Author Topic: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?  (Read 7383 times)

Kay Inglis

Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« on: January 24, 2019, 03:04:49 AM »
'Tis the season for colds and flu over here in the UK.

I've just acquired my first dose of cold/fluey something.

And I have concocted the perfect drink to make me feel better.

The juice of two oranges.

1 teaspoon of honey.

Two teaspoons of whisky.

Make up with a cupful of boiling water.

Any other cold (or other) home remedies?

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 
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The Doctor

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2019, 03:15:38 AM »
Not got any remedies but I do recommend lying on a sofa with your duvet over you and watching a glut of comedies*
, while someone brings you cups of tea.

* Whenever I'm unwell I will watch episodes of Blackadder, Red Dwarf, etc. First, it takes my mind off feeling like poo, and secondly, laughter may not be THE medicine, but it sure helps.
 

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VanessaC

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2019, 04:06:37 AM »
Sorry you're feeling rubbish.

I tend to go for old-fashioned honey and lemon - bottled lemon juice is fine.  Slug of lemon juice, slug of honey, mix with boiling water, adjust to taste.  Helps with an amazing variety of things!  Colds, stomach upsets, sore throat ...

Traditionally, of course, you'd add whisky but I don't actually like whisky all that much.

My go to reading when I'm feeling awful is often Terry Pratchett - an undemanding read that reminds me, when I am feeling rotten, that the world can be a place full of joy. If it was TV then, yeah, Red Dwarf would get my vote, too.  Seems like there's a theme of comedy being required to off set the grimness of being ill.  Grin
     



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EmberKent

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2019, 05:05:08 AM »
A thermos of hot chocolate that uses 3 parts hot water and 1 part chocolate milk. I also pop an extra strength Fisherman's Friend when necessary.

I've never had good results with honey and tea. But with the hot chocolate and lozenges, I can get rid of all throat pain and discomfort after a couple days.
 
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Maggie Ann

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2019, 06:19:54 AM »
My remedy for a sore throat is hot apple juice or apple cider. Drink it like hot tea. Chocolate ice cream is also good for a sore throat. That's what my mom gave me and I gave it to my kids.

I keep both in the house during the winter, which reminds me, I have ice cream but no chocolate. Alexa, add chocolate ice cream to my shopping list.

That hot toddy thing with whisky will knock me out for hours. I don't know if it works, but I'm too sound asleep to know that I'm sick.
           
 
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elleoco

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2019, 07:43:18 PM »
First sign I take zinc for 3 days, along with Vitamin C and Echinachea. I've had good luck with stopping anything from developing that way, but if it does go on and turn into a full blown cold, I keep up with the Vitamin C and Echinachea until it's over.

I went more than 5 years with slight sniffles or sore throats never developing into anything, but last year things caught up with me. Right now I'm just getting over what I first thought was a cold but turned out to be a sinus infection - first for that, and its just plain ugly. Have been breathing over a pan of steaming water as often as I can stand it for days, and it is majorly better.
 
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Lysmata Debelius

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2019, 11:10:09 PM »
Elleoco's remedies (mostly) work for me too.

From the reading I've done, zinc is really the only supplement that will do any good, vitamin C etc doesn't really make much difference, but who knows?
Steaming is the thing that helps me  most, when I have a respiratory problem like flu or a cold. Can't take a bath any more (water restrictions yay!) but filling a bowl with hot water and tenting yourself over it with a towel works too. Also, taking it easy makes a big difference in how quickly I recover.
I find I crave very hot, spicy food like Tom Yum soup, or anything with lots of chili and ginger. No idea if it helps me heal, but it gives me an endorphin rush that makes me feel a lot better. And you know, the placebo effect is a real and powerful thing that does work! :)

I used to use a neti pot to rinse my sinuses, but I find it actually makes me worse, no matter how strictly I stick to the right way to do it.  Doesn't work for me, but lots of other people swear by it.

