You can’t prevent cold and flu viruses from making their winter appearance, but a healthy diet can strengthen your immune system, making it better prepared to respond to attacking viruses. Properly fueling a sick body is an essential part of getting better.
Getting Back To Yourself
While a nasty cold or case of the flu might ruin your appetite, it’s important to stay well-nourished and hydrated. Eating smaller portions of food more often makes it easier to fuel ourselves through the recovery process steadily. The best way to kick a cold is to drink plenty of fluids and eat immunity-boosting foods.
Not Just a Wives’ Tale
It’s not just an old wives’ tale – a bowl of chicken noodle soup does help soothe a cold. The chicken contains an amino acid called cysteine, which helps thin mucus in the lungs, and the hot broth helps to keep nasal passages moist, prevent dehydration, and reduce overall inflammation.
Stay Hydrated
When you’re sick with a cold or the flu, drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated. Warm liquids can soothe a sore throat, ease congestion, and chase away the chills, so drink freshly brewed green or black tea, which is rich in infection-fighting antioxidants and supports the immune system. Add antioxidant-rich honey and a squeeze of lemon for vitamin C. Hot water with lemon is ideal for staying hydrated while helping out that stuffy nose.
Focus on Whole Produce
If you’re looking for that dose of C, go straight to the unprocessed source. Have an orange or a grapefruit. The fruit has more fiber, so it will be more filling, and you’ll only get the natural sugars. The soft white skin found on oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes contains flavonoids, which increase immune system activity. Other good sources of vitamin C include bell peppers, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, and tomatoes.
When you’re sick, a glass of 100 percent real orange juice with pulp can provide a vitamin boost. Juice is a great way to get vitamins and fruit sugar in an easily digestible format. Real 100% vegetable juices are also a great choice.
Protein
It’s important to eat some protein. Choose easily digestible proteins that take little or no time to prepare, such as eggs, tofu, fish, chicken, and turkey, to help the organs that make cold-destroying white blood cells.
Natural Decongestants
Spicy foods are effective natural decongestants. Eating hot chili peppers, hot sauce, wasabi, or horseradish can help relieve the symptoms of a stuffy nose.
Potassium
Bananas are rich in potassium, which is often depleted during illness. They’re easy to digest, may help lower body temperature, and can help replenish lost electrolytes.
Probiotic Health
Yogurt is rich in probiotic cultures, which are essential for immune health. Choose ones that contain the bacterial strains Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus reuteri to improve immune response.
Boosting Immune System
Whole grains, like oatmeal, contain beta-glucan, selenium, and zinc to help support your immune system and fend off cold and flu infections.
Mushrooms are a major source of the immune system-boosting mineral zinc. They increase the production of cells that help fight off infections.
Garlic is nature’s antibiotic. Its properties help fight infection and ward off sickness. Add plenty of garlic and onions to soup, main dishes, and vegetables. Combined, they contain dozens of broad-spectrum antiseptic and immunity-boosting compounds.
Nausea and Gastric Ailments
Ginger is effective at preventing and soothing nausea and other gastric ailments. It’s also a natural pain and fever reducer and a mild sedative, so it can help you rest when you’re sick. Steep some fresh ginger in boiling water until the water turns yellow, and then drink it with some honey.
Foods that Sooth
Because honey coats your throat, it’s a great cold- and flu-friendly sore throat reliever, and its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties help fight infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Warning: Don’t give honey to children under 1 year of age.
Foods to Consider Avoiding
Since the body is more vulnerable during illness, it’s best to avoid any foods that put the body under excess stress. Certain foods can make the unpleasant experience of being sick even worse.
The jury’s still out on this one, but many people believe that consuming dairy can promote mucus production, which could worsen congestion when sick. I say try it, and if it doesn’t aggravate you, then consume it since dairy products can be good sources of protein and vitamin D, which can both help fight infections.
While spicy foods might be good for nasal congestion, they can also be rough on the stomach and cause more pain and discomfort. Avoid them if you are experiencing stomach upset.
Stay away from excess fats when you are sick. Foods high in fat or fried can be more difficult to digest and may suppress the immune system. Foods high in fat produce inflammation that produces a less active immune system. High sugar intake can suppress the immune system and cause inflammation. Extra sugar hinders white blood cells from fighting infection. Remember, it’s important to give your body nutrients, not sugar!
A hot toddy might clear things up for a short time, but alcohol weakens your immune system and dehydrates you. Both of these can make a cold more miserable.
Fueling Your Body to Fight
A reduced number of colds and their duration is one of the awesome benefits that goes along with providing your body with the nutrients it needs to keep your immune system up to par. Next time you are feeling a little under the weather, be sure to get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and consider incorporating some of these foods into your diet to help speed up recovery once you’ve been caught with a cold, but they are also important preventative measures.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator