4 Simple Ingredients Every Household Should Have

Even when there wasn't a global pandemic, family health is of big concern for most people. Especially if you have a larger family, one person getting sick means that by the time it spreads to everyone, you are collectively down for a month. It meant missed school, work, activities and lots of sleepless nights. Now.. jeesh.. the littlest sniffle or cough can create a full fledged panic. I have prided myself or finding affordable and effective ways to keep the germies away. Yes.. we are one of those crunchy families that barely uses medicine. Life is actually much easier like this.. imagine a world where oranges and honey are your medicine :) The great thing about this method is that you can use SNAP food benefits which is especially important now in these financially uncertain times.

Due to increased time indoors, less sunshine and GLOBS OF SUGAR.. omg .. WE'VE BEEN EATING SO MUCH SUGAR! We are all more likely to get sick during the this time which we've nicknamed "cold and flu season".

Back in March.. the Loving StarrSeeds and I (mom) decided to make a video sharing our must have ingredients in the house to keep us well. These are great multi use ingredients that might just be for a tasty meal, fighting off a cold or creating a cleanser. Either way they are learning now and have seen for themselves their power. We get people all the time telling us that they tried a trick we suggested and amazed how quickly it worked. You can watch the full video and get a couple of laughs from the rowdy bunch or also just check out the list below of our must haves!

Oranges-- super high in vitamin C as we know, great immune booster and mucus buster. Mucus is our super enemy. Too much bread or milk will have everyone snotty and viruses literally feeds off it. It's important to reduce mucus causing foods.. but who can resist pizza and ice cream ALL the time.. I mean it's really HARD.. so mother nature has provided us with oranges and other citrus fruits to help clear it out for us. You can also dehydrate orange peels (which can easily be done even without a dehydrator) for some many uses. It can be used as your own vitamin C powder.. cook with it.. or distill it with alcohol or vinegar for cleaning purposes.

Lemons-- same deal but also an astringent, deodorizer and cleanser. I love lemons! They are a super fruit and the bright smell makes me instantly happen. It has a lot of the same powerful elements as oranges. Even add lemons to your water for an alkalizing effect to have your body feeling super charged.

Honey-- great for coughs, allergies and even helping with bed time.. just remember it has to be REAL honey.. the industry isn't all that regulated. Most bottles are actually mostly corn syrup and after you have real, raw honey.. it's easy to spot the difference. My children in the video actually point it out that they like the raw honey we got from a local farm much better.. the rawer the better when it comes to combatting things like allergies. Honey is also great for topical use.. hair, scrapes, scars, etc. It is a natural humectant which brings in moisture. When my youngest daughter got a deep gash on her lip at just 1 from falling, I put some honey on it and it quickly started to close up.

Ginger- antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, good for throat aches, and tummy aches. I didn't grow up with ginger outside of ginger ale and ginger snaps so it took me awhile to get used to the strong spicy taste.. but once I did, I really couldn't get enough. Ginger has so many uses, and a pretty good shelf life, that it's definitely a must have. It's also one of those things you can literally put in anything.. sweet and savory dishes, drinks, desserts.. anything. I've made my own ginger powder by dehydrating the skin and grinding it with a coffee grinder.

What's not shown here but we recommend:

* Salt for salt baths which help with extracting toxins and regulating temperature

* Baking soda.. great for everything! just look it up!

* Garlic and onions.. they fight off everything.. they like super warriors against badness.. and it helps with your lungs and high blood sugar

* Cinnamon .. anti-inflammatory plus I just like the smell and taste

* Apple cider vinegar.. good to drink and on your body, tho both cold possibly burn. I started putting just a little capful in my water to ward off fungal infections