Cold and flu season hits hard in Bergen County, where school drop-offs, packed grocery stores and chilly commutes make it all too easy for sniffles to spread. But staying healthy doesn’t always start at the pharmacy — often, it begins right in your own kitchen.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teaches that everyday ingredients have medicinal properties. These foods carry warming, cleansing or restorative qualities that support the body through winter. You may already have these wellness staples in your Bergen County pantry.
Warming Herbs: Ginger, Cinnamon, Pepper, Turmeric
The body’s digestive system thrives on warmth. Ginger is commonly prescribed in TCM for stomach issues, inflammation, arthritis, food sensitivities and respiratory viruses. It can be sliced, grated or powdered and added to soups, vegetables or baked fruit.
Other warming herbs—such as cinnamon, black pepper and turmeric—help the body maintain balance during the cold months.
Baked Apples
Ingredients:
4 apples, cored
1/4 cup goji berries or raisins
2 Tbsp honey or brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
Directions:
Place apples in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Fill cores with remaining ingredients. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
TCM Tip: Fill a cotton sock with dried ginger, peppercorns, cinnamon, sea salt and cloves. Warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds and use it as a heat pack for stomach aches or areas of discomfort.
Alliums: Onions, Garlic, Shallots, Leeks
Alliums are rich in sulfur, which gives them their familiar aroma and contributes to detoxification. Using onions to absorb viruses and bacteria dates back to the early 1900s, when white onions were kept bedside to ward off illness. In TCM, white onions are often prescribed to move cold and phlegm out of the body.
Lentils With Fried Onions
Ingredients:
1 cup French lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup rice, rinsed
1 tsp salt
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp cooking oil
Directions:
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add lentils, rice and salt; reduce to a simmer and loosely cover for 20 minutes.
In a frying pan, heat oil over medium heat and cook onions until golden. Spoon lentils onto a plate and top with fried onions.
TCM Tip: For congestion, place a cut white onion on the bottom arch of each foot and secure with socks. This activates the Kidney meridian and helps draw impurities from the body.
Tangerine Peel
Tangerines, available from October through January, are a winter wellness staple. TCM practitioners often recommend tangerine peel to reduce phlegm, ease coughs and relieve congestion. The peel also aids digestion, reduces bloating and helps with nausea.
Save your peels to make a simple tea. Tangerine peel can also be dried, ground and mixed with honey. Always use organic tangerines to avoid pesticides—especially important when shopping local farmers’ markets or Bergen County grocers.
Tangerine Peel Tea
Ingredients:
Peels from 2 tangerines
4 scallions, roughly chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger
Handful of almonds
Brown sugar or honey, to taste
Directions:
Smash ginger to release its juices. Add all ingredients to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil 2–4 minutes. Sweeten and drink hot.
TCM Tip: For a cold, take a hot bath or shower, drink tangerine peel tea and wrap up to gently sweat out the illness. For a scratchy throat, add two peppermint tea bags while steeping.
About the Writer
Allison K. Lim is a Ho-Ho-Kus–based writer and editor with 19 years’ experience in print and digital media. Detail-and deadline-driven, she blends polished storytelling with proven leadership from professional roles and local community volunteer work in Ho-Ho-Kus.