If you're looking for ways to prevent winter colds and the flu, your first step should be a visit to your local grocery store, or better yet, to your local farmer.
Most people turn to vitamin C after they've caught a cold. Vitamin C is thought to increase the production of white blood cells. These are key to fighting infections. Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, it's easy to add a squeeze of C to any meal.
Popular citrus fruits include:
• grapefruit
• oranges
• tangerines
• lemons
• limes
• clementines
2. Ginger
Ginger is another ingredient many turn to after they've caught a cold. However, like vitamin C, ginger may also help prevent that cold from taking hold in the first place.
3. Sweet potatoes
Skin is one of the most important parts of our immune system, and is the first barrier to prevent disease. Sweet potato contains beta-carotene which your body then turns into vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a major role in the production of connective tissue in the skin. Other foods rich in beta-carotene are of course carrots, such winter favorites as kale and spinach, as well as pumpkins and cantaloupes.
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You might not take a shining to the smell, but garlic contains allicin, which fights infection and bacteria. In Britain some researchers gave 146 people either a placebo or garlic extract for 12 weeks. The garlic takers were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold. There are other studies that suggest people who eat more than six cloves a week have a 30% lower rate of colorectal cancer and a 50% lower rate of stomach cancer. Just make sure you brush your teeth!
5. Yogurt
When selecting yogurt, look for ones that have "live and active cultures" printed on the label. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, these cultures may stimulate your immune system to help fight diseases. Yogurt can also be a great source of vitamin D, so try to select brands fortified with vitamin D.
Vitamin D helps to regulate the immune system and is thought to potentially boost our body’s natural defenses against diseases.
6. Home-made chicken soup
When you’re sick, chicken soup is more than just a feel-good food with a placebo effect. It can also help protect you from getting sick in the first place.
Poultry, such as chicken and turkey, is high in vitamin B-6. Vitamin B-6 is an important player in many of the chemical reactions that happen within the body. It’s also vital to the formation of new and healthy red blood cells. Stock or bone broth, which is produced by boiling chicken bones, contains gelatin, chondroitin, and other nutrients helpful for gut healing and immunity.
