A Healthy Lifestyle Helps Prevent Summer Colds

Here are more ways you can improve your lifestyle to avoid common colds in summer.

Boost your immunity by eating a healthy diet that is rich in phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are substances naturally found in fruits, vegetables and whole-grains.  Some of the foods that are known to help fight against colds and flu include dark green, red, and yellow fruits and vegetables like oranges, berries, and spinach. These foods contain a variety of vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A, C, and E and selenium and zinc, which can help boost immune function to stave off viruses.

• Garlic, which is believed to have antiviral properties, boosts your immune system with the help of a natural antibiotic called allicin. It works best when eaten raw.
• Ginger root, which contains powerful antioxidants like shogaols, zingerones, gingerols, 6-dehydroginerdione, and sesquiterpenes, the substances known to fight rhinoviruses.
• Honey, which has antimicrobial properties that help combat viral infections.
• Yogurt, which contains probiotics or friendly bacteria called Lactobacillus reuteri and helps prevent cold and flu virus.

Take health supplements. Experts emphasize that eating a healthy balanced diet is the best way to obtain nutrients that help fight infection and other diseases. However, in some cases, taking health supplements may be advisable, especially if you are not able to obtain the right amount of nutrients from your regular diet. Health supplements that can help avoid colds include:

• Multivitamins and minerals that contain 100 percent of the recommended daily values of vitamins A, B, C and D, chromium, copper, calcium, folic acid, selenium, and zinc.
• Probiotic supplements that help maintain the balance against harmful viruses and bacteria in the body.
• Herbal supplements, which include Echinacea, elderberry, garlic supplements, and ginseng are believed to help prevent colds and flu. Consult your doctor about taking health supplements, especially if you have a medical condition or if you are taking any medications that may interact with these supplements. If you opt to use them, take them as recommended and avoid taking them in large doses.

Live a healthy lifestyle. While some people make the mistake of relying on medications and supplements to maintain their well-being or to prevent disease, studies have shown that avoiding certain environmental and personal risk factors may have a more significant impact on their health. Measures to improve your risk of acquiring viral infections and colds include:

• Managing stress. Chronic stress can negatively affect your immune system. Learn how to relax and use relaxation skills. This will increase your interleukins, or proteins in the immune system that combat cold and flu viruses.
• Getting enough exercise. Aerobic exercise causes your heart to pump more blood and makes you breathe faster. These help promote oxygen transfer from your lungs to your blood, make you sweat and remove toxins from the blood, and help increase your body's natural anti-viral activity.
• Getting enough rest and sleep. This helps the body heal and reduce inflammation resulting from physical and emotional stress. Rest and sleep have a restorative function that helps boost your immune system.
• Quitting smoking. Smoking causes damage to your cells from oxidative stress, which increases free radicals in your body. It is also best to avoid secondhand smoke, which has a profound effect on the immune system.
• Limiting alcohol intake. Heavy use of alcohol can suppress the immune system in a variety of ways. Heavy drinkers are more likely to acquire infections and suffer from secondary complications.

See Also: Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Colds

So go ahead and enjoy summer without being plagued by a cold. Remember, you are not only protecting yourself from a virus, you are also helping your own family and friends from getting one.