Superfoods – they are healthy, nutrient-dense foods that nourish your body and help the cells grow and reproduce. While they aid your body’s defenses they work to ward off attacks from cold causing germs. In preparing your body to do battle low-fat meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains all play a part.
Water is a super important component of your anti-cold defense system. Dehydration plays a negative role in our body’s ability to fight a cold. When the body is dehydrated, it is at an increased risk of collecting dangerous, stubborn, cold causing germs. It is so important to drink plenty of water to help your body stay hydrated and ready to defend against cold and flu season.
We’ve been aware for years how important pro-biotics are for a healthy body. Adding a simple serving of yogurt a day may work to keep the gastrointestinal track healthier, which in turn will help ward off colds. Live culture yogurt is the key, as this is the ingredient that helps keep the GI track ready to tackle germs for the body’s defenses. It never hurts to have an added bonus, so eating yogurt as part of daily dairy consumption helps you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
An an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic called allicilin has been shown to prevent complications from a cold in some research. Garlic is already a part of your favorite pasta dishes, so layer on the garlic to spice up a variety of dishes. Hey, whatever yummy food it takes to arm up our germ fighting arsenal – right?
We’ve all heard the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, so can an orange with its abundance of flavonoids. Statistically, it takes only one orange a day to provide your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. This vitamin C in oranges is also the ingredient that helps your body’s cells regenerate and stay healthy and strong. Green bell peppers are the vegetable family’s best vitamin C source. Add them to a salad, or simply slice one up and eat it raw. Flavonoids are also found in peppers. You may even want to prepare a green pepper dip seasoned with garlic for an added germ-kicking effect.
Even chicken or lean ground beef, especially when prepared with a bit of garlic, can maintain cell health and fight off illness, so eat up! It’s a good source of protein, selenium and zinc, and when eaten with a bit of tomato, is a great defense during cold season.