How to keep a cold at bay…

Support your Immune System

Cold and flu season is coming, but that doesn’t mean your family has to get sick! If you’re determined to stay cold and flu free, there are some simple steps you can take that might help you dodge those bugs. Bolster your natural defenses with our practical and tasty suggestions.

Eat lots of brightly colored fruit and vegetables

Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash and beetroot are rich in beta-carotene which our bodies convert to vitamin A. We need vitamin A to keep the mucosal linings in our nose and lungs robust enough to defend against infection. Other foods to include are orange and red fruits such as oranges, mango, apricots and melon.

Add Garlic & Onion to Dishes

This amazing family of vegetables contain potent oils that have an anti-microbial action, so they may help protect against bacterial and viral infections. They also support good gut health as prebiotics by promoting the growth of healthy bacteria.

Eat enough vitamin C

Studies suggest that high doses of vitamin C are most relevant for people exposed to brief periods of intense physical stress such as endurance athletes, or those living in very cold environments.

Eating plenty of fruit and veggies every day should give us enough vitamin C to support the healthy function of the immune system.

Get Enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D is thought to protect against respiratory infections by boosting levels of antimicrobial peptides – natural antibiotic-like substances – in the lungs.

While certain foods such as oily fish contain vitamin D, most of it is obtained through sunlight on the skin! Everyone should “consider” taking supplements during the autumn and winter months to protect against upper respiratory infections.

Drink some Tea

Try a cup of green tea with lemon and honey. Drinking tea and breathing in steam stimulates the cilia—the hair follicles in the nose—to move out germs more efficiently. Lemon thins mucus, and honey is antibacterial.”

Drink More Water

The cold and flu season is no fun. The sniffling, sneezing and headaches add up to a big discomfort for many. By drinking adequate amounts of water, water helps to wash germs and viruses out of your immune system and keeps the body hydrated. Drink according to your size, weight, activity level and gender.

Stay Active

When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body.

The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. This includes (but is certainly not limited to) seasonal colds and influenza.

Get a Protein Fix

Diets that are too low in protein can deplete the immune system. So make sure to get protein-rich foods throughout the day, especially fish, eggs and yogurt.“ Beans are another high source of protein to compliment your diet.

Sanitize your office space

Try and keep your office space clean with a good disinfectant at least once a week. It’s just basic hygiene. Rhinoviruses can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours!

Wash Your Hands Frequently

Handwashing is the best way to prevent colds and other respiratory and infectious diseases that are transmitted by hand to mouth or hand to nose and eye contact. Soap acts as a vehicle to trap the germs that are loosened by the act of rubbing your hands together under water. These germs can then be rinsed away by the water.”

Get Some Sleep

Research shows that our bodies need seven to eight hours of sleep in order to stimulate an immune response from our ‘natural killer cells,’ which attack viruses. Sleep is my most reliable defense against infection.”

References

https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/conditions/10-ways-beat-cold/

https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19530973/10-ways-to-stop-a-cold-in-its-tracks/

By Louis Baker