Comfort Foods for Cold and or Flu

There is no way to cure the flu or common cold, but healthy eating during cold and flu season can help you avoid getting sick. Eat a well balanced diet, high in fruits and vegetables.  Plant foods contain natural disease fighting compounds called phytochemicals and antioxidants.

If you find yourself or your kids getting lots of colds, then it is time to add some immune boosting foods to your diet. 

Here are some foods that help boost your immune system:

·         Water, drinking at least 8 glasses of water cleanses the body and removes toxins and germs.

·         Garlic may boost your immune system, increasing resistance to infection and stress.

·         Yogurt and other cultured milk products contain probiotics, beneficial bacterial with immune-boosting  benefits. 

·         Vitamin C, found in fruits and juices and broccoli

·         Vitamin E rich foods like nuts and whole grains

·         Zinc, found in meat, chicken, beans, crab, oysters, peanuts and peanut butter.

·         Omega-3 fatty acids found in nuts, salmon, tuna mackerel, flax seed, hempseed oil

·         Selenium rich foods found in chicken, whole grains, tuna, eggs, sunflower seeds and brown rice

Foods that help heal:

·         Fresh ginger root helps with nausea and diarrhea. 

·         Chicken soup and warm beverages increase the flow of nasal secretions, helping to alleviate cold symptoms.

Flu season is here!

Now is the time to get your annual flu shot. There's not much flu activity yet, but the season usually begins in October and lasts until May, making now the perfect time to get your annual flu shot.

CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year.

The vaccine protects against the three flu viruses that research indicates will cause the most illnesses during the season. Two of the viruses are different this year, but it still contains a vaccine against the H1N1 flu that appeared to start in Mexico and spread around the world in 2009. 

For those of us with a fear of needles, there are different ways to deliver the flu vaccine, including a new system with a tiny needle and a nasal spray. 

In addition to the flu shot, there are other actions that you can take to help guard against getting the flu. Good hand hygiene is the best way to protect yourself from getting the flu virus, as well as the best way to avoid spreading it. To decrease the spread of the virus, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. To decrease your chance of getting the flu virus, make sure you get adequate rest and exercise, drink lots of fluids, and eat nutritious foods.