Oh, and I always get the vaccination. I don't often get the flu, because of that, but I do occasionally get a really bad cold.  My husband teaches at a school and brings all the germs home with him...
 
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Kay Inglis

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2019, 02:38:26 AM »
Not got any remedies but I do recommend lying on a sofa with your duvet over you and watching a glut of comedies*
, while someone brings you cups of tea.

* Whenever I'm unwell I will watch episodes of Blackadder, Red Dwarf, etc. First, it takes my mind off feeling like poo, and secondly, laughter may not be THE medicine, but it sure helps.

Very good advice.

My son thoughtfully gave me the box set of "Poldark" as I was recovering from surgery before the cold hit.

Not comedy, but when you watch the episodes back-to-back you are so wrapped up in the vicissitudes in the lives of the good folk of Cornwall that you forget your own woes.

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 
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Kay Inglis

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2019, 02:42:40 AM »
Sorry you're feeling rubbish.

My go to reading when I'm feeling awful is often Terry Pratchett - an undemanding read that reminds me, when I am feeling rotten, that the world can be a place full of joy. If it was TV then, yeah, Red Dwarf would get my vote, too.  Seems like there's a theme of comedy being required to off set the grimness of being ill.  Grin

Thank you.

In fact you are spot on - I have been listening to audio books of "Guards! Guards!" and "Men at Arms" whilst recovering. I am now on "Feet of Clay".

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 

Kay Inglis

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2019, 02:44:13 AM »
My remedy for a sore throat is hot apple juice or apple cider. Drink it like hot tea.

Sounds good. I have some cider so will try that.

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 

Kay Inglis

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #10 on: January 25, 2019, 02:46:31 AM »
I went more than 5 years with slight sniffles or sore throats never developing into anything, but last year things caught up with me.

I haven't had a cold or any ailment for years and was getting quite smug.

But I recently had surgery and the cold followed - probably because my defences were down.

Being used to good health I am feeling particularly grumpy!

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 

Kay Inglis

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2019, 02:50:12 AM »
Elleoco's remedies (mostly) work for me too.

From the reading I've done, zinc is really the only supplement that will do any good, vitamin C etc doesn't really make much difference, but who knows?

Yes, that is pretty much what I found when googling.

Normally I am a big coffee drinker, but being under the weather at the moment I find I don't fancy it and do fancy the lemon and orange drinks.

It's probably true that vitamin C only works to prevent a cold in advance, but the drinks are nice anyway!

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 

Maggie Ann

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #12 on: January 25, 2019, 03:39:35 AM »
Sorry you're feeling rubbish.

My go to reading when I'm feeling awful is often Terry Pratchett - an undemanding read that reminds me, when I am feeling rotten, that the world can be a place full of joy. If it was TV then, yeah, Red Dwarf would get my vote, too.  Seems like there's a theme of comedy being required to off set the grimness of being ill.  Grin

Thank you.

In fact you are spot on - I have been listening to audio books of "Guards! Guards!" and "Men at Arms" whilst recovering. I am now on "Feet of Clay".

The beginning of Guards! Guards! with the passwords and secret societies had me rolling. I'm reading Going Postal right now. I'll have to see if my library has any of Pratchett's audios.

Just to add, I have a friend who swears by elderberry tea or just plain elderberries.
           
 
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cecilia_writer

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2019, 06:43:45 AM »
Guards, Guards! and Going Postal are my favourite Terry Pratchett books.
I like Lemsip with honey or hot Ribena for colds etc. I wouldn't mind an odd whisky but my husband is an alcoholic so I can't have it in the house.
Cecilia Peartree - Woman of Mystery
 
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JRTomlin

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2019, 06:58:19 AM »
'Tis the season for colds and flu over here in the UK.

I've just acquired my first dose of cold/fluey something.

And I have concocted the perfect drink to make me feel better.

The juice of two oranges.

1 teaspoon of honey.

Two teaspoons of whisky.

Make up with a cupful of boiling water.

