If you're feeling a little under the weather, you may need to go beyond the medicine cabinet to your kitchen cabinet to find the remedy. Jill Urban filed the following report.
It's the height of cold and flu season, and if you have a bug or you're trying to fight one off by boosting your immune system, you may want to head to your kitchen before you hit the medicine cabinet.
"So there are actually some things you can eat and drink that can help you avoid that visit to the doctor's office and boost your immunity," says Dr. Holly Lofton, a weight loss specialist.
Yes, Lofton says there are plenty of foods that can offer that boost to your body. First, if you are feeling sick or run down, hydration is key, but water alone won’t always cut it.
“You don’t have all of the necessary nutrients you need in water, so things like veggie juices are really good for getting your minerals, antioxidants so you can fight off infection," Lofton says. "Kids like popsicles because these are great to thin out your mucus, get your hydration in, and it's something cold that can soothe your throat. Hot soups can have some antimicrobial properties, and you put chicken, turkey in them to give yourself that protein that you need for energy."
If you are already feeling a little under the weather, she says garlic is good because its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties can help with congestion. Also, foods with micronutrients can help your body fight off a bug.
"So micronutrients are really important because they are co-factors that your body needs as far as its white blood cells' ability to fight off infections," Lofton says. "You can find some micronutrients in you foods such as pumpkin seeds, which have zinc, and selenium, which is actually common in tuna."
Another white blood cell booster is beta-glucans, often found in mushrooms.
If you are looking to fight off the stomach flu, two foods you should grab are bananas and ginger. Bananas are great because they will help alleviate some of those symptoms. The ginger is great because it's antibacterial and can give your body what it needs fight off the infection. Ginger is also anti-inflammatory, so even if the stomach bug is viral, it can still help.
Last, probiotics, most commonly found in yogurt, are good for a stomach bug or for general immunity.
"You want to look for a yogurt with lactobacillus acidophilus," Lofton says. "Look for that on the back of the label because it increases the good bacteria in your gut and can help fight off the bad bacteria causing the problem."
So before you overload on vitamins and supplements, you might want to take a look in your kitchen to see if you can cook up an immune booster that works for you.