If food is medicine, there must be a prescription for a healthy winter. Winter months leave many of us sniffling, coughing and sneezing for weeks on end. Is it feed a cold and starve a fever or feed a fever and starve a cold? I’m never sure which to feed, the cold or the fever. The wives’ tale actually says to feed the cold, but research supports the opposite, too. Whichever way you take it, it is important to nourish your body with simple, easily digested foods when you are under the weather. The following foods have made my list for keeping in tip-top shape. Sure, there are lots of herbs and supplements that can assist in keeping colds and flu at bay, but the foundation for good health must be rooted in food.
• Fluids. When we are sick with a cold, flu or fever, the most important thing our body needs is fluids. I’ve heard Andrew Weil say something to the effect that if you want to get sick ... just stop drinking water. It’s really that important. Water, vegetable broths and herbal teas are optimum nectar for revitalization.
Research shows that room temperature and warm fluids are more beneficial than cold drinks. Cold liquids can prolong illness by taxing the immune system as your body works to heat the liquid up for digestion. Eight to 10 glasses a day of warm fluids can help loosen mucus and congestion, and prevent dehydration that’s common with fever. Herbal and medicinal teas are perfect for wintry sick days. Traditional Medicinals has an extensive line of supportive teas.
• Miso soup, with its warm broth, strands of seaweed, slivers of ginger and small squares of tofu is true flu-season comfort food. Miso, a fermented soybean paste, is high in enzymes and supports immunity with its natural probiotics. It’s also rich in antioxidants which support immune function. Miso is a good source of the trace minerals zinc, copper and manganese: three minerals which play a supportive role in boosting disease resistance and cellular immunity. So brew up a cup, being careful not to kill all its lively benefits by boiling the miso.
• Pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash advertise their benefits with their radiant hues. Orange veggies are good sources of carotenoids, including beta carotene. This powerful nutrient supports production of infection fighting cells in our body. Beta carotene is also an antioxidant and neutralizes harmful free radicals that can damage cells. One study found that elderly men who ate the equivalent of two carrots per day had an increase in activity from their natural killer cells, the cells that destroy viruses. So steam, puree and mash up some “orange” for a healthy immune system. Doesn’t a warm bowl of whipped sweet potatoes with cinnamon sound like a perfect treat?
• Dark leafy greens, florets of broccoli and compact Brussels sprouts are winners for wintertime health. These veggies are high in minerals like calcium and zinc. So they are good not only for our bones but for immunity boosting, too. Studies show that people with a zinc deficiency are more susceptible to respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Calcium plays a role in stimulating an immune response and cellular growth. Along with bell peppers and tomatoes, these colorful morsels are also high in Vitamin C, which bolsters immune function by raising levels of substances called cytokines. Cytokines signal the immune system to fight infections. Make Linus Pauling happy with a vibrant Vitamin C-rich veggie stir fry.
• Garlic is the mother of antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral foods. For diehards, at the first signs of a cold chew a piece of raw garlic each day. A good source of manganese, Vitamins B6 and C, raw garlic is pungent and powerful. One tiny clove of garlic is packed tight with an army of compounds that help the body prevent and fight infections. Allicin is one of garlic’s sulfur-containing compounds that has specific antibacterial and antiviral properties. Studies show that allicin, along with Vitamin C, can fight the bacteria and viruses that cause colds and flu.
Add chopped garlic to soups, stews, and stir frys, but wait until the last moments in order to not “overcook: the garlic and decrease its healing potential. Crushing garlic releases more allicin, so mince some up, mix with honey, spread on toast, and good morning to you!
• Homemade broth is chicken soup for the soul and body. It warms us from the inside out, is easy to digest, and nourishes our bodies with important nutrients when made with choice ingredients. A good broth centers around vegetables and/or animal bones.
Certified nutrition counselor Holly Anne Shelowitz says, “Making our own stock from bones takes time, and I believe it’s true what the grandmothers said – it’s homemade penicillin. In the wintertime, it feels deep down good to drink warm broth. Broth contains many minerals in a form the body can absorb easily, along with gelatin which helps support digestion. Just simmer the bones from your free range chicken or organic meat for five to 24 hours and you have your own broth.” Vegetarians can simmer dark leafy greens like kale with some garlic, a few strands of seaweed, and a few root vegetables.
• Burdock is a very long, slender root with a bitter carrot taste. In Japan, it is commonly served chopped in matchsticks and stir fried. Burdock has long been known as a blood purifier due to its detoxification properties. It is also traditionally used for liver tonification and as a diuretic. Traditional Chinese medicine has sore throat and cold formulas that often contain burdock, which makes it an important food/medicine for wintertime.
Shelowitz agrees, “Burdock root is an all-around immune booster by nourishing the liver, stimulating gentle cleansing, and it helps to balance blood sugar.” Certified holistic health counselor Jennifer McKinley promotes using burdock as one might other root vegetables. McKinley says, “Chop it up and throw it in soups and stews. It’s also great cooked with carrots or eaten raw. I find burdock’s strong and flexible nature to be the perfect ingredient when trying to keep my energy up and my mind focused during the cold weather months.”
• Ginger is commonly known as the herb to settle stomachs and decrease nausea. While most ginger ales have paltry ginger content, soda is doled out to the convalescing with dry toast and soup. Ginger is essential in a travel bag when motion sickness could ruin a good cruise. For winter months, ginger has other advantages. Ginger’s hot and spicy taste is its secret weapon. Ginger’s pungent taste comes from its volatile oils, namely gingerols and shogaols. These oils are responsible for ginger’s health benefits. Ginger can stimulate sweating in the body which is helpful as a way to detoxify during cold and flu season. Ginger also acts as a natural decongestant.
Thinly slice about one ounce of peeled ginger root and simmer in four cups of water for twenty minutes. Strain the ginger, add some lemon and drink as tea to reduce nasal congestion. Ginger also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that have been studied to reduce pain and inflammation in osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis.
A final sweet note: To help your body fight any illness, kick the sugar out of your diet. Excess sugar suppresses the body’s immune response. So pass on the ice cream and cake and enjoy a piece of fresh fruit instead.