Any other cold (or other) home remedies?
I do something similar with a nice Scotch (no need to use your finest single malt though - that would be a waste) and the juice of a lemon.  I do however *cough* use a bit more whisky than 2 teaspoons. 😜
 
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Anarchist

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2019, 07:58:45 AM »
I haven't been sick in many years. But when I used to get sick, two things (in great volume) expedited my recovery: sleep and hydration.

"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” – Thomas Sowell

"The State is an institution run by gangs of murderers, plunderers and thieves, surrounded by willing executioners, propagandists, sycophants, crooks, liars, clowns, charlatans, dupes and useful idiots—an institution that dirties and taints everything it touches.” - Hans Hoppe

"Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." - Adam Smith

Nothing that requires the labor of others is a basic human right.

I keep a stiff upper lip and shoot from the hip. - AC/DC
 
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JRTomlin

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2019, 08:05:03 AM »
I haven't been sick in many years. But when I used to get sick, two things (in great volume) expedited my recovery: sleep and hydration.
I take my sleep and hydration with a little whisky.
 
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Anarchist

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2019, 08:17:37 AM »
I haven't been sick in many years. But when I used to get sick, two things (in great volume) expedited my recovery: sleep and hydration.
I take my sleep and hydration with a little whisky.

I love bourbon myself.  Grin
"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” – Thomas Sowell

"The State is an institution run by gangs of murderers, plunderers and thieves, surrounded by willing executioners, propagandists, sycophants, crooks, liars, clowns, charlatans, dupes and useful idiots—an institution that dirties and taints everything it touches.” - Hans Hoppe

"Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." - Adam Smith

Nothing that requires the labor of others is a basic human right.

I keep a stiff upper lip and shoot from the hip. - AC/DC
 
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JRTomlin

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2019, 10:04:05 AM »
Either works. A matter of preference.  grint
 
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Kay Inglis

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2019, 01:42:59 AM »
I haven't been sick in many years. But when I used to get sick, two things (in great volume) expedited my recovery: sleep and hydration.

Yes, these seem to be the crucial elements behind recovery.

But the potions have helped too - have to keep the morale up.

Writer of Cosy Apocalypse Tales
 

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Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #20 on: May 20, 2019, 09:01:32 PM »
I was attending to a dear friend suffering from severe dry cough and GERD.  :haironfire I administered Vaseline Petroleum Jelly for the neck and there was a lot of improvement since then. The skin cells need to get hydrated (apart from "staying hydrated" as some have said in the thread) as well. So, body lotions containing shea butter/ cocoa butter can add to the overall peace and relaxation. Apart from that, chewing ginger slowly and mixing turmeric powder in hot milk can help. Salt water gargle is also an excellent option.
 

Sailor Stone

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #21 on: May 20, 2019, 09:19:33 PM »
This works:
As soon as you start feeling bad or run down take 100,000 I.U.s of vitamin D for three consecutive days. It stops a virus in its tracks.
 

notthatamanda

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #22 on: May 20, 2019, 09:38:23 PM »
Zinc is clinically proven to release the duration and severity of the common cold.  We take it at the first sign, next day you blow your nose like crazy, day after that you start getting better.  In the US we have two brands; Zicam and Coldeeze.   We also hydrate like crazy, lots of water, decafe tea and pineapple juice.  Pineapple juice supposedly has enzymes that boost your immune system.  I hardly ever drink juice, so it is like a treat, I alternate all day, glass of juice, glass of water.
 

LilyBLily

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #23 on: May 20, 2019, 10:38:02 PM »
Chicken soup--homemade is best--has been found to have an enzyme in it that helps with colds, too. And the liquid helps, of course.

I've used zinc to ward off coming down with a huge case of bronchitis when someone in my household was sick with it. The zinc worked. 

Dehydration I think is the major element that makes us vulnerable to colds. I routinely get sick while traveling because airplanes are dehydrating and at the same time the air in them is festering with disease. The perfect combination.
 
