Healthy eating to ward off colds and flu this season
Maintain winter wellness with foods that boost your defenses.
It’s cold and flu season again. Time to remember that your diet can have a big impact on your immune system and your ability to fight respiratory viruses. To maintain maximum winter wellness, get your flu shot, wash your hands often, and follow these eating tips.
Pick plant foods
Pack your meals and snacks with fruits and vegetables full of phytochemicals, the natural substances in some plant foods that give them built-in immune boosters. Dark, leafy greens and red or yellow vegetables are some of the best sources of phytochemicals. Beans and legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are too.
Eat nutritious foods
Improve your diet by including more foods that may boost immunity, including lemon, garlic, yogurt, turmeric, oregano, green tea, ginger, squash, and chicken soup. These foods aren’t just full of flavor. They also contain vitamins and minerals that can help keep you healthy.
Stay hydrated
Drinking plenty of water will help strengthen your immune system, flush toxins from your body, and keep your skin from drying out during the winter. You can also eat fruits and veggies that help hydrate, such as lettuce, cauliflower, celery, melon, and berries.
Keep your blood sugar stable
When blood sugar gets too low, the body can go into fight-or-flight mode, increasing adrenaline and stress hormones. That can make you more susceptible to infection. Avoid foods that will quickly increase (and then decrease) your blood sugar, such as juices, sodas, candy, and heavily processed snacks.
Get your vitamins
Plenty of people swear by supplements such as zinc, iron, and vitamin C in the winter to boost immunity. But unless you have a deficiency, they may be unnecessary. Focus on getting your vitamins from foods first, and ask your doctor about vitamins before you start taking any.
Limit alcohol
Heavy drinking can suppress your immune system and make you more prone to infection. Drinking alcohol also dehydrates you.
Dr. Heidi says: Carving pumpkins this year? Save those seeds and roast them! They’re high in zinc, which plays a vital role in immunity.
