Cold is a common and contagious disease among children and adults. You can be hit hard by this common cold at any time of the year. Common cold symptoms are prevalent during seasonal changes. It can be severe in allergy-prone people.
Allopathic and Homeopathy treatments are effective in treating the common cold. But, prolonged intake of allopathic medicine has side effects. Taking antibiotics for treating cough and cold may lead to stomach upset and also resistance to these antibiotic medicines. That is why many people prefer to follow home remedies to treat the common cold.
The food we eat and the lifestyle we lead affect our health and overall well-being. You should know which meals to eat when you have cold so that you get fast relief.
List of Top 5 Food to Eat When you Have a Cold
1. Lentil Soup or Masoor Dal
A lentil soup is a popular and most-preferred food to eat when you have a cold. Lentil is loaded with protein, carbohydrates, and different kinds of minerals which are important for the body to retain its energy and also for recovery.
To prepare this soup, add some vegetables for vitamins and minerals. For taste, use mustard oil, garlic, spices like nigella, and turmeric. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. Lentil soup is a tasty and healthy food to eat when you have cold.
You can take this soup for breakfast as well as for lunch with some chapati or rice.
After lunch, take Zandu pancharistha syrup for better digestion because if your digestive system is good, your body’s immunity will increase.
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2. Porridge
Porridge is easy to digest meal packed with full of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
To make porridge, avoid animal milk. You can use plant-based milk like coconut or soy milk. Many people have lactose intolerance and using animal milk may trigger allergy symptoms such as wheezing, a blocked nose, etc.
Boil the porridge in water and after it becomes thickened, add some raisins, dried fruits, and plant-based milk.
Take this porridge for breakfast or lunch.
After breakfast, take Zandu Kalamegha capsules. It makes your liver healthy, grows the immune system, and protects against the flu.
3. Fruit and vegetable smoothie
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When you are suffering from a cold, you do not feel like drinking water. But it may cause dehydration in the body. Water is also required to throw away toxins from the body. Fruit and vegetable smoothies can help your body to remain hydrated and also get essential vitamins and minerals for the body.
Use antioxidants-based fruits and vegetables to make the smoothie.
Take this smoothie at any time of the day.
4. Garlic and onion soup
One can find antioxidants and sulphur phytochemicals in garlic and onions. It creates antibodies and kills germs. This is another food to eat when you have cold.
To make garlic and onion soup put olive oil, sliced onions, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. You can also add vegetables to this soup.
You can take this meal at dinner to keep the blood warm.
Best Foods to Avoid When you Have Cold
1. Caffeine and alcohol
You should avoid such kinds of food or beverages when you have a cold as it dehydrates your body and worsens the mucus. Caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee should be avoided during coughs and colds as these drinks can worsen the symptoms.
Your body grows the immune system and heals faster if it is well hydrated.
2. Ice cream
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Do not eat ice cream while having a cold, as it may worsen your symptoms and keep you sick for a longer period. Also, the saturated fat in the ice cream triggers inflammation. The milk and gelatine present in ice creams can worsen allergic symptoms.
3. Sugar
Sugary drinks such as aerated drinks or processed fruit juices should also be avoided as these weaken the body’s immune system, and the body cannot fight diseases.
4. Milk
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Stay away from animal-based milk as it thickens mucus and causes you allergies. So you should avoid taking animal-based milk during cough and cold symptoms. You can consume other alternatives such as soy, almond, or coconut milk when you are suffering from a cough and cold.
5. Processed food
Avoid processed food as it has saturated fat which can lower your immune system as well as weaken the digestion power. Processed foods should be kept out of your daily diet because they are not good for your body.
Avoid Foods that are Difficult to Chew and Digest
If we take crunchy wafers and foods that are hard to chew and swallow, it can worsen our sore throats. Thus these are the foods to avoid when you have cold sore. Improperly chewed foods are difficult to digest also.
Chocolates and Candies
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You must avoid eating chocolates and candies when you are suffering from a cough and cold. They may cause inflammation, trigger allergies and worsen your situation.
Other practices to avoid frequent coughs and cold
Along with a proper diet, you should do light exercise like yoga, brisk walking, and regularly practice pranayama, kapalvati, and Singha asana. People who suffer from cough and cold very frequently should also keep their indoors clean. Regular cleaning of the room, and washing bedsheets pillow covers, etc., can help in reducing the frequency of cough and cold in them. And obviously, intake supplements from Zandu Care will keep you healthy inside out.
- After waking up in the morning, you must take Zandu Honey with a few tulsi leaves
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the foods to eat when you have cold and foods to avoid. If we follow the tips given in this article, we may be able to get well faster. Certain foods and beverages worsen cough and cold symptoms, and that is why we keep them away from our diet when we have symptoms of cold and cough.
