You’ve heard the term “feed a cold, starve a fever” before. But the “starve a fever” part isn’t really good advice. Cutting calories when you’re sick might actually make it HARDER for your body to fight off a virus.
The “feed a cold” part is okay though, especially if you eat THIS stuff. Here are five foods that can help with cold and flu symptoms. And they’re all backed by science . . .
1. Oysters. They have tons of zinc, which is also an active ingredient in a lot of cold medicines, like Zicam.
2. Garlic. No one’s going to be kissing you anyway, so load up. Garlic blocks enzymes involved in bacterial and viral infections. Plus, it helps your immune cells. If you’re worried about bad breath, pills with garlic extract also work.
3. Almonds. Micronutrients in the outer skin can help you fight off a cold by boosting the sensitivity of your white blood cells.
4. Kiwi. A study a few years ago had one group of people eat kiwi while they were sick, while another group ate bananas. And the kiwi group’s symptoms went away up to four days faster.
5. Chicken Soup. Yes, it really does work. It might be thanks to an immune-boosting compound in chicken called carnosine. (Pronounced CAR-no-seen.) Studies have also shown it helps with mucus, and can clear your nose if you’re stuffed up.
(EatThis)