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Jan Hurst-Nicholson

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Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #24 on: May 21, 2019, 04:49:25 AM »
We are just coming into our winter season here. I find that clearing your nose and sinuses using a neti pot and saline solution cleans out any germs and also makes breathing a lot easier. I use it if I've been somewhere in close proximity to someone with a cold, or large crowds of people, such as a shopping mall. Saw it first on Dr Oz. Wish I'd known about it years ago after suffering sleepless nights because of being unable to breathe. :icon_rolleyes:

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-use-a-neti-pot#how-it-works

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Maggie Ann

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #25 on: May 22, 2019, 04:30:12 AM »
We are just coming into our winter season here. I find that clearing your nose and sinuses using a neti pot and saline solution cleans out any germs and also makes breathing a lot easier. I use it if I've been somewhere in close proximity to someone with a cold, or large crowds of people, such as a shopping mall. Saw it first on Dr Oz. Wish I'd known about it years ago after suffering sleepless nights because of being unable to breathe. :icon_rolleyes:

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-use-a-neti-pot#how-it-works

When my kids were little, I had a rubber nasal syringe. I would put the saline solution in the nostrils using an eye dropper and then suction out all the gunk. Their pediatrician told me about it. Of course, he had the fancy equipment.

https://www.amazon.com/Laboratory-Suction-Washing-Syringe-Squeeze/dp/B07FF7KS11/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=rubber+bulb+suction&qid=1558463169&s=hpc&sr=1-10

           
 

angela

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Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #26 on: May 22, 2019, 05:38:41 AM »
Cutting carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams per day has been a life changer.

I recently caught Norovirus (or something) while babysitting, and while I was low on energy for two days, it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined it could have been. I am healthier than ever. I've tried a lot of different diets during my years on this planet, and nothing has come close to low-carb for health benefits, from physical composition to mood and energy.

If you think the only people who do low-carb are a couple of your wackiest fad diet friends, who inevitably crash and burn, think again. Sensible people are getting on board, and more doctors, too. It just takes time for government guidelines to change, and those guidelines are controlled by corporate and political interests.

My only regret about low-carb (or keto) is not starting sooner. And maybe not taking enough electrolytes the first few weeks.

If you're interested, the videos here are a good start: www.dietdoctor.com

Shout-out to Anarchist, on the zero-carb! Go, you! I'm pretty close to carnivore OMAD some days.

P.S. It's weird to write about my characters eating cinnamon buns and worry about it triggering insulin. (Yes, it can happen from imagination alone, or from smells or sights.)
« Last Edit: May 22, 2019, 05:41:08 AM by angelapepper »
 
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Anarchist

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #27 on: May 22, 2019, 08:17:07 AM »
Cutting carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams per day has been a life changer.

Seriously. I went ZC years ago and haven't been sick since. My wife, an elementary schoolteacher, comes home with all sorts of bugs. They don't seem to affect me.


Shout-out to Anarchist, on the zero-carb! Go, you! I'm pretty close to carnivore OMAD some days.

One thing that works in my favor is never getting bored of red meat.

That said, I've never been able to do OMAD for more than a few days at a time. I can never eat enough. I'm slender, so it's a challenge for me.

"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” – Thomas Sowell

"The State is an institution run by gangs of murderers, plunderers and thieves, surrounded by willing executioners, propagandists, sycophants, crooks, liars, clowns, charlatans, dupes and useful idiots—an institution that dirties and taints everything it touches.” - Hans Hoppe

"Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." - Adam Smith

Nothing that requires the labor of others is a basic human right.

I keep a stiff upper lip and shoot from the hip. - AC/DC
 

Captain Cranky

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #28 on: May 22, 2019, 06:33:24 PM »
Cutting carbohydrate intake to under 20 grams per day has been a life changer.

I recently caught Norovirus (or something) while babysitting, and while I was low on energy for two days, it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined it could have been. I am healthier than ever. I've tried a lot of different diets during my years on this planet, and nothing has come close to low-carb for health benefits, from physical composition to mood and energy.

