Cold & Flu
Winter brings lot of things like festivals, holidays, cool temperatures and, also cold and flu viruses. With the change of weather these viruses spread everywhere making people sick.
There are many viruses which cause cold and flu also new viruses constantly develop, so the body never builds up resistance against all of them. More than 200 different types of viruses are known to cause the common cold. Rhinovirus is the most common one, which approximately causes 30-35% adult colds. Similarly Influenza virus causes Flu. There are three types of influenza viruses. Type A is the most common flu. It changes often and causes a new epidemic, or mass outbreak of flu, every few years. Type B causes smaller, local or regional outbreaks and Type C causes only mild illness. The influenza virus changes often, so having flu vaccination for one strain does not give you full immunity to other strains.
The viruses can pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. If you have touched a contaminated surface, they can pass from your hand to your nose or mouth. It spreads when infected persons cough, sneeze, or even talk around others.
There are no implicit reason for cold and flu viruses to attack our body but some researches suggests that lack of immunity, psychological stress and allergic diseases affecting our nose or throat may have an impact on the chances of getting affected by them.
Being known that it is impossible to prevent cold and Flu during winter, it is good to know how to take care when one catches cold and flu.
By eliminating certain foods and consuming immune bosting foods, it is to recover more quickly and recover from the severity of symptoms. The best way to kick a cold and flu is to drink plenty of fluids and eat phlegm-fighting foods
| Foods to avoid | Foods to consume |
| Deep Fried snacks and food – Foods high in fat causes inflation and decreases immunity | Citrus fruits like orange and grape fruit |
| Coffee, Carbonated drinks, Alcohol, store bought juices and juices that are high in sugars | Caffeine free hot tea and soups |
| Sweets and refined sugars | Honey |
| Brown rice, wheat | White rice |
| Artificial sweeteners, gelatin | Spices- turmeric, ginger, garlic, pepper and cumin |
| Chick peas | Freshly cooked vegetables |
| Fast foods and processed foods | Herbs- Basil and Mint |
| Dairy products – In general dairy products will increase mucus production but consuming dairy products may not aggravate symptoms in certain people. If it doesn’t affect your system you can continue using it in less amounts | |
| Heavy meats and spices |
Taking hot steam with a drop essential oils like eucalyptus or sage will help to reduce severity of congestion and eases breathing. In addition to this having plenty of rest and eating vitamin supplements will help recover soon.