Cold and flu fighting foods
Winter is a really bad time for me health-wise. I go into total hibernation mode. I don’t exercise and I don’t eat properly.
Of course, cold and flu season is the worst possible time to let my body’s defenses down. So, I investigated immunity-boosting foods to help me stay healthy this year.
Turns out it will be quite easy to incorporate them into my diet, as most of the fall into my ‘winter comfort food’ category.
Now, I just have to find a way to motivate myself to exercise.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E boosts the production of T-cells, which are infection fighting white blood cells. Great for resisting flu and upper respiratory infections.
Fantastic Vitamin E sources:
- sunflower seeds
- almonds
- wheat germ
- hazelnuts
- peanuts
Selenium
Selenium is an antioxidant that gets the good bacteria intestines to do battle with the bad bacteria floating around in there. Parasites and E. coli beware! A little bit with do it though. Too much selenium is not good for us, so eat in moderation.
Fantastic selenium sources:
- brazil nuts
- tuna
- beef
- cod
- crab
- oysters
- chicken
- turkey
- garlic
Zinc
Zinc is a crucial mineral and performs many functions. It helps in cell division, assists the liver to function, metabolizes carbohydrates, and regulates our immune system
Fantastic zinc sources:
- oysters
- beef
- crab
- pork
- chicken
- cashews
- beans
Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A by our bodies. Vitamin A keeps the lining our lungs and digestive system healthy, which are our first line of attack against infection.
Fantastic beta-carotene sources:
- sweet potatoes
- carrots
- spinach
- kale
- Brussel sprouts
- pumpkin
- apricots
- papaya
- mango
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is generally the first vitamin we think of for staving off colds. It keeps our defenses strong, and has been proven to shorten the length and severity of colds when we load up at the first sign of trouble.
Fantastic vitamin C sources:
- kiwis
- papaya
- peppers
- broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- citrus
- strawberries
- leafy greens
And there are enough overall options, that I can avoid those nasty Brussel sprouts which appear on a couple of lists!
Your turn:
- What do you do to enhance your immune system?
- Is it an effort for you to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the winter?
Suggested reading:
9 Power Foods That Boost Immunity
Immune Boosting Foods
15 Best Foods to Improve Your Immunity
your list is very informative and handy. I work on the eat from a rainbow of colors of food theory and as long as I do that, it seems to work pretty well. To me the most important thing seems to be the quality of sleep that I get.. As long as I am getting good sleep I can fight off just about anything. No sleep= sick right away. Never seems to fail.
I came back here to see if you’d replied to my comment, but alas! it was not here.
I mentioned my use of lots of garlic, Omega 3, and cuddling with cats and husband (not at same time necessarily) to ease stress, thus keeping immune system stronger.
Hope you are healthy!
@Wendi – my mother is big on making sure there are mulitiple colours of food on your plate. She is also big on eat what you like but in moderation. Given her ‘eat what she likes’ is all wholesome food, that works well. ‘Eat what you like’ when it’s all fast food and sugar, does not work so well. Interesting about staying healthy with sleep. Fortunately, I don’t suffer very often from sleep deprivation. It’s extremely rare. But yes, that would definitely take a toll on your immune system.
@Lori – wonder where you first comment went? Ah the mysteries of blogs. We use a lot of garlic. Plus, I take flax seed oil everyday and eat fish once per week. So, I have your solution covered off. I do cuddle with my husband and cat at the same time because if we are watching TV we given no choice. The Siamese spreads his full length across both of us.
Along with eating well and getting plenty of sleep during the winter, I make sure the temperature in my place isn’t too high. I think overheated homes are unhealthy for many reasons. One is that central heating is very drying – along with skin, it also dries out our breathing and sinus passages and when they’re dry, they can’t effectively ward off viruses. It also makes us more reluctant to go outdoors –which I think is imperative. You need all the sunlight you can get in winter and should spend an hour outdoors every day; preferably doing something physical. The good news is that you don’t need to work as hard outdoors in the winter as you do in the summer to burn off more calories. The cold and the added burden of extra clothing, tromping through snow, etc. do that for you.
@XUP – we turn the temperature of the house down at night and while we are at work. I have to admit I am a suck about being warm during the day, although you make very good arguments for a cooler house. This year we are committed to cross-country skiing every Saturday morning. As well, we try and get into the hot tub during daylight hours which guarantees us 20 minutes of sunlight.
I have just forwarded this on to my youngest child who is on her 4th major cold/flu since September…I hope she will read it…this is just excellent and helpful
facebooked and tweeted
Thank you
I struggle to motivate myself to exercise in the winter – too dark and cold. But I do ok foodwise and usually have a good balance of the things you’ve listed. Like Wendi, I try to make sure there is plenty of colour on the plate and don’t let my husband cook too much.
I read somewhere that flushing your nose with water helps keep flu and colds at bay but I didn’t try it yet.
@Patricia – I certainly hope it helps your daughter; the flu seasons this year is taking quite a toll on people.
@Cath – I have read that about nose flushing as well. I just can’t bring myself to do it. It sounds extremely uncomfortable. However, Mr Very Right flushes his nose every night before bed because he suffers from sinusitis which causes him to snore. Flushing has given him a much better sleep … and me for that matter
He hasn’t gotten sick this season, so maybe it is having that added beneficial effect.
I use fresh garlic in pretty much every meal. And lots of onions! In the morning I usually have freshly grated ginger in warm water as my morning ‘tea’. And if a cold is kicking around, the ginger, hot water , honey and lemon works nicely. And you can never go wrong with home made chicken stock (minus the salt.)
In the winter I up my vitamin D, and vitamin C doses. Not to beat colds, but to beat S.A.D.
And lots of veggies, whole grains and lean meats. And the exercise. It sounds like alot when you look at it, but a little bit of each thing makes it better.