It is cold and flu season now and you are dealing with a bad case of the sniffles. Your appetite is understandably down which means you will be eating a lot less. However, as hard as it may be to eat, you need to do so in order to keep your strength and energy levels up. But you don’t want to eat just anything. You want to stick to foods that will help you fight that cold. Let’s go over the best 5 foods to eat while you have a cold:
1. Chicken Soup And Broth
It was believed that chicken soup being good for you while you have a cold is a myth. However, there is truth to it. The chicken in the soup has properties that help reduce inflammation, and the broth helps you keep your electrolyte levels up and keeps you hydrated. You need to have that so you can fight the cold. And adding vegetables such as carrots and celery in it will also help as they have important nutrients to help keep you strong.
2. Honey
It is normal to crave tea when you are sick, as tea helps you stay hydrated as it is, but add some honey into it as well. Honey has amazing antibacterial properties that will help keep you strong and keep your immune system fighting the cold. However, if you have an infant that is under the age of 12 months, do not give the baby honey as their digestive system is not mature enough to handle the bacteria which can be serious.
3. Yogurt
Yogurt is an important source of good bacteria that you need which are probiotics, and are a good source of nutrients including calcium. Probiotics can help you fight off colds faster as well which is why this is a good food to eat when you have one. However, if you don’t like yogurt or you find that dairy foods such as yogurt worsen mucus, you can always take probiotic supplements.
4. Fruits
Fruits, in general, are excellent for when you are fighting a cold as they have plenty of Vitamin C which is important for keeping your immune system strong. Higher calorie fruits such as bananas are important to eat if you are not able to eat much otherwise as they will give you the energy that you need to stay strong and to help you fight off the cold.
5. Spicy Foods
If you feel you can handle eating spicy foods, then you will want to do it because it helps clear out the excess mucus and that means spicy food can help you clear away congestion. That is important to do when you have a cold so you get the mucus out and it leaves your system quicker.
And it is also very important to stay hydrated as much as you can when you have a cold, so drink a lot of water or tea which may be preferable. You need to stay hydrated to help you fight off the virus so you can stay healthy.
