• Drink tea. Drinking tea and breathing in steam stimulates the cilia—the hair follicles in the nose—to move out germs more efficiently. Lemon thins mucus, and honey is antibacterial.
• Get a protein fix. Research shows that diets that are too low in protein can break down the immune system. Make sure to get protein-rich foods throughout the day, especially fish, eggs and yogurt.
• Sanitize everywhere you go.
  • If you go to the gym, make sure you place down a clean towel on a mat or bench you are using. Any equipment that you touch—like free weights or bicycle handlebars—clean first with antibacterial wipes.
  • At work it’s important, too. Every night, after our third break, we go into our break room and clean everything: the tables, microwaves, soda machines, and sweep the floors. If you work at an office, like my dad, you should also make sure you clean your space as well: fax-machine keys, doorknobs, elevator buttons, the armrests on your chair, etc.
  • At home, make sure you and your children wash your hands. Have them wash their hands when they come home from school and before anyone touches food. Also, after using the restroom. If you’re using a public restroom, do not touch the door with your bare hand. Use a towel. Also at home, clean your kitchen and bathroom every day. We use 409. Clean the fridge, counor tops, tables, stove, oven and microwave. Clean the light switches, and door knobs, too.
  • A few drops of lavender essential oil as a natural hand sanitizer on the go.
  • You’re touching your cell phone all day long, if you really think about all the germs, that’s gross! Make sure you clean it every chance you get.
• Breathe out. When you’re walking past another person and he is sneezing or coughing, gently and slowly breathe out until you’re beyond the 6 to 10 foot zone around him. This keeps you from inhaling the air he just contaminated.
• Vitamins.
  • Cold-Eeze lozenges with Zinc relieve symptoms and you can get better faster.
  • Vitamin C improves your immune system.
• Live by the pen. Another great way to stop the spread of germs is bringing your own pen with you. The bank, the grocery store, the doctor’s office. Even touch the ATM with it.
• Juicing. I drink water constantly to flush toxins out through the lymph system. During cold and flu season, start your day by making and drinking juice. You can use kale, broccoli, apple, arugula, parsley, cucumber, carrots, Swiss chard, lemon and mint. Not all of us get our nine servings of whole fruits and vegetables every day, so, juicing allows you to drink that amount in concentrated form.
• Keep your hands to yourself. Never use water fountains or the railings on stairs. They have hundreds of germy hands and mouths, and they don’t get sanitized as often as other surfaces, like sinks. Be sure to use your own water bottle.
• Sweat it out. Sweating is a great way to make you feel like you’re getting all the toxins and germs out.
• Clean your makeup. Clean your lipsticks and lipstick brushes with an alcohol wipe. My mom and I share makeup, it’s cheaper for us, (and it’s the only makeup we’ll use). Make sure that you clean it before and after you use it. Just so you’re extra sure your don’t get sick.
• Get the sleep you need. Research shows that our bodies need seven to eight hours of sleep in order to stimulate an immune response from our ‘natural killer cells,’ which attack viruses.