{Recipe} Lemon Ginger Tea & Mexican Chicken Soup
By Suzanne York
I love this commercial but as a mom you know this doesn’t happen. Sick day?!? What?
Lie in bed and watch tv all day to get better?
Nope. You have this little one to take care of…. so crawl, walk, hobble and try to get through your day.
Here are a few tips to make your sick days easier… from one mom to another:
1) Rest! When the kids take a nap…..nap yourself. I have found that if I take that extra nap when I have a cold it speeds up my progress of getting better!
2) Fluids! Drink water,water, and more water! Another thing I like to drink when I am sick is this lemon ginger tea.
Nothing soothes a sore throat like a piping hot cup of ginger, lemon tea! With high levels of vitamin C, magnesium, and other minerals ginger root is extremely beneficial for your health. Here are some benefits of ginger:
• Relieves nausea
• Improve stomach performance-digestion, absorption of food and good for bloating
• Improves blood circulation
• Improves menstral discomfort
• Strengthens immunity-due to the high levels of anxioxidants of ginger
• Relieves stress- ginger has calming properties that help lower stress and tension
Lemon Ginger Tea
Ingredients:
1 TBSP freshly grated ginger root (no need to peel)
1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
stevia or sugar free honey to taste
Directions:
Put ginger in a tea pot or medium bowl. Pour 1 c of boiling water over it and let it steep for 3 min.
Meanwhile put lemon juice and stevia or sugar free honey in a mug. Strain the ginger tea into the mug.
Stir to dissolve the stevia or sugar free honey. Add more sf honey,stevia or lemon juice to taste.
3) Chicken Soup!
This is from the Dr Oz show about chicken soup and why it is good for you……
“I’ve talked about the benefits of chicken soup on my show before, but until now I haven’t gotten into all the fascinating details about why it’s so good for you.
It’s thought that many of the symptoms of a cold, including that runny nose and cough, are related to your body’s inflammatory immune response to fighting off the invading virus. A study in the journal Chest actually looked at what effect chicken soup has on the immune cells that cause these symptoms.
The researchers found that chicken soup appears to inhibit neutrophil chemotaxis, or the movement of certain immune cells to mucous membrane surfaces. The migration of these cells to surface cells in the airways may be partially responsible for mucous production. The scientists concluded that chicken soup may have anti-inflammatory properties that help dampen cold symptoms.
Chicken soup also helps you to stay hydrated, which is key to recovery. Though people watching their sodium intake might want to be wary of having too much since the broth is often salty, chicken soup is packed with electrolytes that may help people drink and retain even more fluids than water or commercial electrolyte drinks. The soup’s salt, steam and heat can also help thin mucus, making it easier to expel, and soothe irritated passageways in your nose and throat.”
Mexican Chicken Soup [Yields 4 servings]
Ingredients:
1 quart chicken broth
1 c tomato salsa (I use Jacks)
¼ c fresh lime juice
1 ½ cups pulled chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
1 c Uncle Bens brown rice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Optional: cheese, plain greek yogurt, avocado
Directions:
In a medium pot bring broth, salsa and lime juice to boil. Divide chicken and rice among 4 bowls. Fill each bowl with hot broth. Top with a cheese, greek yogurt, avocado and cilantro. Enjoy!
If you need a little extra help try the answer to the question that all trainers get from clients about if they should workout if they are sick.
Let me know what your favorite tip to get-well-soon is!
P.S. Can you believe Thanksgiving is just a couple days?!?!
If you want fat-loss friendly recipes, clean eating and healthy hosting tips check out our Healthy Thanksgiving Pinterest board!
Happy Thanksgiving!