Snowflakes on your tongue, warm hot cocoa in your hand, and—unfortunately—a months-long case of the sniffles. As much fun as it is cozying up in your favorite blanket all winter long, the cold that comes with it can take away some of the season’s magic. Luckily, you don’t have to spend your entire budget on Kleenex: There’s an expert-approved solution to beat it for good.
Mona Vand, a plant-based pharmacist, recently shared some of her cold-busting survival tips on Instagram. From adding inflammation-fighting ingredients into her green juice to utilizing the power of fruit, here’s three tactics that could help you feel good as new again.
1. Upgrade Your Fluids
When it comes to fluids, Dr. Vand likes going with alkaline water, green tea with lemon, and plenty of green juice. Don’t forget her go-to immune system-boosting ingredients to add in: anti-inflammatory ginger and turmeric.
2. Eat Your Fruit
The second Vand starts feeling under weather, she grabs the fruit. “When I’m sick, I go to town on organic fruit,” she writes. And a wide variety at that. “Each one has its own unique benefit and vitamins, and I want all the healing I can get.”
3. Take Meds If Necessary
While getting your fluids and fruit fix is important, Vand isn’t opposed to using medication when all else fails. “I’m usually all about ‘don’t put a Band-Aid on it—heal it from within,’ but I want to keep it very real. When I can’t stop sneezing and my nose won’t stop running, there’s nothing like taking a Benadryl to help with the symptoms and give you an amazing night of sleep,” she writes. “It’s the only medicine you can safely take all the time for sleep with no habit-forming potential.”
After a few days of amping up your self-care routine, you’ll be feeling much better.