Natural foods that can help you to beat winter colds.

With the Christmas party season about to begin, the last thing you want is to catch a cold or a flu. And, of course, there are plenty of opportunities to do just that when everyone around you seems to be coughing and sneezing in your direction.

 

Luckily, there are many natural ways to strengthen your immune system and prepare it for the constant bug attacks during the winter season. So here are some of the top natural remedies, which can help to keep colds away or (if you have already caught a bug) can help to relieve the symptoms and reduce recovery time.

 

Garlic

There’s a good reason why garlic is nicknamed as “Russian penicillin”. It contains a powerful antibacterial compound allicin, which is effective against common cold and flu. It’s a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese and selenium. While adding garlic to your cooked meals is a great way to get all these nutrients, raw garlic is the most effective infection-fighter. Therefore, if you are unwell and not particularly concerned about “garlic breath”, crushing one clove of garlic, letting it sit for 10-15 minutes and then eating it with a teaspoon of honey can help speed up your recovery.

 

Ginger

This zingy root possesses a great variety of therapeutic properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic. To make use of these impressive properties, I suggest you brew your own fresh ginger tea. You can find my recipe below.

 

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices, coming from Ancient Egypt. It has a rich history as a medicinal herb both in Eastern and Western cultures. Besides having a delicious chocolaty and nutty flavour, it possesses a wide range of therapeutic properties. Amongst these properties is an antibiotic and circulatory stimulant. A simple way to increase cinnamon consumption is by adding some ground cinnamon to your porridge, smoothies, yogurts or herbal tea. Or, just sprinkle it on top of your cappuccino instead of chocolate… delicious!

 

Fresh ginger tea with cinnamon

Finely chop 2-3cm of a ginger root (with or without the skin)

Squeeze half a lemon

Add 1tsp of ground cinnamon

Add 1tsp of honey or a handful of goji berries for sweetness

Pour over half a litre of boiling water and let it brew for 10 minutes

Enjoy it as a hot tea or a cold herbal drink. The bonus – you can count it towards your daily water intake!

 

Stay in good health!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

[instagram-feed width=50 cols=3 num=6 followtext="Follow me"]

Elena

Keep up with the latest updates, recipes and events in Functional Nutrition

Subscribe To The Gut Philosophy Newsletter

* indicates required
gutphilosophy logo

Hello, I’m Elena your data-driven Functional Nutritionist to help you achieve your goals.

I’m here to help you feel your best through nutritional and lifestyle changes.

Contact

London

United Kingdom

Reg. Company 12149506 hello@gutphilosophy.com

+44 207 101 3963 

Scroll to Top