Fighting Illness: Foods to Get the Job Done
By Genevieve Cunningham
No matter what time of year, there are endless activities and holidays to look forward to enjoying. As a society, we like to be busy. We like to meet with friends and family. We like to go on adventures. We like to get engaged in life … it makes us feel both happy and complete. Perhaps it’s this zest for life, this need to be up and moving and living, that makes it so frustrating when sickness attacks. Suddenly we’re in the bed suffering from headaches and stuffy noses and fever and the works. If you would rather stay out of the bed, and instead would like to be engaged in life and as healthy as ever, take a look at these sickness fighting foods to add to your diet today.
Foods That Prevent
If you’re looking to prevent illness in the first place, make sure that your diet is rich in these super foods: garlic, yogurt, citrus fruits, and leafy greens. Garlic is known for its antibiotic, antifungal capabilities. Eating garlic may fight off some illnesses before they have time to take over the body. Yogurt is full of probiotics, which helps to balance the good and bad bacteria in the gut. Citrus fruits and leafy greens both have loads of Vitamin C, which is a natural immune booster. Those leafy greens also have the ability to move digestion, which in some cases means eliminating the foreign bodies before they spread. Adding these foods to your normal diet is a great headstart to germ and illness prevention.
Foods That Treat
If you’re already feeling under the weather, there are some foods that you can add to the diet to attack the symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness. Have a cold? Stick with chicken broths or chicken soup. These can ease aches and pains as well as stifle stuffy noses and congestion. Upset stomach? Try a bit of peppermint tea. Peppermint soothes the stomach muscles, which then eases the cramping sensation. Sore throat? Add lemon juice and honey to some warm water and sip. Keeping these foods on hand is a good idea for eliminating certain types of illness once they’ve hit.
It’s definitely no fun to be sick, and even though we can’t eliminate all sickness for the rest of our lives, these foods can do a good job of lessening the occurrences. Be smart and proactive about what’s in your kitchen, and you’re more likely to keep illness away and stay engaged in the life you want to lead every day.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Cumming, Ga.