Guide to Flu Remedies

Natural remedies for colds and flu are abundant, ranging from vitamin C and zinc to raw garlic and shiitake mushrooms. Many of these popular home remedies have not only stood the test of time, but the effectiveness of these healing foods is also backed by scientific evidence. Here we have compiled a handy online guide to natural food remedies for the common cold and flu that can help you stay healthy during the dreaded flu season.

The common cold (acute viral rhinopharyngitis or acute coryza in medical jargon) is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system. It is one of the most common illnesses among humans, with an estimated 1 billion colds occurring in the United States every year. Colds, which can be caused by more than 200 viruses, are highly contagious, but they generally do not result in serious health problems requiring hospitalizations. Symptoms of the common cold typically include a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat, cough, and sneezing. Symptoms of the seasonal flu, another type of respiratory illness, often resemble the symptoms of the common cold, and it may be difficult tell apart the two based on symptoms alone. In general, however, the flu is more severe than the common cold and may be accompanied by fever, body aches, or extreme fatigue.

Regular exercise, adequate rest, and a healthy, balanced diet can strengthen the body's infection-fighting immune system, thereby reducing your risk of coming down with a cold or flu. Appropriate nutrition can also help speed up the recovery process.

The purpose of this online guide is to provide you with ample information on the nutritional approach to fighting colds and flu. Whether you are looking for tips on how to heal a cold or flu with food, or whether you are on a quest for healthy recipes with immune-boosting ingredients, you will find the information you are looking for in one of the main sections of this guide:

10 Best Diet Tips for Common Cold Prevention

In this section, you will learn how by changing your diet you can make your body more resistant to the cold or flu virus. You will learn how a diet rich allicin (a natural compound abundant in raw garlic and onions), vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc and a number of other nutrients can be used to prevent and heal colds and flu.

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10 Best Foods to Fight a Cold or Flu

In this section of the guide, you will learn how certain foods and drinks – such shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic, watercress, rosehips, green tea and garlic – can help keep you from coming down with a cold or flu. Add these powerful healing foods to your diet plan, and say goodbye to that stuffy nose and the general misery associated with being down with a flu.

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60+ Cold-Fighting Recipes With Immune-Boosting Ingredients

How about a cup of hot chocolate that is naturally rich in a cough-fighting substance called theobromine? Or perhaps a bowl of chicken soup, an age-old Jewish remedy for cold and flu? To view the recipes for these and other anti-flu dishes, click on the link below.

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