Best foods to eat when you have a cold

Even with diligent handwashing, adequate sleep and proper nutrition, it’s hard to escape the occasional seasonal cold. Most adults get two or three colds a year, so it’s inevitable. When you’re feeling under the weather, here are some foods and beverages that may help ease symptoms and make you feel better.   

Chicken soup 

Some cold symptoms, like a runny nose and thick mucus, are caused by inflammation in the upper airway. One study showed that chicken soup helps stop neutrophils (white blood cells) from traveling to the upper airway, where they worsen inflammation. Warm soup broth also helps increase the flow of mucus, which relieves stuffy congestion. Even inhaling the warm vapours can help loosen thick mucus.

Inflammation from a cold may naturally reduce your appetite. Chicken soup is often appealing as a warm comfort food, even when your appetite is low. The salty, savoury “umami” taste helps make you hungrier, especially if your soup contains a dash of miso paste or a bouillon cube made with monosodium glutamate. Following a vegetarian diet? You can make brothy vegetable soup without chicken and have similar effects. Try miso soup, serve it warm and inhale the vapours.

Ginger

Ginger is a well-known herbal remedy that is prized for its anti-inflammatory effects. Since a cold is inflammatory, ginger may help quell some of this effect. Try slicing fresh ginger into a mug and covering it with hot water for a warming ginger tea. You can also add fresh turmeric, another well-known anti-inflammatory spice.

Hot tea

Ginger not your flavour? Any type of hot tea can help provide relief. Similar to hot soup, the warm liquid and vapours from tea can help break down mucus and soothe congestion. Black and green tea contain polyphenols, a type of antioxidant with anti-viral and anti-inflammatory benefits. Studies show that the polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate in green tea has antiviral activity. If you’re worried that too much caffeine in tea will keep you awake, try decaffeinated black or green tea or herbal teas like peppermint and chamomile.

Honey

Looking to sweeten your tea a bit? While Heart & Stroke recommends limiting added sugar intake to no more than 12 teaspoons a day, adding a teaspoon or two of honey to tea is fine. In fact, honey has some healing properties, especially as a cough remedy. Studies show that one dose of a teaspoon of honey helps reduce mucus secretions and coughs (especially in children). Try buckwheat or wildflower honey, which are the types that are used in the clinical studies. You can take honey on its own, dissolve it in warm water or spread it on toast. Note: do not give honey to children under one year of age.

Garlic

Flavourful and pungent, garlic is more than just a culinary ingredient. Garlic contains fructans, which have anti-viral properties that may help alleviate cold symptoms through supporting and enhancing the immune system. Most of the clinical studies on garlic for relief of colds use garlic supplements (pills and capsules), instead of cloves of garlic. Studies suggest that taking garlic supplements can reduce the number of colds people get and shorten the number of days of illness. Add garlic to your chicken soup for a double dose of cold-busting ingredients. Note: more studies are needed to verify these finding and to learn if garlic in food has the same benefits as garlic supplements.

Fruits and vegetables

With an abundance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, vegetables and fruits support immune function, and are hydrating and nourishing when you have a cold. Choose options that are high in vitamin C, such as sweet peppers, kiwi, broccoli, citrus fruits and strawberries. While vitamin C cannot prevent colds, it may help reduce their length and the severity of symptoms.

You can also choose vegetables and fruits that are high in antioxidants called flavonoids, which include citrus fruits, berries and apples. Studies show that flavonoid supplements can help reduce the number of days of the cold, but it’s unclear if the same results coming from flavonoids in fresh fruits and vegetables. Worth a try!

Hot sauce

Adding a dash of Sriracha, Tabasco or another favourite hot sauce to your soup may help improve cold symptoms. That’s because hot sauce is made from chilli peppers, which contain the active ingredient capsaicin. The heat from capsaicin helps thin out mucus, which clears nasal passages and reduces congestion. Keep tissues handy when you have your soup. Your nose will start running from the spiciness!  

Yogurt

Heathy bacteria in yogurt, known as probiotics, help support immune function. Choose a plain yogurt that contains “live active cultures” and enjoy it with some flavonoid-rich berries. Studies show that people who eat more probiotic dairy foods heal faster when they get sick, since eating yogurt reduces inflammatory markers in the blood.

But wait – doesn’t dairy increase mucus? That claim is false. Studies show that there is no increase in mucus if you eat or drink dairy foods. The myth exists because dairy foods have a thick texture, which coats the mouth. Dairy mixed with saliva may feel thick, but it does not clinically or scientifically produce more mucus.

Next time you’re in bed with the sniffles, fix yourself some hot tea and enjoy the comfort of chicken soup or a berry and yogurt parfait. While there is no quick fix to the common cold, these foods and beverages can help bring some relief.   

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