Cold and flu season are in full swing, but this year we’re ready! We’re stocking our kitchens with our favorite food remedies that will help support your body to fight off seasonal colds and flus as much as possible. Because when you have a strong healthy with a robust immune system, invaders like colds and flu viruses have less of a chance of taking you down, and if you do get sick, your body is able to fight off the pathogens easier the healthier you are. Lifeway Kefir is always a great tool to keep in your arsenal of health and wellness foods that support your body when it needs it most. With protein and probiotics, our kefir offers a full range of benefits that keep you strong and support the immune system as well as your gut health.
Check out seven of our favorite, accessible, and delicious foods to support your body during cold and flu season, including Lifeway Kefir!
7 Healthy Foods to Support Your Immune System
Ginger
Cherished for its ancient healing properties, ginger is a staple in the Lifeway Kitchen. A flavorful spice, ginger is often used to aid digestion and treat upset stomach, diarrhea, and nausea. Fresh ginger also has antiviral and antimicrobial properties, which can help prevent low immune function associated with developing a cold.
Recipe: Try this Creamy Vanilla Ginger Matcha Tea as the perfect way to soothe your body during the cold and flu season.
Turmeric
Like ginger, turmeric is a root with ancient health benefits that can be used all year round. This root is bright orange which notes the high amounts of curcumin it contains. Curcumin is an antioxidant that has been shown to reduce inflammation throughout the body and help cells ward off oxidative stress and foreign invaders (like unhealthy viruses and fungi). Some studies show that people who consume turmeric on a regular basis are less susceptible to colds, coughs, and congestion. Turmeric is also a powerful supportive food for the liver, which in turn, creates a stronger, healthier body that functions better over the long run.
Recipe: Add a punch of turmeric to your day with our Roasted Winter Squash Soup for an extra kick of flavor and a boost of antioxidants!
Honey
We love honey for the soothing effect it has on sore throats, especially when mixed with lemon, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon in tea, warm water, or smoothies. But there’s much more to this sweet kitchen favorite other than its flavor.
Raw, local honey is not only delicious, but it can provide antibacterial and antimicrobial effects that support the immune system. It may also help fight allergies if you buy local honey since it exposes you to natural pollens making your body stronger year round. As always, if you are sensitive to sugars or allergens, speak with your healthcare provider before using it in place of traditional options. Also note: never give honey to children under 12 months of age.
Recipe: Try our Hot Honey Avocado Toast as a new way to spice up your avocado toast and support your body in the sweetest way!
Citrus Fruit
Citrus fruit, like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes are high in antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin C. Though research has indicated that vitamin C does not prevent colds in the general population, there is research that shows vitamin C can reduce the duration of a cold! So, if you feel a cold coming on, reach for a juicy piece of fruit with a zesty twist in the form of citrus. Bonus: Citrus fruits have also been shown to improve your mood!
Recipe: Try our Orange and Banana Cream Smoothie this season as the most delicious way to give your day a boost with Lifeway Kefir!
Kefir
What’s not to love about Lifeway Kefir? Especially when it comes to improving and supporting overall health, which starts on the inside with your gut health. Lifeway Kefir is the probiotic and protein-powered superfood everyone should have on hand. Our proprietary blend of 12 strains of gut-loving probiotics are packed with benefits from top to bottom for your gut, immune system, mood, and overall body. These probiotics not only support digestion, but they also make the dairy we use to make our kefir seamless to digest so you get all the benefits of the complete bioavailable protein along with the vitamins A, B12, D, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Kefir has been shown to be a powerful supporting food for immune system support that’s easy to incorporate into your day and very gentle on the body.
Recipe: There’s no shortage of amazing ways to use Lifeway Kefir, so check out all our recipes here, and if you want a favorite to start with, this Strawberry Sunrise Smoothie will surely satisfy your taste buds and support your body to fight off any cold or flu that tries to come your way!
Matcha Green Tea
Did you know matcha is a powerhouse of antioxidants much more than regular green tea? Matcha is less-processed green tea which means it’s consumed in a “raw” state where the leaves are never roasted before being made into tea. This bright green tea retains all the benefits of the antioxidant compounds as a result, which you can see in its beautiful bright green color. Matcha has an earthy, slightly nutty and slightly grassy flavor but is delicious when mixed into smoothies, breakfast bowls, with fruits like strawberries, pineapple, and some vanilla extract. Lifeway Kefir is the perfect complement to matcha!
Recipe: Try this Strawberry Matcha Overnight Oats as the perfect way to enjoy both kefir and matcha!
Dark Leafy Greens
Like citrus fruits, dark leafy greens are high in vitamin C. They’re also high in vitamins A, K, C, plus compounds like folate (that turn into folic acid, a B vitamin), and lutein that supports eye health and the immune system. Dark leafy greens are some of the most nutrient dense foods around so if you could only eat one veggie a day, greens would have to be the one to choose! The key is to choose dark greens, and the darker, the better because that means more benefits. For example, choosing kale, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, and spring mixes are great because they offer the darkest colors which means they are higher in beneficial nutrients. They’re also great to include in your diet for better overall health.
Recipe: Try our Skin-Enhancing Green Smoothie that contains kefir, dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, plus honey and other vitamin-rich fruits and veggies that help fight colds and flus no matter how many come your way!
