Fight Colds Naturally With Living Foods

We live in fast paced times when it seems we can’t afford to get sick, yet we still haven’t found good preventative measures against flu and the common cold.

The best fighters against these are still the same ones that our ancestors used in ancient times, namely, herbs, roots, and raw living food.
So, instead of reaching for over-the-counter medicines that contain extracts of these natural ingredients, you will be better off resorting to them directly. Here are some super foods that will help you to fight colds naturally.

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Lemon water
This is a classic, just because it works. You can either make lemonade and drink it like juice throughout the day, or you can make some warm lemon water as soon as you get up and drink it before breakfast. It is soothing for sore throat, helps with congestion and brings many other benefits (1). It is a perfect vitamin C boost that your body needs. You can also add natural grapefruit, lime or orange juice for even more vitamin C. A bit of honey will help with the taste and add to the healing properties.
Garlic
If there is one single food that can help your body heal, it is definitely garlic. Garlic has been known and used for its medicinal properties (2) since ancient times. It contains an ingredient called allicin, which has antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial effects, meaning that it kills the widest range of parasites in our body. In addition, it is high in vitamins C and B6, calcium, copper, potassium, iron and other nutrients. Studies have shown that eating garlic reduces the length of cold symptoms by amazing 70% and also prevents colds up to 65%.
Matcha tea
Matcha tea is natural green tea that is grown and processed in a special way and is consumed as tea together with the finely ground powder. Matcha has long been a specialty of Japanese and Chinese Zen monks, who used to it boost their energy and immune system in order to get through arduous and lengthy meditations. It contains the highest amount of antioxidants of all natural foods in the world: a cup of powerful matcha has as many antioxidants as 10 cups of common green tea. Antioxidant testing (3) has shown there are unbelievable 1573 units per gram in matcha, compared to 105 units in pomegranates and 93 in blueberries, which are other well known sources of antioxidants.
Spices
Spices have long been used in Ayurvedic medicine to relieve symptoms of the cold. Cinnamon, coriander, and ginger can break a fever and cayenne, horseradish, or wasabi can help unclog your stuffed nose. Each of these spices shrinks down blood vessels and helps with congestion. Here’s a simple recipe (4) against fever: steep 2mL of coriander and cinnamon powder plus 1 mL of ginger, for 10 minutes in a glass of warm water and drink it. You can also mix ginger, turmeric and cinnamon powder: half a tablespoon of each, plus one minced clove of garlic, and bind it all together into a paste with a tablespoon of honey. These are all immunity booster bombs.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to wait to catch a cold to start using these foods in your daily nutrition. Prevention is always the best medicine, so feel free to add these magic ingredients to your diet and stay healthy all the way through the cold season.
~ Article written by Emma Lawson.
Emma is a passionate writer, online article editor and a health enthusiast. In her spare time, she likes to do research, and write articles to create awareness regarding healthy lifestyle. She also strives to suggest innovative home remedies that can help you lead a quality and long life.