Starve a Cold and Feed a Fever

Yesterday, when I woke up to coughing and sneezing and feeling yucky with a cold I got to thinking about that old saying to "Starve a cold and feed a fever"?

I wondered if that was really true.

According to Web MD we don't need to starve anything. We need to eat nutritionally sound foods and a well balanced diet. When doing that we can keep our bodies functioning properly and help fight infections and prevent illness.

For colds, like in my case, we need to eat foods high in antioxidants - beta-carotene and vitamins C and E - to  build a strong immune system. Raw fruits and veggies are great for us. Cantaloupe, spinach, broccoli, carrots, kiwi, apricots, etc.

We should also eat foods that are rich in bioflavonoids to stay healthy. Bioflavonoids are found in the pulp and white core that runs through the center of citrus fruits, green peppers, lemons, limes, oranges, cherries, and grapes.

Another great food for your cold is yogurt. Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can help reduce your susceptibility to colds.

Also, eat foods high in Zinc or take zinc lozenges. Foods high in zinc are eggs,nuts, whole wheat, meat.

Also chicken soup and hot tea are great relievers as well. Both of which clear the nasal passages and thins mucus. I had a steady diet of both of those yesterday.

If we stick to these items we may be able to prevent those icky germs from getting us.If we should come down with something, because we're eating the right foods, our bodies can fight the germs and get us bad on the road to recovery much faster.

If you're kind of stumped on just how to prepare some of these items into a delicious meal check out this menu from WebMD.