As requested – Louise Westra’s ‘Kick-a-germ’ juice

A
few of you indicated you would like the recipe for ‘Kick-a-germ juice’ so here it is along with some bonus winter
tips.

1.
Don’t underestimate the importance of wrapping up more warmly with hats,
scarves and gloves – and don’t overlook the good old-fashioned vest under
clothing.

2.
Look after your mucous membranes with lots of naturally decongesting herbs and
spices that can be added to food. Remember the classics such as chilli, garlic,
fenugreek and ginger. These all work well added to hearty soups, stews and
casseroles. You can even make a soup specifically designed to support the body
in fighting against any assault by airborne germs. Be warned, this is not for
the faint hearted – we generally referred to this when I was studying to be a
Naturopath as ‘kick-a-germ juice’!

‘Kick-a-germ
juice’ recipe

Use a base of approximately 1 litre of chicken stock (real is preferable) and
add the following:-

3
cloves garlic
1 medium strength chilli
1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
1 medium sized onion
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Any seasonal vegetables chopped to the size you like.

Cook
until all the vegetables soft and tender.
Add fresh lemon or lime juice to serve.

Be
prepared to spend the night sweating!

3.
Lemons are a great natural antiseptic and can be drunk with warm water and
honey, or juiced with other fruit and vegetables. I am not a huge fan of really
chilled food and drink – especially during the colder months of the year –
however, if feeling off-colour, I tend to use juices more than usual to assist
in getting nutrients down to my cells without too much effort being required by
my run-down body. Something along these lines will usually assist:-

2
medium carrots
1 medium celery stalk
1/2 medium cucumber
1 medium apple, such as Gala or Fuji
1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger root

Push
all ingredients through juicer. Stir well and serve right away

4.
In essence, the two most important things to do if you do start to feel like
you are coming down with something would be to eat lightly and do as little
as possible. 

As Benjamin Franklin said: ‘The best of all medicines is resting
and fasting’.