Cold: When bad weather comes, defences go down, and it is easier for us to catch a good cold. Fortunately, a good diet acts as a protective barrier.
Foods That Relieve Colds
Thanks to these foods, you can keep colds and other symptoms such as coughing and sneezing away.
Table of Contents
1. Hydrate Well to Recover
If when you have a cold, you are not hungry; during the first two days, you do not need to eat a lot of solid foods, but you do have to eat liquids such as homemade juices, purees or soups.
And it is essential that you drink enough fluids (between 8 and 10 glasses of water) to facilitate the elimination of mucus and hydrate the mucous membranes.
2. Onion as an Antiseptic Solution
It contains sulfur compounds with antiseptic properties, making it another good remedy for winter colds.
During these days, it will be incredibly comforting to have a warm onion soup for dinner.
3. An Excellent Orange Juice to Stimulate the Defenses
You will cope better if you include citrus in your menus. Orange or mandarin are fruits rich in vitamin C that, although they do not prevent you from catching a cold (as many believe), stimulate the defences, which helps your body be more robust and prepared to overcome it.
4. Honey to Calm a Cough
Honey has always been used to relieve a sore throat and, mixed with milk or lemon, to calm a cough. According to a recent study, it can be as effective as antitussive drugs (against cough) with the advantage that it has no adverse effects.
However, it is not recommended for children under one year of age due to botulism.
5. Take Chicken Broth; It is a Mucolytic Remedy
Poultry soup or chicken soup is not only comforting in catarrhal conditions. Drinking defatted broths helps prevent dehydration, improve nasal congestion, and promote the elimination of mucus.
Also, according to the Mayo Clinic (USA), hot liquids help reduce the throat’s inflammation.
6. With White Meats and Legumes, You Will Heal Before
Taking 75 mg of zinc per day seems to contribute to a reduction in the duration of colds by 20-40%. Keep in mind that the foods richest in this mineral are white meats, seafood, fish, nuts, whole grains, and legumes.
Could you include them in your diet?
7. Don’t Forget Probiotic Foods
Yoghurt, kefir, fermented cabbage or miso contain lactic acid bacteria (lactobacillus) that maintain the balance of the intestinal bacterial flora, and that could help reduce the intensity of the symptoms of a cold, according to what has been observed in a study published in the “British Journal of Nutrition.”
