As flu season arrives we’ve heard a lot about hand washing and cough covering, but healthy eating is also a potent flu prevention method. Eating a variety of healthy foods from all food groups is particularly important during flu season.
Foods like yogurt, garlic, citrus and chicken contain nutrients that may keep your body’s immune system strong and help you to avoid getting sick.
Garlic may increase resistance to infection and stress. Yogurt and other cultured milk products contain probiotics, beneficial bacterial with immune-boosting benefits. Vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and juices, may also help the body's immune system. Zinc, found in meat, chicken, peanuts and peanut butter, also plays an important role in the proper functioning of the body’s immune system.
Try one of these healthy recipes:
For more recipes containing immune-boosting nutrients visit our Fight the Flu with Healthy Food cookbook.
In addition to washing your hands frequently, eating a variety of health-promoting nutrient-rich foods and getting daily exercise, along with a good night’s sleep, are the best ways to stay healthy and avoid getting the flu this year.
Read more about Healthy Eating During Cold and Flu Season.