Preventing sickness is always better than waiting until you’re sick to do something. However, it’s good to know what to do when sick because it will (inevitably) happen.
Why You Should Prevent Getting Sick in the First Place
Simple answer: you’d save a lot of money.
A huge problem with being sick is that you’ll most likely have to miss work. Missing work means losing money. And not many can afford to miss work.
If you’re like me, though, you’ll go to work even when you’re sick. But, being sick lowers your ability to be productive. Plus, going to work when you’re sick means you’ll probably stay sick longer and may spread it to others.
You’re actually causing your employer to lose money by going to work… About $1,685 a year actually, according to a 2003 study.*
But, why should that matter to you? Because that’s $1,685 a year that could be going to you, other employees, and the company. But, instead, it’s going towards something you can minimize through prevention.
You’ll not only be more productive (and thus make more money) by preventing sickness, you’ll save money from the costs of being sick, too.
Marketplace has an article on how much money we typically spend to treat the common cold. Their estimate is about $50-60 a month (or each time you go to the drugstore if you’re not sick often).
Sidenote: The cost of being sick depends on how sick you are, what you’re sick with, how long you’re sick, and what you do to treat it. So, I’d love to hear from you in the comments on how much being sick costs you (and your family).
*I couldn’t find a good quality national study done in the last 5 years. It’s really hard to calculate how much being sick (alone) costs employers. Also, “sick leave” could be used for reasons other than actually being sick.
Now What To Do When Sick
If you do get sick, you’ll need to focus on 1) providing your body what it needs to fight, and 2) boosting your immunity.
Providing Your Body What it Needs
When you’re sick, you often don’t want to eat anything.
That’s because your body is putting all of its energy on fighting the source of your sickness. If you were to eat more complicated than soup, then your body would have to use some of its energy to digest what you just ate. And it would take away from fighting what’s making you sick.
So, what your body truly needs are fluids and nutrients.
When you’re sick, though, it’s important to not drink only water.
Since you’re probably not feeling like eating, you’ll need to get nutrients from fluids.
Some great sources of nutrient-rich fluids are:
Broth – alone or with vegetables, chicken, and/or noodles
Electrolyte drinks or powders – need to have sodium, chloride, magnesium, and potassium in it
Herbal tea – unlike black, white, and green teas, herbal tea does not have caffeine (which dehydrates)
Smoothies with berries, citrus fruits, and dark leafy greens – when you can tolerate eating
Other foods and spices that supposedly help your immune system are lemons, honey, garlic, onions, ginger, and cayenne pepper.
Mary Purdy, an Integrative Dietitian I trust, has a cold and flu buster drink recipe. When you’re feeling brave or really want to nip your cold in the bud, you should try Mary’s recipe.
Boosting Your Immunity
Once you’re fueling your body what it needs to fight, there are a few things that you can take to help your immune system.
One of the best things to drink is fermented foods like yogurt, Kefir, or Kombucha. Or you could take probiotics supplements instead. (If you want to know which probiotic supplements to choose, check out the bottom of this post.)
Fermented foods and probiotics are full of good bacteria for your gut. The good bacteria can give your immune system a little boost, which is why fermented foods and probiotics are great for preventing you from getting sick and helping you recover faster.
Supplements** that are possibly effective for helping your body recover faster from sickness are:
Elderberry (both cold and flu) – like this highly-rated syrup from Nature’s Way or this one from Gaia Herbs
Echinacea (cold but not flu) – like this highly-rated and affordable supplement by Nature’s Bounty
Andrographis – like this supplement by Planetary Herbals
Zinc lozenges – like these highly-rated gummies from Nature’s Way that has Elderberry, Zinc, and Vitamin C or these children-friendly gummies from Zarbee’s
**Try one supplement at a time so that you can see which one works best for you and your family. The links go to supplements I’ve found on Amazon that are highly reviewed and from trusted brands. I do not get compensated if you buy any of these supplements. I just wanted you to have examples of supplements with each ingredient.
There are some supplements I read about that could very well help your body fight colds. However, I could not find enough evidence to back it up.
Here are a few of those:
Vitamin C – controversial on whether it actually helps with colds; could get enough from citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit)
Grapefruit seed extract
Oil of oregano
Good Habits to Have When Sick
Lastly, we have to talk about habits you should have to help you recover faster. As an Integrative Dietitian, I believe everything you do affects your wellness. So lifestyle is just as important as your diet when you’re trying to get over being sick.
Here are some good habits to have to help you recover faster:
Rest, rest, rest
Get as much sleep as you need
Take time off work to rest
Nasal irrigation – AKA Neti pot like this one
Recap: What to Do When Sick
To sum up what we talked about…
Most importantly, do what’s needed to prevent yourself and your family from getting sick
Provide your body with what it needs to fight what’s making you sick
Drink things that have nutrients, like broth, vegetable or chicken noodle soup, electrolyte drinks or powders
Boost your immunity with fermented foods, probiotics, and/or proven cold-fighting supplements
Make yourself rest, rest, rest and rest some more
I would love to hear what you do when you’re sick! Drop me a comment below with what regimes you do when sick.