Not only do healthy, nutrient-dense foods nourish your body and help the cells grow and reproduce, they also help arm your body’s defenses to ward off attacks from germs that cause colds.
Another important component of your anti-cold defense system is water. When your body is dehydrated, it’s at an increased risk of germs latching on and not letting go. So be sure to drink plenty of water and decaffeinated drinks to help your body stay hydrated and ready.
Just one cup of yogurt a day may work to keep the gastrointestinal track healthier, which can help ward off colds. It has to be yogurt with live cultures, as this is the key ingredient that helps keep the GI track ready to rumble.
Garlic contains allicin, an antibiotic that has been shown to prevent complications from a cold in some research. Garlic can be added to many of your favorite dishes to spice them up and help you suit up to do battle against cold germs.
It’s been said an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, so can an orange. One orange a day provides your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Oranges are also abundant in flavonoids, which 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.