Medicinal Foods
Nov8Written by:
08/11/2011 14:09 
That time of the year has arrived again when your car window greets you in the morning with a layer of ice and our household boilers come out of hibernation. The sudden drop in temperature always comes as a shock to our immune system and we’re rarely equipped for it. The truth is that we can improve our defence system quite simply by eating the right foods. Let’s take a look at some of the cold and flu prevention foods that are more than likely sitting at home in every one of our kitchen presses.
It’s no revelation that vitamin C plays a vital role in boosting our immune system. What many of us don’t know is that vitamin C from whole foods is preferred to the convenient supplement form. Fruit and vegetables supply us with added nutrients that work in conjunction with vitamin C to enhance our immune systems and keep our whole bodies healthy. Red and green chilli peppers, guavas, parsley and thyme, dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kiwis, papayas, citrus fruits and strawberries contain high amount of this essential nutrient.
The use of garlic and onions as a medicine dates back thousands of years. Garlic is rich in phytonutrients that are best known for their antibiotic and antiviral properties. It is best eaten raw to reap the most from its medicinal properties, but is also effective cooked. As for onions, it is the flavonoids that work with vitamin C to kill harmful bacteria.
The organic compound beta carotene can be very easily converted in our body to vitamin A. This vitamin works well in combination with vitamin C to improve our body’s resistance. Brightly coloured fruit and vegetables such as squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apricots and mangoes are loaded with it. In addition fish are an excellent source of vitamin A, especially halibut, salmon and cod.
Lastly, green tea has a remarkably impressive antioxidant profile. This will fight off free radicals that are responsible for cell damage, thus enriching our immune health.
Remember, our first form of defence is provided to us by the nutrients we gain from the food we eat. As Hippocrates said 2, 500 years ago; “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
