to read The Missing Marmalade Sandwich 56432 times. Paddington Bear gets a lot of air time here. Not mad about.)

Warmest,

Rachel x