The common cold and flu are not easy to fight. Even if we wash regularly and eat our oranges, it still has a way of sneaking through despite our best efforts.

|PIC1| Yet however, it is not that we are unable to do anything at all. The following foods, are all good at helping to prevent and treat these common illnesses. It may just avoid you getting sick this season.

1. Chicken soup
It is at the top of this list for its curative powers. Hot chicken soup helps clear clogged airways and the nourishing broth will give you more energy. Add vegetables, including onions and garlic and you have for yourself a complete healing brew.

2. Hot and spicy food
Garlic, horseradish, and chillis and spicy sauces are all known to help ease congestion. Trying these foods amongst ethnic and spicy recipes, may provide some relief.

3. Garlic
This fragrant bulb contains a flavoring agent called alliin which is believed to act as a decongestant amongst Garlic's other properties including free-radical elimination, removing active oxygen molecules that damage cells, so adding garlic to your favorite foods, liberally is not a bad idea!

4. Fluids
|TOP|Stay hydrated with plenty of fluids. Rather than coffee or fizzy fruitened drinks, try water and fruit juices. If hot beverages are possible, they often work better, and some people consider chamomile or peppermint tea, or a little hot water added to some fruit juice.

5. Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits, aka oranges are amongst nature's most healthiest food, increasing your supplies of vitamin C. Drink orange juice for breakfast, snack on a grapefruit, and add tangerine slices to your lunchtime salad. Getting an increased amount of vitamin C is especially important in protecting against cold's, as the body's need for this protective vitamin increases in the cold weather.

6. Vitamin C sources
Oranages aren't the only sources of vitamin C. Potatoes, green peppers, strawberries and pineapple, can all help your day as a daily cold-fighting food arsenal.

7. Ginger
Many people find fresh ginger root helps treat colds and fevers that accompany sickness. A ginger tea, boiling water over 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger, helps alleviate some.


Finally...
A daily routine of high-fat, high-sugar junk foods, skipped meals and lots of caffeine makes you MORE susceptible to minor illnesses like colds and flu.
Eating healthily; plenty of whole grains, fruit, vegetables and low-fat protein, can help keep your immune system strong.

Think of these foods as your cold-and-flu armour. Though they do not protect absolutely, eating them regularly and supplemented with good exercise, they will keep your system ready for protecting against any invasion.