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The fact and fiction of common cold cures

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The fact and fiction of common cold cures

While we’re sorry to say there’s no magic cure when it comes to getting rid of your cold, there are often claims certain foods and supplements can provide some level of relief.

So what are some of the most common remedies for aiding symptoms, and are they fact or fiction?

Vitamin C

Unfortunately, for most people Vitamin C does not reduce the severity or number of colds you can get.

The exception to this are those who are very physically active e.g. skiers, soldiers and marathon runners exercising in very cold conditions. Studies have shown that vitamin C can actually halve their chances of getting a cold!

Zinc

While it has not been proven to assist with the severity of colds, a review of studies in healthy adults found that taking at least 75 mg of zinc within 24 hours of symptoms occurring shortened the duration of colds by about one-third!

Keep in mind that taking too much zinc can trigger a copper deficiency, so be sure to stop the supplements as soon as you’re back to full health.

Chicken soup

There’s nothing better than sitting down with a nice warm soup when you’re sick, and some research has actually shown that comfort foods, such as chicken soup, can help us feel better!

Another study on chicken soup found it can help fight infection and aid recovery from respiratory tract infections.

It’s also been suggested that chicken soup can stimulate smell and taste receptors, allowing for increased nasal mucus flow - therefore clearer breathing.

Try Hannah's chicken noodle soup.

Our tips

To minimise your chances of coming down with a cold some good tips are:

Eat a variety of healthy, nutritious foods every day (including vitamin C rich foods)
Drink plenty of water
Always wash your hands before preparing and eating food
If you do catch a cold, stay hydrated, rest up and you should be feeling better in no time!

Take a look at the full article on The Conversation here.

Your Personal Healthy Eating Quiz

What you eat or don’t eat affects how you look, feel and perform. Take our short quiz to find out what foods you could introduce to help you be your best.

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What is healthy eating?

Eating healthy is making sure you enjoy a wide variety of foods from each of the five major food groups daily, in the amounts recommended. The five major food groups as recommended by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating are:

vegetables and legumes/bean
fruit
lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans
grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties
milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat.

Foods are grouped together because they provide similar amounts of key nutrients and eating a variety of foods from the list above helps to promote good health and reduce the risk of disease.

How do I improve my diet?

If you want to improve your diet you have come to the right place. By completing the Healthy Eating Quiz you’ll receive instant personalised feedback and a report on your diet quality to highlight any areas where you can improve your overall eating habits. Your score is based on the frequency and variety of the foods consumed from the five major food groups mentioned above. No Money No Time can help you improve your score by providing tips, goals and suggestions. On top of this we will provide quick, cheap and healthy recipes as well as credible answers to diet hacks, myths and FAQ’s.

Is my diet healthy?

Dietary habits are different between people. Some people choose to follow a particular diet (i.e., Keto diet or vegan diet) while some have to make changes due to certain food restrictions or health conditions. If you want to know if what you usually eat is healthy, then do the Healthy Eating Quiz today to give you the answers in less than 10 minutes.

Why is healthy eating important?

Your HEQ score and personalised feedback report is based on the frequency and variety of healthy core foods you usually eat. This is important because no single food contains all the nutrients we need to stay healthy. Some foods are higher in nutrients than others and people who have a lot of variety in the foods they eat are more likely to be healthy and to stay healthy. In other words, if you can eat a large variety of vegetables as opposed to only 2-3 types of vegetables, the benefits are much greater. This type of diet also helps you to feel better, think better and perform better during your usual daily activities.

Take the Healthy Eating Quiz

The University of Newcastle Australia