Foods that Really Fight a Cold or Flu

Who knew that chicken soup really does help you get over a cold or flu faster? Turns out, chicken soup replenishes the nutrients and energy lost trying to battle your nasty cold and flu symptoms, making chicken soup a great tool for building up your immune system to fight off your bug. Plus chicken soup helps with congestion by thinning all that mucous in your body so you can finally breathe. Learn what other great foods actually help you fight off a cold or flu, fast!

Garlic makes your cold and flu actually fade more quickly, and works as a preventative for both these viruses as well. All that oil in garlic that makes it slippery and stinky is what makes it so great- the super concentrated antioxidants in garlic make it a wonder tool for getting over and preventing cold and flu to begin with! Chop up cloves into your chicken noodle soup (or make a beverage of garlic to treat a cough) and feel better fast!

Green tea has been shown to have 36% effectiveness in how long a cold or flu actually lasts, and prevents your chances of even getting a cold or flu by 25%! Antioxidants again play a huge role in green tea, which also helps to rehydrate you and give your immune system a major boost. In fact, if you drink green tea, your immune system will produce even more cells to fight off viruses and disease to give you a better chance of not getting sick to begin with! Yay!

Eat more meat when you're sick so you can get your iron levels up. When your immune system is too busy fighting off infection to take care of itself, it's up to you to replenish your immune system's nutrients, and iron is right up there in importance. Eating lean meats (such as lean beef, chicken, and fish) while you have a cold keeps those iron levels up. Taking an iron supplement can help as well.

What list of healthy foods for a cold or flu is complete without honey? Honey is nature's cure-all, and when it comes to cold and flu, honey doesn't disappoint. Honey soothes a sore throat and calms a cough to help a person feel better, and the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of honey help to banish that cold and flu, fast. Take honey alone for a cough or sore throat, or mix into a green tea for ultimum relief. The honey will make your tight congestion feel less painful, fast.

Source:

http://health.slides.kaboose.com/110-feel-good-foods-10-cold-flu-fighters