Contents:
- Medical Video: Top 5 Ways to Prevent the Flu or a Cold this Season | Howdini
- 1. Chicken soup
- 2. Garlic
- 3. Honey
- 4. Green tea
- 5. Strawberries, oranges and tomatoes
- 6. Lean meat
Medical Video: Top 5 Ways to Prevent the Flu or a Cold this Season | Howdini
If you feel itching in the back of your throat or your nose starts to runny, is it too late to reduce the risk of getting a cold or flu? Not at all! The best thing you can do is take action quickly and prevent the onset of the disease by eating foods that can boost the immune system and fight germs before colds and flu attack your body.
Here are five of the best foods to boost your immune system to fight colds or flu.
1. Chicken soup
Sounds cliched, but medical research states that chicken soup can suppress inflammation which causes symptoms of colds and flu. This magic soup can also melt the mucus so that the congestion will feel congested in the nose, chest and throat.
Adding noodles and vegetables will make this soup even more effective because carbohydrates can increase energy, and vegetables will increase nutrition in soups, which boost the immune system.
2. Garlic
Onions are foods that are rich in antioxidants and have been studied to have antiviral substances that can prevent colds or flu and shorten the duration of illness. Allicin oil compound (a compound that gives a distinctive aroma to garlic) is effective for fighting colds and flu.
And even though eating raw garlic is better, you don't have to force it if you don't like it. Garlic supplements such as powder, oil and extract have the same healing ability. You only need to consume one or two onions every day to avoid yourself from a routine doctor visit.
3. Honey
If you remember when your grandmother gave you a spoonful of honey when you had a sore throat, you would be happy if we let you know that your grandmother was right when she did it! Research shows that honey can reduce coughing by coating the throat and curing irritation.
In fact, honey is more effective against coughing than cough medicine. Buckwheat honey has been proven to have quality in the medical field.
Do not forget, that children under the age of 12 years are not recommended to consume honey because of the risk of contracting infant botulism.
4. Green tea
Chinese have used green tea as an antidote for hundreds of years, and now research supports their ideas. Green tea contains antioxidants that can boost the immune system.
Not only does it reduce the risk of colds and flu, green tea drinkers also have a better immune system so that cells in their bodies can fight bacteria and viruses that cause disease.
Don't forget that green tea also contains caffeine. If you are considering giving your child green tea, just one cup of warm green tea is enough to prove its benefits.
5. Strawberries, oranges and tomatoes
Even though there is no mutual agreement among nutritionists on the cure effect of regular consumption of vitamin C for symptoms of colds and flu, several studies suggest that vitamin C can help prevent colds and flu.
Studies have stated that health benefits by consuming fruits and vegetables that are rich in vitamin C as much as three cups or more per day (the body cannot store vitamin C, so it is very important to consume vitamin C every day) can function as a builder of the immune system.
The tip is to get vitamin C from the food you consume, and not from supplements. Therefore, fill your menu with foods that are rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, oranges, tomatoes and broccoli.
6. Lean meat
Iron is very important for a strong immune system and the most efficient way to maintain a good level of iron is to eat lean meat. Not only does it provide iron that is easily absorbed by the body, lean meat also contains zinc, another good mineral to prevent infection.
Therefore, if you start to feel a little compressed or runny, eat a piece of lean, red meat, poultry (maybe chicken soup?), Fish or shellfish can help you fight germs.