If you think the only people who do low-carb are a couple of your wackiest fad diet friends, who inevitably crash and burn, think again. Sensible people are getting on board, and more doctors, too. It just takes time for government guidelines to change, and those guidelines are controlled by corporate and political interests.

My only regret about low-carb (or keto) is not starting sooner. And maybe not taking enough electrolytes the first few weeks.

If you're interested, the videos here are a good start: www.dietdoctor.com

Shout-out to Anarchist, on the zero-carb! Go, you! I'm pretty close to carnivore OMAD some days.

P.S. It's weird to write about my characters eating cinnamon buns and worry about it triggering insulin. (Yes, it can happen from imagination alone, or from smells or sights.)

Yep, this. I'm carnivore atm too. Not sure if I'll stay that way, but if not I'll remain keto. I fell off the wagon recently and the migraines... :icon_rolleyes: topic for another day. But I rarely get colds etc anymore.
If you dare nothing, then when the day is over nothing is all you will have gained. -Neil Gaiman
 
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sliderule

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #29 on: May 22, 2019, 08:47:53 PM »
Interesting. I don't have cold remedies because I rarely ever get colds.

When in that rare time I do (last cold I can't remember...years), I eat chicken soup and I take nyquil to sleep it off.

I'm not zero carb.

I don't load up on veggies.

I don't get the flu shot.

I don't use a neti-pot.

I think the only thing I do is stay hydrated.
 

Vijaya

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #30 on: May 22, 2019, 11:17:11 PM »
Interesting observation about cutting carbs. I've observed that in my kids and my general response to them eating sugar is "why feed the bugs?" It bugs me because I've always limited the refined sugar in our diet, but now they're adults and love indulging in it.

Remedies:Zinc and salt water gargle at the first sign of a cold. Homemade chicken soup! It's truly healing.


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angela

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Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #31 on: May 23, 2019, 01:51:04 AM »

Yep, this. I'm carnivore atm too. Not sure if I'll stay that way, but if not I'll remain keto. I fell off the wagon recently and the migraines... :icon_rolleyes: topic for another day. But I rarely get colds etc anymore.

Woohoo (for keto, not for migraines).

We'll see this WOE spread through the writing community once more people speak up about the mental gains. If I were a more competitive person and trying to get the #1 spot in a genre, I might not mention it on a writing forum. LOLs. (I hear people in sports are being cagey about it because it gives them an edge to be fat-adapted.) My clarity of mind and stamina for writing and editing has never been this good. I'm not cranking out monster word counts these days, but it's not for lack of capacity. I just have so much energy for other interests.

Interesting observation about cutting carbs. I've observed that in my kids and my general response to them eating sugar is "why feed the bugs?" It bugs me because I've always limited the refined sugar in our diet, but now they're adults and love indulging in it.

Remedies:Zinc and salt water gargle at the first sign of a cold. Homemade chicken soup! It's truly healing.

Ah, sugar. They need to watch some "scared straight" videos by Dr. Lustig.

I've noticed that, on Facebook, my friends who moan constantly about their aches and pains and the fact they're sick again are the same ones who share recipes for and photos of empty calorie desserts. One lady posted a picture of her back with a rash, then a picture of the waffles with caramel syrup she was comforting herself with. I feel bad, because that was me a few years ago, when I didn't know better.

For years, I was under the illusion my diet was good, because I didn't drink booze or soda, or eat fast food, or anything deep-fried. But I really hit a rough patch at the same time my writing career took off. Late nights and high cortisol levels, probably. I was always sedentary for work, but something changed when I became an indie author.

The brain is a big ol' energy hog, and the focused / creative work of writing increases our energy needs, which increases the glucose-seeking urges. Running as I am now, with my brain getting a mix of ketones and endogenous glucose from my amazing liver, I finally have a stable fuel supply, and only rarely fantasize about brownies at 2pm. :-)
« Last Edit: May 23, 2019, 02:03:27 AM by angelapepper »
 
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Gerri Attrick

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #32 on: May 23, 2019, 03:05:19 AM »
If anyone has suggestions for clearing a chest infection, then I’m all ears. Having COPD, I’m prone to them, and hubby has kindly passed on his lurgy.  Bleugh.

