5 Foods To Eat During The Cold and Flu Season

The cold and flu season can cause havoc on a person’s body during the colder seasons. An individual can feel overly tired, congested, the body has aches and shivers, and lastly, the immune system will work overtime to help fight off the germs. When this happens, many remedies can help these symptoms when a person feels a little bit under the weather. They help the body give that extra boost to recover from cold and flu symptoms and can provide the body a chance to rest.

When anyone is starting to feel sick, an important note is to try and get as much rest as they possibly can. It can be anything like getting more sleep, scaling down on exercising, or take some time off of work to heal more quickly. In this article, here are some of the top 5 foods to help the body improve and recover from the cold and flu season, with some additional remedies to boost the immune system as well.

Soups

Soups are one of the most excellent sources of feeling better during cold and flu season. They are easily digestible and helps soothe the body by containing ample waters to keep it hydrated. Water-based soups like chicken noodle, Hippocrates soup, and vegetable soup incorporates all the essential nutrients that the body needs when it is the colder season, helping to combat the flu.

Garlic

Garlic has a wide variety of health benefits that can help the body during the cold and flu season. It can help reduce the risk of heart diseases, improve mental health, and enhance the immune system. Studies have shown that whole garlic contains a compound called alliin. When garlic is chopped, chewed, or crushed, it will help boost the disease-fighting response of white blood cells in the body when they are encountering viruses that cause the common cold or flu.

Studies also stated that garlic helps support neurodegenerative health, cardiovascular health, and compromised liver functioning from excessive alcohol use. Researchers at the Toxicology, School of Public Health, Shandong University in China, have isolated the garlic compound, DADS (diallyl disulfide), as the main compound that helps protects the body from ethanol-induced oxidative stress.

Foods That Are Rich in Vitamin C

Foods that contain vitamin C is highly essential when it comes to battling the cold or flu. Vitamin C is a powerful, potent supplement that has antioxidants and immune system boosters that protects the body from environmental factors like reducing oxidative stress, prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections. With vitamin C-rich foods, they contain essential minerals, vitamins, and high in flavonoids that help individuals who don’t feel like eating or preferring bland foods to consume when they are sick. Initially, they can eat vitamin C rich food by either juice or soup. Here are some delicious fruits and juices that contain a high amount of vitamin C to combat the cold and flu.

• Guava
• Strawberries
• Tomato juice
• Oranges and Orange juice

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar can provide many minerals and enzymes that can fight off pathogens that can be caused by the common cold or flu. A 2011 study has shown that the probiotics in apple cider vinegar have an immune-boosting effect that can shorten the duration of a cold when an individual drinks apple cider vinegar. Taking apple cider vinegar with a glass of water can also help the body when it is not cold and flu season. Apple cider vinegar helps inhibits bacterial growth, can support healthy blood pressure levels in the body, as well as an excellent addition to the medicine cabinet during cold and flu season.

Ginger

Ginger is a medicinal root plant that has been used for thousands of years. This root has been known to relieve motion sickness and nausea in the digestive system. Studies have shown that 70% of the immune system is found in the gut, and so it is highly essential that the digestive system in the body is working efficiently. Since ginger is made up of hundreds of compounds, some of them have potent antioxidants and can help support healthy inflammatory pathways in the body. Ginger can be found as a fresh root, dried, as an extract or oil, tinctures, capsules, and lozenges. Here are some of the foods that contain ginger to help the body fight the common cold or flu.

• Ginger tea
• Curry
• Gingerbread
• Cookies
• Gingersnaps
• Ginger ale

 “It is highly essential to stay hydrated during the cold and flu season. Ample fluids like water, coconut water, and herbal teas are the first line of defense.

Additionally, getting a good night’s sleep helps the immune system in the body recover faster. It is also essential to avoid eating foods like processed foods, alcohol, soda, fried foods, and dairy when it is cold and flu season. Since it can cause inflammation and aggravate the immune system when the body is trying to recover from being sick.” – Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight – Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight

Conclusion

All in all, when it is cold and flu season, people can start stocking up on these five remedies and taking antibiotics to get a head start on not getting sick. When the body does get sick, taking these remedies, getting lots and lots of rest, staying hydrated, and relaxing can ensure that the body will recover faster. Since food matters to people’s health, it’s vital to give the body the nourishment it needs for the cold and flu season.

October is Chiropractic Health Month. To learn more about it, check out Governor Abbott’s proclamation on our website to get full details on this declaration.

So the mechanisms of an autoimmune disease can be either by genetics or by environmental factors that can cause an individual to have problems in their body. There are many autoimmune diseases, both common and rare, that can affect the body. The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal and nervous health issues as well as functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or chronic disorders of the musculoskeletal system. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .

References:

Biotics Education Team, Unknown. “5 Foods to Eat During the Cold & Flu Season.” Biotics Research Blog, 16 Sept. 2019, blog.bioticsresearch.com/5-foods-to-eat-during-the-cold-flu-season.

Borlinghaus, Jan, et al. “Allicin: Chemistry and Biological Properties.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), MDPI, 19 Aug. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25153873.

Carr, Anitra C, and Silvia Maggini. “Vitamin C and Immune Function.” Nutrients, MDPI, 3 Nov. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/.

Das, Arabinda, et al. “Garlic Compounds Generate Reactive Oxygen Species Leading to Activation of Stress Kinases and Cysteine Proteases for Apoptosis in Human Glioblastoma T98G and U87MG Cells.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 23 July 2007, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cncr.22888.

Felman, Adam. “Antibiotics: Uses, Resistance, and Side Effects.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 18 Jan. 2019, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10278.php.

Newman, Tim. “Congestive Heart Failure: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 3 Jan. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156849.php.

Song, Fu-Young, et al. “The Activation of HO-1/Nrf-2 Contributes to the Protective Effects of Diallyl Disulfide (DADS) against Ethanol-Induced Oxidative Stress.” Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – General Subjects, Elsevier, 28 June 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304416513002882.

Surh, Y J, et al. “Chemoprotective Properties of Some Pungent Ingredients Present in Red Pepper and Ginger.” Mutation Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 June 1998, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9675305.

Vighi, G, et al. “Allergy and the Gastrointestinal System.” Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Blackwell Science Inc, Sept. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/.

Watson, Kathryn. “Apple Cider Vinegar for Colds.” Healthline, 22 Jan. 2018, www.healthline.com/health/apple-cider-vinegar-for-colds.

West, Helen. “How Garlic Fights Colds and The Flu.” Healthline, 17 Mar. 2016, www.healthline.com/nutrition/garlic-fights-colds-and-flu.

Yagnik, Darshna, et al. “Antimicrobial Activity of Apple Cider Vinegar against Escherichia Coli, Staphylococcus Aureus and Candida Albicans; Downregulating Cytokine and Microbial Protein Expression.” Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group UK, 29 Jan. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5788933/.