Never expected to be writing this post today, but my five year old woke up this morning telling me his tummy was upset. Three trips to the bathroom later, and I knew I would need something to help him slowly recover.
Lucky for me, I know a few home remedy experts that are a great help to us. One thing I have against Gatorade and most every other hydration product on the market is the sugar content. There are a few products you can buy at your local organic or natural grocery store that don’t have sugar, but they are pricey.
We don’t drink pop, sports drinks, “vitamin water”, or much juice at our house because we have been off sugar for a few months – and don’t ever want to go back on it again! So when my little guy started feeling bad today, instead of jumping in the car and spending a bunch of money on gas and sugar-laden products, I decided to try my friend’s remedy. So far, so good. He’s been keeping it down. Time will tell if he gets better today — and if anyone else gets what he has. Heaven forbid.
In case you get sick with a throw-up virus in your house and need a hydration remedy, here’s what my friend Barbara sent me:
- 1 quart hot water
- 2 tblsp honey
- 1/4 tsp pink salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- Dissolve ingredients in the warm/hot water and stir until translucent.
- Give 1 spoonful every 20 minutes and see if you are able to keep it down.
- Drink it slowly to help absorb as it goes down.
Before you start dishing this out, though, be aware, you should wait at least 20 minutes after you or your child gets sick to begin putting anything else in the body. My friend suggested ice chips, sucked on slowly, and then after you can handle that, begin with one tablespoon or so of this liquid mixture every 20 minutes for a few tablespoons. We then moved to about 3/4 cup of this in a tippy cup with a gluten-free matzo cracker. So far so good. He’s calling it his “honey drink”. My friend said to resist adding more honey even though you think it tastes like it needs it. She also suggested warm ginger tea with a touch of honey after you are feeling better to calm the stomach. Here’s to our health – and yours – and to getting the word out about how bad sugar really is.
P.S. There’s a documentary out in Austin this week at the Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills called Fed Up. I saw it last week and think it should be required viewing for every American. I’ve already given up sugar – but it gave me more resolve than ever. And lest you start believing (like one of the women in the movie) that giving up sugar means I don’t eat chocolate, you would be SADLY mistaken.
See the trailer below…
Catch it if you can before they quit showing it! I love the tag line on the movie ticketing site: “Congress says pizza is a vegetable.” Yeah, riiiiight.
That movie looks amazing. I have been tossing up that idea personally because of stomach issues that I have and simply wanting my children to be healthy. I am going to try to search out that documentary! Great home remedy and maybe I will not have to use it for a long while 😉
Hope ya’ll stay well, and Viking gets well soon! I cannot believe he is 5!!! For reals? Thanks for posting this up on your blog. We don’t do sports drinks either. Food dye and sugar galore are a bad combo! I’m curious…when you mean no sugar, do you mean no refined sugar? Are you basically making your own stuff and using honey, stevia, or coconut palm sugar? We’ve cut back seriously on our refined sugar intake. When I make homemade chocolate chip cookies, I use coconut palm sugar. When I make a carrot cake, I use honey and coconut palm sugar. We’ve not gone gluten free yet. That’s still on the table as to whether or not we’ll ever go there.
Another question…do y’all eat fruit or smoothies with no sugar added? I’m extremely cautious about what we eat and read labels every time we shop, and try to make everything possible from scratch. We do cheat and get the organic animal crackers from Costco and a Ritter Sport candy bar here and there. Yes, I love my sweets! But I also know they come at a cost.
Sorry it took me so long to reply – but we are real skimpy on natural sugars – and yes, we use Palm/Coconut Sugar, Honey, Organic Maple $yrup and liquid Vanilla Organic SweetLeaf Stevia in moderation. No white or brown sugar – not even organic cane or turbinado.
We don’t do smoothies that often. I try to eat whole fruits with all parts (skin if you can – of course, not on oranges, but you know what I mean). We eat small amounts of fruit – no more than one serving a day.
I am a label-reading Nazi. And yes, we make most things from scratch unless I have the money to buy a completely organic minimally processed food (like Boulder olive oil potato chips – 3 ingredients).
We don’t eat any wheat at all, so no crackers, really. I have a paleo cracker recipe, but haven’t tried it yet.
I eat chocolate most every day, if not a few pieces of a stevia dark chocolate bar, then we will make a paleo-friendly chocolate dessert or shake with organic yogurt or coconut milk – sometimes raw milk if we have it. My daughter is allergic to milk, so we mostly use coconut milk or cream in them. They are really good!
Thanks so much for sharing… I always knew there were healthier alternatives to Gatorade!