Please explain how you can be carb-free. Hubby has type 2 diabetes, which he attempts to control with a low carb diet, but he’s well overweight, loves his food, and struggles to cope. (He’s also 68 years old and exercise is… um… problematic.)
We can’t afford to live on steak/chicken/fish all week, so how do you manage a zero carb diet that has sufficient variety to satisfy?
 

Anarchist

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #33 on: May 23, 2019, 03:26:05 AM »
Please explain how you can be carb-free.

...so how do you manage a zero carb diet that has sufficient variety to satisfy?

Variety isn't important to me. As long as I'm eating red meat, I'm content.

I had a boneless New York strip for breakfast yesterday, chuck roast for lunch, and a boneless ribeye for dinner. This morning, I had flap steak for breakfast. And I'm excited because I have a big porterhouse in the fridge that I seasoned yesterday (sea salt and black pepper).

Variety used to be important to me. But when I went ZC, I modified my perspective regarding food. I used to see it as entertainment. Now, it's fuel. Great-tasting fuel, but fuel nonetheless.
"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.” – Thomas Sowell

"The State is an institution run by gangs of murderers, plunderers and thieves, surrounded by willing executioners, propagandists, sycophants, crooks, liars, clowns, charlatans, dupes and useful idiots—an institution that dirties and taints everything it touches.” - Hans Hoppe

"Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." - Adam Smith

Nothing that requires the labor of others is a basic human right.

I keep a stiff upper lip and shoot from the hip. - AC/DC
 
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Vijaya

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #34 on: May 23, 2019, 03:33:09 AM »
Depends on the infection, Gerri. If viral, there's not much you can do but rest, have plenty of fluids. Others have mentioned the benefits of Vit C and other herbs. But if it's a bacterial infection and not getting cleared up, you need antibiotics. Hopefully, your general broad spectrum antibiotic will work. I have a friend who's been battling a particularly nasty strain of mycobacteria for years now and it's a bear. Feel better soon.

About diet--we eat everything because we enjoy variety but are looking to cut back even more on carbs (I really shouldn't love rice, pasta, bread as I do) and substitute with veggies, esp. with the garden producing so much now. We try to fast for most of the day (and that has really cut back on expenses and freed up time).

Angela, thanks for mentioning Dr. Lustig. I was researching childhood diabetes a few years back and remember his work. Since then, others, like Dr. Fung have come to the same conclusion about sugar being the culprit for so many of our health problems. Kids have to take responsibility for their health. They need a dose of the sugar lecture by Dr. L.


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angela

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Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #35 on: May 23, 2019, 03:37:22 AM »
If anyone has suggestions for clearing a chest infection, then I’m all ears. Having COPD, I’m prone to them, and hubby has kindly passed on his lurgy.  Bleugh.

Please explain how you can be carb-free. Hubby has type 2 diabetes, which he attempts to control with a low carb diet, but he’s well overweight, loves his food, and struggles to cope. (He’s also 68 years old and exercise is… um… problematic.)
We can’t afford to live on steak/chicken/fish all week, so how do you manage a zero carb diet that has sufficient variety to satisfy?

I'm not carb-free. I'm under 20 grams a day. Anyone who can write a book is more than clever enough to figure out carbs, so yes, you can do it!

This subscriber-supported website is an excellent resource, with lots of videos: https://www.dietdoctor.com/video/get-started

Type 2 used to be considered a progressive, incurable disease, but people all over the world are reversing their metabolic disease with low-carb or keto diet protocols. Lots of success stories on the website. (ETA: On a personal note - 2 older family members have just started keto to reverse diabetes after getting high HA1C numbers -- but, FYI -- metabolic disorder doesn't always show up on the HA1C. Me, I probably had hyperinsulinemia, so I'd get a false negative on glucose tests. It would only show up on the more expensive insulin tests, which doctors don't currently order. Because of that, my issues were undiagnosed for years despite me asking my doctors about various health concerns and getting waved off that I was "fine.")

