It’s that time of year again. When it seems you can’t go anywhere without running into someone who has a cold. We do everything to avoid it-washing our hands extra thoroughly, not shaking hands, avoiding close contact, carrying around hand sanitizer. So, what do we do to make sure our bodies are in the best defense mode to stop a cold from getting to us? And what are the best foods to make that cold go away faster?
Oranges
No surprise, we’ve heard that vitamin C is great for fighting colds our whole lives. Citrus is obviously what we think of. You get 85% US RDA of vitamin C in an orange, plus the fiber helps our digestive system remove toxins. Orange season is in full swing, so it’s pretty easy to make sure you have at least one a day to keep the colds away.
Lemons
Drinking warm water with lemon juice and zest to is a great way to start the day and get your immune system going in the morning. You don’t only get the benefits of Vitamin C, you also get a natural diuretic to help purge your system.
Eat your veggies
Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C, and peppers have even more than oranges. Greens also have a good amount of Vitamin C in addition to Vitamin A and fiber. So, taking in a lot of veggies in the winter will help our bodies be strong in defense mode.
Elderberry
Elderberries have been used in folk medicine all over the world for centuries. For the past 35 years, the medical community has adopted the fruit, making it’s way in the CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs, and Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference (listed as a remedy for colds, flu, congestion, and hay fever). Studies have shown that elderberries boost the immune system and enhance the immune function by boosting the production of cytokines (substances in our bodies that regulate immunity and inflamation). Oak Moon Kitchen makes a fantastic elderberry elixer that you can get here. It’s recommended to take 1 teaspoon a day to prevent colds, and up to 4 when the cold hits to shorten duration and decrease severity. Note: I just caught my husband’s cold and started taking this elderberry syrup the day I noticed the symptoms and I have much less of a runny and stuffy nose, and much less of a cough. Wish we had it sooner!
Probiotics
Get as many probiotics as you can, these good bacteria are tantamount to fighting the bad bacteria & viruses that cause infection.
Stay away from these
There are foods that weaken our immune system. Stay away from these and you’ll be doing your body good when it needs the energy to fight infection.
Sugar
The immune system can actually be suppressed by taking in sugar, inhibiting the work of white blood cells. Simple carbs turn into sugar, so best to avoid the breads and crackers, too.
Alcohol
Alcohol has the same effect as sugar, plus it dehydrates. Best to stay away and save the partying for another day.
Fatty foods
When you’re not hungry, it’s for good reason. Listen to your body and avoid the fatty foods that can actually increase inflammation and do nothing for immune defense.
Caffeine
If you don’t sweeten your caffeinated drink, which we already know doesn’t help, caffeinated drinks still aren’t a good idea, as they dehydrate. We want the opposite.
Certain Fruits
Strawberries, bananas, and papayas have histamine producing properties that aren’t exactly what we’d want to eat when we need to block those histamines. But when the season’s over, or when you’re feeling better, feel free to dive back in. There’s still a lot of good in these fruits.
Though there are many more foods to stock up on and many others to avoid during this season, the top five of each are good place to start and keep your wellness goals more realistic.