In partnership with The Fresh Toast

Pre- or post-shot, if you want to feel as good as you can, lean on Mother Nature to help you get through any side-effects you may experience.

We’re all looking forward to our COVID-19 shots, even those who are squeamish about the possible side effects. Like most shots, the COVID-19 vaccine side effects include headaches, pain at the injection site, and in some cases, low fever. These aren’t all that common, but it’s important to know that feeling a little off is normal and is your body’s response to all that’s going on inside of it; it’s basically a sign that your body is building up its defense.

Vaccine side effects can be dealt with by resting and taking over the counter medicine to treat your symptoms. But, if you want to go the extra mile and help your body fight off these contaminants in a more organic way, you can also use food.

What you can eat ahead of the vaccine

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To prepare yourself for the vaccine, it might help if you stick to a more plant-based style diet in advance. While these types of foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, herbs, spices, nuts) have anti-inflammatory properties, you’ll need a couple of weeks to get the effects to kick in. As much as possible, you want to avoid refined foods and animal products, which are harder on your digestive system and create inflammation in the body.

What you can eat while experiencing symptoms

The most important thing you should do is to hydrate consistently throughout your whole vaccination process. Water, tea or sparkling water can help you keep fluids in your body and avoid dehydration, which can occur when facing a stressful event like a vaccine. When experiencing symptoms like nausea, ginger teas are very helpful at fixing all sorts of gastrointestinal issues.

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A go-to meal for any cold like symptoms is obviously soup, which usually contain healthy veggies that are easy to digest. Lastly, don’t forget to rest and listen to your body. If it’s asking for Netflix and sleep, give it Netflix and sleep.

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