Regarding budget concerns -- protein is more expensive than carbs, but fat is pretty cheap. You can add coconut oil, olive oil, or butter to almost anything, such as the low-carb veggies of your choice. It's hard to get good value in restaurants, because they fill the plate with the cheapest food available -- pennies' worth of rice or potato or bread. It's pretty easy to do low-carb if you cook at home.

Reddit has a good collection of resources, including keto on a budget: https://www.reddit.com/r/frugalketo

In my experience, as the addiction to carbs subsides and the body gets better at running on its stored resources, having "snacks" becomes unnecessary, and meals become something you simply do as necessary, and not a big deal. I cook the same half-dozen things for dinner and don't mind eating the same things. I'll try a new recipe every now and then, but variety in food is becoming less important. As long as I feel good, that's the most important thing. 

« Last Edit: May 23, 2019, 03:44:06 AM by angelapepper »
 
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Captain Cranky

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #36 on: May 23, 2019, 08:48:28 AM »

Please explain how you can be carb-free. Hubby has type 2 diabetes, which he attempts to control with a low carb diet, but he’s well overweight, loves his food, and struggles to cope. (He’s also 68 years old and exercise is… um… problematic.)
We can’t afford to live on steak/chicken/fish all week, so how do you manage a zero carb diet that has sufficient variety to satisfy?

The most important thing with going low or zero carb is the fat. And it's the one thing people have the most issue with, because they've been told for so many years that fat is bad. It's not. Buy fatty cuts of meat, eat eggs, use butter, cheese, tallow, olive oil, coconut oil etc. NO vegetable oils, margarines etc. If you eat things like cheese there will still be very low amounts of carbs, so I'm probably not 'true' carnivore in that sense, but it still works for me. I have heavy cream in my coffee. If it's purely the variety aspect he needs to satisfy, that is more of a psychological thing and he may need to unpack that. But from a satiety perspective eating high amounts of fat with protein is key. And if you keep sneaking carbs in it keeps you in this perpetual state where you never quite quit the cravings, which can be a b*tch. When I'm not carnivore, I eat leafy greens with olive oil, apple cidar vinegar and salt. I find that when I stick to keto/Carnivore, I don't really crave the variety because I'm satisfying full, as opposed to bloated.

If you need more help message one or all of us. I'm sure between us we have a plethora of helpful videos etc :-)

FWIW, the only time I had the flu in maybe the past 10 years, was several weeks after I had my first and last flu shot lol. Likely a coincidence  :shrug
If you dare nothing, then when the day is over nothing is all you will have gained. -Neil Gaiman
 
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Jan Hurst-Nicholson

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Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #37 on: May 23, 2019, 06:38:50 PM »
Eat what God made. Avoid what man made.  :thumb18:


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Gerri Attrick

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #38 on: May 24, 2019, 02:20:50 AM »
Thanks, everyone.

I’m amazed at your diet, Anarchist. You’ve eaten more meat in three days than we manage in a month - though the main reason for that is cost. (And you’ve reminded me that the best steak I ever tasted was in a hotel in Miami, a lifetime ago, when I ordered a New York strip steak. We don’t get it over here in the UK, more’s the pity. :(

We have several low-carb cookbooks and, now the summer is advancing, I’ll try to persuade him to make a determined push to stay on the diet. Tonight he’s having pan-fried sea bass and salad.
 

Captain Cranky

Re: Your home flu/cold and other remedies?
« Reply #39 on: May 24, 2019, 08:23:56 AM »

We have several low-carb cookbooks and, now the summer is advancing, I’ll try to persuade him to make a determined push to stay on the diet. Tonight he’s having pan-fried sea bass and salad.

With plenty of butter I hope ;-)
If you dare nothing, then when the day is over nothing is all you will have gained. -Neil Gaiman
 
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