“Throat Funk” is what I’m calling it. You know, that tickly, draining feeling in your throat that causes you to keep swallowing. It’s the beginning of a cold, but it doesn’t have to go any further.

There are many ailments that we suffer from in the cold winter months, not because there are just more germs, but primarily because we are indoors so much.

Lack of natural Vitamin D from the sun and reduced amounts of fresh air are culprits to our weakening immune systems.

But, trust me when I say…there is SOMETHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

If life keeps you BUSIER than you’d like, but you want stay HEALTHY, then you NEED to read this post!

The SIMPLIFIED Winter Medicine Cabinet:

You can check last year’s Winter Medicine Cabinet run-down HERE, but life as a working mother has encouraged simplification this year. I have also learned that it doesn’t have to be so complicated OR expensive. There are a few key supplements that will get the immune boosting done!

Preventative Stuff:

1. EAT “Ruffage”. YES- I like this word to describe raw vegetables and fruits. It’s just more….visual. Keeping your colon healthy and flowing in the winter months is very important for boosting your immunity. So much of your immune system exists within your colon. Fruits and veggies are also going to be your primary source for fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Eating healthy does not have to take tons of extra time. I make all of my food for the day in the morning before work. Getting up a little bit early, or making four salads on Sunday night (for the week) isn’t going to take too much extra time, and the benefits could be well worth it! If eating cold food doesn’t sound appealing to you because it’s 20 degrees outside, then supplement your salad with a cup of your favorite soup.

2. Take a Daily Food-Based Multi-Vitamin- You may wonder why this would even be necessary if you’re already eating plenty of raw fruits and veggies? I look at it as insurance…the soil our fruits and vegetables are grown in has definitely been depleted of its natural vitamin and mineral content, so we can’t depend on our diets alone. I like Dr. Williams brand of vitamins, but if they aren’t quite in your price range OR you don’t like taking that many caplets (there are 8 in each Dr. Williams packet), I also like Rainbow Light brand. My daughter takes Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Vitamins and also a daily probiotic from Nature’s Way.

3. Take Vitamin D3- 2,000-4,000 IU Daily- Buy a brand like Vital Choice which has an Omega-3 rich oil base to receive anti-inflammatory benefits too! For my daughter, I use Vitacost’s “Baby-D” drops which only contain olive oil as an additional ingredient and is very affordable! I give her 800-1,200 IU twice a day in cold weather season.

When the “Throat Funk” and the Aching Bones Strike:

We can do our best to boost our immune system during the winter months, but sometimes we just succumb to the germs. Here’s what to do when the buggies get the best of you:

For ANY illness, my new favorite SUPERSTAR of the supplement world is ACF. That’s A-C-F.

If you buy this GEM at Whole Foods you will pay a pretty penny, so I recommend buying it now at Vitacost.com where it is half the cost ($13 compared to $26) and BEFORE you’ll need it. We keep a stock in our pantry of both ACF Fast Relief Immune Support, Children’s ACF, and Cough Relief ACF.

This past summer I developed a rare sinus infection, and to my body’s credit- it was so mild I just thought it was an allergy issue that flares up in early summer some years. But at a routine physical my general practitioner MD (I was forced to see to keep my “Wellness HRA” insurance plan through United Healthcare) identified it as a sinus infection and called a Z-Pack into my pharmacy before I could even say that I was going to try some holistic methods first. I didn’t pick up the Z-Pack.

I went straight to Whole Foods and picked up a bottle of ACF. FIVE days later, my sinus infection was completely gone with NO use of antibiotics.

This stuff is AMAZING. Use it for preventative care and treatment before you go straight to antibiotics.

My daughter is 3 and we’ve been using this for her since she was a little over a year old. She calls it “juice” although the bottle recommends you actually mix it with real juice to hide its slight licorice taste. She takes it “on the rocks” and has never taken antibiotics.

Save Some MONEY and Help Out Green Drink Diaries!

Vitacost has a wonderful incentive program that will save you MONEY! You can use my referral code to save $10 on your first order and continue to get great Vitacost prices on any future orders. You will have to create a Vitacost account which you will do anyways to complete your order. Trust me- there is no weird monthly fee or anything like that. I’ve been using Vitacost for several years now, and if you’re going to live a more “natural” lifestyle, savings like Vitacost’s are a MUST!

Get your $10 off HERE.

Other Products I LIKE:

For Cold and Cough- Hyland’s DEFEND Cold and Cough Nighttime and for KIDS- Children’s Cold and Cough Nighttime

Nedi Pot- For flushing out your sinuses, you can’t beat a Nedi Pot or similar nasal irrigation systems. If post-nasal drip is a problem for you, I find Nedi Pots extremely helpful! I purchased mine at Walgreens which came with the solution used inside to help dry up mucous.

Humidifier- I like Crane’s Cool Mist Humidifier for sore throat, congestion, and coughing. When our sinuses are dried out in the cold winter months, they are more prone to overreact with mucous at night AND be more vulnerable to additional microbes and bacteria during the day. Keeping them moist at night is extremely helpful!