Cold and Cough

Cold and Cough

Cold can add up to a lot of sleepless nights, sick days, chapped noses, crumpled tissues.

There are things we can do to make ourselves feel just a little better while we recover from a cold, Here are a few immune boosting foods you can eat to fight a cold or the flu.

Have Some Soup or Tea

There is a lot of evidence that soup suppresses the inflammation which causes many cold symptoms. It also thins mucous secretions so congestion in the nose, chest and throat will be alleviated too. The addition of noodles and vegetables will increase the healing power of the soup as the carbohydrates will help your energy levels, while the veggies will increase the nutrient levels in the soup, which also boost a struggling immune system. Add some black pepper for that extra flavour.

Ginger tea helps to soothe the sore throat by clearing the mucous.

Drink Fluids

Stay hydrated with plenty of liquids. Instead of coffee, fizzy or sweetened drinks, have plenty of water and pure fruit juices. Hot beverages work better for some people, so consider chamomile or peppermint herbal tea, or sip on hot water with a slice of lemon. Try green tea – it contains antioxidants that can boost an ailing immune system. Not only do green tea sippers experiences less colds and flu, but their immune systems also produce more cells that fight the bacteria and viruses that cause sickness.

Moisturize the Air

Since dry air is bad for cold symptoms, using a vaporizer or humidifier will probably make you a little more comfortable.

Breathe in Some Steam

Try taking steam through a steamer for relaxing your nasal passage and giving comfort to your throat.

Gargle

If one of your cold symptoms is a sore throat, try gargling with salt water. A salt water gargle can help relieve your pain and that uncomfortable scratchy throat feeling.

Garlic

The oily compound allicin (that gives garlic its distinctive smell) works the cold-fighting magic which acts as a decongestant. Garlic is also believed to act as an antioxidant and destroy free-radicals, the active oxygen molecules that damage cells, so add garlic liberally to your favourite foods.

Honey

Honey can reduce a cough by coating the throat and soothing the irritation. Add some ginger juice to a spoon of honey and you would feel better.