Eat These Foods to Fight Illness This Cold and Flu Season
Eat These Foods to Fight Illness This Cold and Flu Season
Second to a stuffy nose, the worst thing about coming down with a cold or flu is losing your appetite. What is life without being able to eat?!
But here’s why you should suck it up and chow down anyway: Since a cold and the flu are both caused by viruses, foods with antiviral properties may speed up recovery (or fight those viruses off in the first place), says Monica Auslander Moreno, R.D., nutrition consultant for RSP Nutrition.
These are the best foods for a cold (no, it's not all chicken noodle soup—but you better believe that made the list):
Chicken soup
Yep. There's a reason your mom always had a bowl of this at the first sign of a stuffy nose or other cold symptoms. Not only does chicken soup provide the fluids you need to help fight off viruses, but it also reduces the inflammation that triggers symptoms and leads to more colds.
Citrus fruits
Vitamin C, most commonly found in citrus fruits, is an antioxidant that can help boost immunity. So start eating C if you aren't already, and make it a part of your routine to shore up your immune system for next time. Get your dose from supplements or from vitamin-packed citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, papaya, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.
Garlic, onions, and leeks
Kissing is kind of out of the question when your nose is running like a hydrant, so you might as well indulge in this pungent garnish (along with its antiviral cousins onions, chives, and leeks) to help fight that nagging cold. “It has long been revered in its ability to help natural killer cells purge the body of invaders,” says Moreno.
Ginger tea
Ginger earns its distinction as one of the best foods for a cold thanks to a chemical called sesquiterpenes, which specifically target rhinoviruses, the most common family of cold viruses, as well as substances that suppress coughing. It also contains anti-inflammatory gingerols that can fight infection.
Adding a couple of tablespoons of shredded ginger root to your green tea could do the trick, but you can also look for ginger tea, ginger chews or real ginger ale, although most of the canned stuff has very little real ginger.
Honey
Honey is often touted as a cure-all for everything from burns (put raw honey on a burn as soon as possible to speed healing) to cuts and scrapes (honey's natural antiseptic properties allow it to work a bit like hydrogen peroxide).
Because it coats your throat, it's best foods for a cold and sore throat, and its natural antioxidant and antimicrobial properties help fight infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Kefir
Kefir is loaded with probiotics that strengthen your immune system, says Mike Roussell, Ph.D. With more protein than yogurt and milk, it also regulates digestion, enabling your body to actually use all the calories and nutrients you consume when you're feeling under the weather, he says.
Other fermented foods like sauerkraut, dill, carrots, kimchi, and kombucha also get the job done by populating your gut with good bacteria, thereby potentially preventing colds.
Selenium-rich foods
A single ounce of Brazil nuts contains well above your recommended daily value for selenium, a mineral that helps boost your immunity. Having enough selenium in your body increases its production of cytokines, which help remove the flu virus, says James A. Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods.
Other sources of selenium include lobster, oysters, clams, crabs, and tuna.
Red wine
The resveratrol and polyphenols in red wine work the same way that beneficial bacteria in yogurt do, says Duke: When cold and flu viruses enter you system, they start to multiply, and these compounds prevent that from happening.
To get the most bang for your buck, grab a bottle of California pinot noir. Tests have found it to have some of the highest levels of resveratrol.
Mushrooms
While mushrooms have long been a staple in Chinese healing, they’re having a modern medicinal moment. Moreno says they likely have antiviral properties, thanks in large part to their rich vitamin D content. They produce cytokines, a cellular protein, which helps fight off infections. Their polysaccharides are another class of compounds that boost immunity.
Carbohydrates
Yep, carbs are your friend—especially if you hit the gym often. “Taking in carbs while you’re training helps counter immune dysfunction and immune inflammatory responses due to the stress hormones released during hard exercise.” Translation: Those carbs are helping your body stay strong and fight off cold symptoms.
Fatty fish
Vitamin D helps keep your immune system strong, and Roussell says the vitamin D content in fatty fish like salmon can help maintain optimal blood levels when your body isn't converting much of the vitamin from sunlight. Bonus: Stocking up on vitamin D may help fight certain cancers, strengthen bones, and aid in weight loss, too, he adds.
Zinc-rich foods
Moreno says that due its high zinc content, lamb is a strong contender for one of the best foods for a cold. One recent study found that consuming zinc at the onset of a cold shortened it by one day, and consuming a preventative tablet daily reduced its severity. Other great zinc-packed options include pumpkin seeds and chickpeas.
Tomatoes
If you’re vegan, tomato soup is an awesome chicken noodle soup alternative. Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, and a study from The Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that eight weeks of lycopene supplementation decreased markers of oxidative stress (an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body that occurs during infection), says Megan Meyer, PhD, director, science communication at the International Food Information Council Foundation.
Leafy greens
Salads are especially great when you’re experiencing cold symptoms. “Leafy greens are a source of vitamin E, a potent antioxidant,” says Meyer. While the majority of studies looking at the anti-viral properties of vitamin E have been conducted in animals, an observational study published in the journal Nutrition Research found that supplementing your diet with 200 IU of vitamin E per day might significantly reduce the frequency and severity of lower and upper respiratory infections.
Popsicles
“Hydration is key when you get sick,” says Meyer. “The CDC recommends drinking plenty of water and other clear liquids to prevent dehydration." Yes, slurping a popsicle totally counts. "Popsicles can be a helpful way to encourage hydration if drinking liquids is a hurdle when you’re feeling under the weather,” says Meyer.
Dark chocolate
Definitely think about keeping up your square-a-day habit when you’re feeling under the weather. Dark chocolate contains a bitter alkaloid called theobromine that has been proven in some studies to reduce inflammation caused by a cold, according to Meyer.
Fennel
If you’re not a huge licorice fan, fennel can be an acquired taste, but it’s worth exploring on a sick day when you’re desperate for relief. According to Meyer, fennel’s essential oils may exert some anti-viral and anti-influenza activity.
Elderberry extract
You know berries are super potent in disease-fighting compounds, thanks in part to their anthocyanin levels, which produce those gorgeous jewel tones. But you might want to opt for a lesser-known berry this time around, according to Meyer. A study from the Journal of International Medical Research found that elderberry extract, in particular, more effectively protected against influenza and alleviated the severity of a respiratory virus four days quicker than a placebo.
And when you catch a cold, four days can feel like an eternity.
The best foods to fight off a cold or the flu will help you manage symptoms, and shore up your immune system for next time, say nutrition experts.