We are well into fall here in the northern hemisphere and while it’s still fairly warm here in northern Utah, this is the season notorious for sickness. So I’m going to share things we do in our house to stay well.

First, and I know this is everyone’s least favorite, is limiting sugar consumption. You probably still have a bucket of Halloween candy, Thanksgiving is coming up and then there are all the Christmas/Yule/Solstice/Kwanzaa/Hanukka and all the rest I’m missing (I apologize). The candy holidays abound! We also have my youngest son’s birthday in November, so we’ve gotta have cake! I’ve noticed that the more sugar we have, the more susceptible to illness we become. One thing we have done to help with this, and because we don’t do artificial dyes and preservatives it makes sense for us, is to trade out the youngling’s Halloween candy for some small toy. While we don’t say we “can’t” have the sugar for each festive to do, we do limit it to just the actual day of holiday and are mindful of how much we consume.

Not having the artificial dyes and preservatives also helps to eliminate that aspect of our bodies overload on toxins. Keeping our immune systems from overload goes a long way in helping us fight off the bugs!

The second most important thing we do is a turmeric tonic. This tonic contains immune building goodness and when we do a shot everyday, we don’t end up sick at all. When I’m doing events, because I’m around so many people, I usually do 2-3 shots those days.

The recipe is easy and I’ll share that with you here:

3-4 pieces of turmeric depending on size

1 knob of ginger approximately equivalent to the turmeric

3 tbls of fresh squeezed lemon juice

3-4 crackles of pepper (maybe 1/4 tsp)

pinch of cayenne

I grate the ginger and turmeric into the pot and add 4 or 5 cups of filtered water. Put it on the stove on a medium heat and add the lemon juice, pepper, and cayenne. Some people add the lemon juice at the end, and it will keep more of the vitamin c benefits that way, however, we’ve found we like it better steeped with everything else.

Let it simmer for an hour or so and then strain. Add a tablespoon of honey after it’s cooled slightly. Keep in the fridge, take at least one shot glass worth a day! Yes, my family, including the 11 year old, takes shots every night together lol. Hey, whatever for our heath, right?

This tonic has been a game changer for my family! I hope it can help yours as well, and I’d love to hear your experiences!