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Are there any foods which help to treat the common cold?

FAQ

The common cold includes symptoms such as a blocked nose, sore throat, headaches, fever and feeling crook for up two weeks. This can be incredibly annoying as it can interrupt your daily lifestyle and activities.

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Are there any foods which help to treat the common cold?

So, are there any foods which help to prevent the common cold? Or treat it once you have it?

I’m afraid there is no magic cure. Some common therapies include Vitamin C (commonly found in fruits and vegetables), Zinc (commonly found in oysters, sun-dried tomatoes, beef and various seeds), garlic and probiotic yoghurts. However, research has shown that for the average person they generally do not reduce number of colds or severity of colds. This is not surprising given how common colds are and if an effective therapy was available it would be no secret.

Ending on a positive: there has been some research to show that the trusty chicken soup can help us to expel mucus to help us breathe more clearly when we have a cold, with researchers attributing this to the stimulating smell and/or taste receptors, which then increased nasal mucus flow. Also other researchers have shown comfort foods, such as chicken soup, can help us feel better.

For more info check this out:

https://theconversation.com/health-check-should-i-take-vitamin-c-or-other-supplements-for-my-cold-98309

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:

  1. vegetables and legumes/bean
  2. fruit
  3. lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans
  4. grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties
  5. 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