Three Tips to Keep You From Getting Sick This Cold and Flu Season

When cold and flu season strike the best thing for you to do is be prepared. No one wants to deal with the fatigue, congestion and general misery that comes with being sick. Here are some simple steps you can take to boost your immune system helping it fight off nasty bugs. If you feel like you are getting a cold there are some steps you can take to make sure that cold doesn't take hold this season.

Eat a Healthy Diet

The food you eat has an enormous effect on you health. One of the best ways to prevent illness is to keep your immune system strong. You can do this by eating healthy foods that contain the vitamins and minerals your body needs to build a healthy immune system.

Citrus fruits contain high levels of immune-boosting vitamin C. Dark green leafy vegetables contain folate that helps prevent DNA and blood vessel damage. Mushrooms and carrots help increase white blood cell production. Garlic has natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. Adding these foods to your diet daily will help strengthen your body and keep you from getting sick.

Eating a well-balanced diet full of lots of fruits and vegetables will help you get all the vitamins you need to have a strong immune system that is able to fight off infection before it strikes. Eat fresh vegetables with every meal and when you feel like a snack have some fruit.

Get Out in the Fresh Air

One of the reasons people get sick in the winter is because they spend less time outdoors. When people are together in closed spaces germs can spread more easily from one person to the next.

Exposure to sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for immune health. Spending thirty minutes outside getting some exposure to the sun will help increase your health even in the winter.

If you can't get any sun exposure in the winter consider taking a vitamin D supplement. If you take a supplement be careful not to take too much. Vitamin D can build up in your blood becoming toxic. You should get your vitamin D levels tested periodically to make sure they are good.

Strike Early

At the first sign of sickness take action. When you first start to feel that little tickle in your throat or that sense of not feeling quite right do something about it. If you wait for the cold to come on it's too late. Treating your cold as early as possible will ensure that it doesn't take hold.

Take echinacea and goldenseal to flush out your body and strengthen your immune system. Take a vitamin C supplement to help boost your immune system.

Get plenty of sleep. Your body repairs itself when you're resting.

Adding some fresh garlic to your diet when you first start feeling sick will also help fight off your cold. When garlic is raw it's much more powerful than when it's cooked. Mince a clove of fresh garlic and add it to your food.