Sniff, sniff...Achoo! It's that time of year again. Cold and Flu Season is back and are you prepared? I find this time of the year the most difficult. Never sure what to wear on a daily basis as the weather patterns are continuously fluctuating. One day hot, the next day cold and wet. Arggghhhh!!! What a pain. I have found that the best way to combat the cold and flu season is to stay prepared for it throughout the year. Sounds funny doesn't it though??; preparing the whole year for a season? But, when it comes down to it, the winter season is 6 months long approximately, give or take a month, which is roughly half a year. That's a long time to be consistently sick, so its worth the effort to try to maintain a solid base of good health leading up to the cold and flu season.
To help me combat the Cold and Flu Season, I consistenly throw in the following top 10 foods to support my immune system and to help keep me in tip top shape:
1. Cremini, portobello or white button mushrooms and barley ~ mixed in with soups, vegetable stir-fry, or eaten entirely on their own, these guys pack a powerful amount of beta-glucan. It is widely known that beta-glucan is one of the most powerful immune stimulants known to man. A dose of 200mg is all you would need to help support the immune system.
2. Garlic ~ I love Garlic and cook with it almost every chance I get. I'm talking heaping spoonfulls of this amazing stuff. Garlic is a well know bacteria killer. It contains high amounts of phystochemicals which help to give your immune system an anti-bacterial boost! I love to use garlic when slow cooking meats and veggies.
3. Green Tea with Honey ~ Yes, yes I know, tea is not a food group, but you cannot go through a cold and flu season without having green tea with honey! The green tea leaves themselves contain a substance called L-theaninie, which helps to strengthen the immune system and specifically fight the flu. The Honey offers incredible antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral polyphenols which can help in treating sore throats all the way to bacterial infections.
4. Warm Broth ~ Mmmmm, picture yourself sitting in front of a roaring fireplace, with your feet up, nuzzled under a thick blanket while sipping on warm broth. Sounds amazing doesn't it? Warm broth, when taken from steeped vegetables, offers the body a boatload of phyto-chemicals which in turn helps your body absorb all the anti-bacteiral properties the broth offers; Thus, assisting your immune system to a) ward off a cold and b) help fight the cold/flu faster so you get better quicker!
5. Tomatoes paired with Olive Oil ~ This combination is not only delicious but extremely powerful. The tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called Lycopene that can help protect against degenerative diseases. It does this by neutralizing free radicals in the body which in turn helps to protect you from disease. The Olive oil helps to bolster the immune system, which in turn helps to protect against viruses. What a great mid-night snack no?
6. Apple Cider Vinegar ~ Paired with some EVOO, Apple Cider Vinegar is delicious as a salad dressing! But it does more than just offer up some amazing flavor. When your battling a cold or flu and congestion has set in, Apple Cider Vineger has the amazing ability to help cut through and banish the accumulated mucus congestion. A serving a day on your salad can help to keep your sinus passages and respiratory tract mucuous free!
7. Oregano ~ If you are not yet familiar with Oregano...then you need to be! Oregano has the highest anti-oxidant compound out of all the herbs!. It contains thymol and carvacrol, two oils which have remarkable bacteria-fighting power...research has shown that “…On a per gram fresh weight basis, oregano has demonstrated 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges and 4 times more than blueberries.” Order Up!
8. Red Bell Peppers ~ This beautiful vegetable packs a remarkably high source of phyto-chemicals, beta-carotenes and Vitamin C. Twice the amount of Vitamin C than most of the vegetables eaten. What does this mean to you? Well, in a nut shell - vitamin C helps in the immune system function to fight against bacteria, viruses, and infection. It also serves as an effective antihistamine which can help to lessen the unpleasant effects of the common cold, including inflammation, stuffy nose and unpleasant aches and pains.
Tossed into salads, stir frys or eaten raw straight off the shelf (figuratively speaking, of course), red bell peppers could turn out to be your best "food" friend.
9. Pumpkin ~ Not only for Halloween! Pumpkins are packed with beta-carotene; a nutrient that helps the body make Vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to regulate cell to cell communication which is the basic foundation of our immune system. Bottom line, if our cells are communicating well together then they are better able to detect when a virus or bacteria has entered into our system which thus enables the immune system better access to ward off the cold and flu. A simple serving of pumpkin 2-3 times a week will suffice.
10. Broccoli ~ The mini tree vegetable! Broccoli contains extremely potent antioxidant compounds which help to combat disease; cold, flu and otherwise. High in glucosinolates - which helps to stimulate the bodies immune system - these little trees do more than just look great on a plate, they help to keep the roots of your immune system strong and stable.
Well, there you have it. My top 10 favorite foods that I eat on a regular basis to help me survive the cold and flu season. I hope that you find this information serves you and your body well. If you haven't already included some of these power house foods into your daily/weekly regime, try to add in a couple a month until it becomes a habit. It takes 30 days to break old habits and replace them with new ones. The first step though in anything we do is to just take that first step. The rest will follow!
Let's get moving :)
Cheers to your health!
Katerina
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