Chasing coughs and colds away!

Well, it’s been a lousy couple of weeks for me – I’ve had the sniffles, a sore throat and chesty cough for most of it and am still suffering. Hopefully you’ll all be in better shape than me but if not, or if you just want to make sure you stay ahead of the nasties check out these immune-boosting diet tips.

Boost your intake of antioxidants – antioxidants are vitamins and minerals which help fight disease and infection. They also help counter ageing so are definitely worth eating regardless! These are the top sources of antioxidants:
• Vitamin A - liver, or if you’re veggie, dairy products, and if you’re vegan, carrots
• Vitamin C - guava for a fruit source or red peppers if you want a vegetable option
• Vitamin E - wheatgerm oil for dressing your salad or sunflower seeds for sprinkling on your soup
• Selenium – brazil nuts

Zinc is your friend - zinc helps with healing and supports the immune system. It can also help boost your sex drive, which can sometimes get hidden amongst all those winter layers! Meat and dairy are great sources of zinc but it is also found in good quantities in wholegrain cereals and pulses. Avoid smoking and alcohol as they deplete your zinc supplies.

B good to yourself – the B vitamins work together and help your body cope with stress, both physical (illness) and mental. Like zinc they are easily destroyed by smoking and alcohol. They also get used up quickly so make sure you have a regular supply of foods that are rich in B vitamins in your diet. Good sources are wholegrains, meat, nuts and seeds. Many cereals also have extra B vitamins added to them. If you take a supplement make sure it is a B-complex one which contains all 6 B vitamins.

These tips are also helpful if you are preparing for an operation, or recovering from one.

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This Post was written by Abby from eat the right stuff