Simple ways to survive the cold season

It’s that time of the year again when everyone has a cold and that includes me. I find it strange when I cough and my friends ask me “hata wewe hupata homa!!!” (you also get colds!) Yes I do! And I get those that come with cold sores and blood shot eyes. Nutritionists get colds too, so do doctors. Good thing is we have tricks to get better quickly. In addition to medicine (hopefully prescribed by a doctor), keeping warm and rest, eating foods that boost your immunity helps fight the cold faster.

Good foods for boosting immunity include;

Foods rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin E

The two vitamins are really good for boosting immunity. They are abundant in green, yellow and red foods. Green leafy vegetables are readily available and very affordable. Carrots, capsicum (hoho), papayas, mangoes, sunflower seeds, avocados, fish, liver, and fruits are good sources. When trying to get the vitamins from vegetables, cook them shortly and if making salads, use a salad dressing with healthy oils. Vitamin A and Vitamin E are fat soluble vitamins meaning that they need to be accompanied by fat to be absorbed in the body. Slightly cooking them or using a salad dressing with healthy fats, helps you get the fat that aids absorption.

Vitamin C

The most known source for vitamin C is oranges and citrus fruits. There are other sources too, some better than oranges. They include; papayas, bell peppers (also hoho), broccoli, pineapples, sukuma wiki, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, water melons etc.

Onions

Onions have chemicals that help fight infections and keep you healthy. To get the medicinal benefits, you shouldn’t fry them till they are golden brown. The chemicals are volatile and frying them would make you lose all that. Garlic is a super food but all onions have those properties.

Chicken soup

Chicken has an amino acid (building block of proteins) known as cysteine which has anti-inflammatory properties. This basically means that it lessens the sickness symptoms and you get better faster. The salt in the soup helps thin mucous which is a plus. For better results, add a good amount of onions and garlic to your chicken soup.

Herbs and spices

Natural herbs and spices have medicinal properties. For best results, buy them in their most natural states. You can use them to make tea or add them to your food. Good examples include; turmeric, garlic, ginger etc.

Honey

Honey especially combined with ginger and lemons helps soothe your throat an reduces the severity of colds.

Moderate amounts of healthy oils

Fish oil is a good way to go when you are fighting colds.

Avoid foods that cause creation and accumulation of mucus 

Whole milk, milk products, sugar, and deep fried foods are examples of foods that cause your body to produce more mucous which in turn makes it hard to breath.

Lastly, dress warmly and get quality rest.