This is how you can beat the winter cold & flu season

By Joshua Gaudry, Food Scientist, Flannerys Organic & Wholefood Market

Start by being prepared and keeping warm. While still a fiercely debated topic, recent research suggests that the old wives tail of “don’t get cold or you will catch a cold” may have some truth to it. Latest findings have found that the drop in temperature with the seasons can potentially have pathophysiological responses in our body that make us more susceptible to infection by viruses. It seems that at lower temperatures our body produces less antiviral immune signals to fight off viruses entering through the airways.

Avoiding colds with winter warmers

• Bone Broths – not only delicious and good for our guts, bone broths have a wide array of immune system benefits too. In particular, the amino acids in chicken bone broth such as cysteine and glycine are building blocks for important immunomodulating factors in the body.
• Fire Tonic – Apple cider vinegar on steroids, fire tonic has an array of warming ingredients including cayenne pepper that’ll be sure to light your inner fire this winter.
• Turmeric Golden Mylk- with a range of anti-inflammatory properties, and warming ingredients this is sure to warm you up.
• Herbal Teas: English Tea Shop and Pukka have a tea for just about everything
• Cacao – Grab a bag of our cacao powder and your good to go for a delicious hot chocolate, just add hot water and your choice of sweetener.

Strengthening our immune system with probiotics

• Incorporating more probiotic rich foods into your diet can help to boost your immune system, foods like sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha all help to colonise your gut, preferentially inhibiting pathogenic microbes from doing so.
• Supplementing your diet with a probiotic capsule can also really help. A good quality probiotic with a range of different strains seem to be ideal for general health and prevention of cold and flus.

When it’s too late

Symptoms: sore throat, sinus, head cold, congestion, chills

• Increasing your vitamin C intake is the most tried and tested method for decreasing the duration and severity of colds. When choosing a vitamin C powder or tablet a good quality C should have bioflavonoids (the higher the better). These will be either rutin or hesperidin as these are cofactors essential for the absorption of vitamin C. They will usually contain zinc as well
• Supplements with licorice root can help with coughs and sore throats due to its antispasmodic effect, meaning it can suppress that involuntary coughing we sometimes get. Lozenges with manuka honey can help as the manuka has an antibacterial properties.
• Once you feel the cold has started to take hold its good to attack it head on, there are a few good supplements such as Fusion Activiral which attack a cold and flu from all angles, providing not only symptomatic relief but also the nutrients you need to fight off the infection.

Take care of yourself

• Stay hydrated
• Rest
• Eat easily digestible foods such as soups, casseroles stews and broths
• Avoid sugar and mucous congestion promoting foods such as dairy

Come in store and speak with our qualified naturopaths for all of your health and wellness advice and hot tips for this winter.

This article is for educational purposes only. Always seek health advice from your healthcare professional.