Years ago I heard The Healthy Home Economist, Sarah Pope, make this statement and it intrigued me. The last time my family had the flu was about 11 years ago. It was brutal. We all went down like dominoes and my daughter, three at the time, needed a middle-of-the-night cool bath to bring down a very high fever. 10/10 would not recommend.
It wasn’t long after I began my deep dive into more natural living, gut healing and the like that I came across this idea that you can be in the middle of a room full of people very sick with the flu and not “catch” it if your vitamin D levels are optimal. I spent some time researching how to make sure my D levels were optimal and began to put these things in practice myself and for my family. Here is what we did.
Vitamin D is really a hormone and the best way to get it is from the sun. No, the sun doesn’t cause cancer. Yes, I know those are fightin’ words for many but it is true. That is another post for another day. Making sure you are getting adequate sun exposure for your skin type (fair skin vs dark skin) is really important. No sunscreen, just sun. We do this through the spring, summer and fall as much as we can to build up our reserves. The D-minder app is great and worth looking into to help you know when to get in the sun and how long to remain. It can help you track if you like that sort of thing.
Food is next. We always supplement with cod liver oil and/or a vitamin D + K2 supplement through the winter months. I also prioritize animal fats and meat which nourish the body and can also provide vitamin D. Lard in particular is a great animal fat with good levels of vitamin D. It is especially good slathered over a roasted chicken to make the skin crispy or used to make biscuits – for those not on GAPS.
Vitamin D need a little help from some friends, too. Magnesium helps you absorb and utilize D. So be sure you are taking epsom salt baths, drinking electrolytes and/or supplementing with magnesium.
Zinc and Iron are also needed for D to perform well in the body. An easy way to make sure you do not become deficient in these are by consuming liver a few times a week or supplementing with it.
Remember, stress depletes all of these things so managing stress as best as possible is important. Rest. Prioritize sleep. All of this will take you a long way in the prevention of the flu.
So far, we have all made it through each flu season for the past decade without the flu and apparently, right now, we live in one of the hardest-hit states. Coincidental? Maybe. But probably not. What you eat on a daily basis greatly impacts your overall health. I think a decade without the flu is a pretty impressive if I do say so myself.
Have any flu-prevention tips? I’d love to hear. Drop a comment below.
