Four Foods That Help Your Body Fight The Flu

With flu season in full effect, I'm sure you have heard about many ways of preventing the spread of the flu virus. There are also many foods that help keep you healthy, boost your immune system and help fight the flu virus - be it the seasonal or the H1N1 swine flu.  Staying healthy is the ultimate way to be Frugal.

New to FrugalNYC? Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.

Today we talk about four foods that help your body fight off the flu.

1. Garlic - More than a vampire fighting herb, garlic helps stimulate infection fighting white blood cells (the soldiers in your blood stream).  Taking a couple of cloves of garlic a day can help sharpen your body's virus killing instincts.
2. Lemons - When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!  We all know lemons contain vitamin C.  Vitamin C helps boost your immune system's health.  Beyond that, lemons keep your body in proper pH balance for fighting off disease.  Including four to five tablespoons of lemon juice in your daily intake can help promote healthy bacteria to thrive instead of viruses and harmful bacteria.
3. Yogurt - Speaking of healthy bacteria, we have all seen the word probiotics all over the news in the last two years.  All "yogurt" contain probiotics, the good bacteria that help strengthen the digestive system.  Having two servings, of 6 oz, a day may improve your overall health.
4. Colorful fruits and veggies - Nature speaks to us in many ways, one of those is through color.  Brightly colored fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin C, among many other vitamins and minerals.  All these natural vitamins and minerals help keep our immune systems healthy.

Do you now of other foods that help boost your body's defenses?  Share your tips with us in the comments.

For additional links to frugal tips and tricks follow me on Twitter. If you would like to contribute to FrugalNYC in any way feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add FrugalNYC to your RSS reader or Subscribe to FrugalNYC by Email.