Cold & Flu Solutions: 3 Vitamins to Boost Your Immune System

Getting enough nutrients throughout the day not only helps you prevent getting the cold and flu by boosting your immune system, but it also allows you to treat it as well. Here are some essential vitamins and minerals for these types of illnesses.

Zinc

When you have a cold or flu, you need to be sure you get proper vitamins. This is not always easy because of appetite loss, nausea, or vomiting. If that is the case, try to take an additional supplement to get the nutrients you need. To start with, it includes zinc. Zinc is excellent for many illnesses and general health, but especially if you have a cold. It can help keep your immune system get all the nutrients it needs. Plus, zinc works great in a tablet when you have a sore throat from a cold or flu.

Vitamin C

Treating a cold and getting more vitamin C go hand-in-hand. Many over-the-counter treatments boast about having vitamin C because this is one of the best nutrients for boosting your immune system. With a more robust immunes system, you can prevent illnesses like cold and flu, but you can also treat a cold even after you already have it. Getting more vitamin C into your body can reduce how long you have a cold and keep it from worsening. Try to get natural sources of vitamin C first, such as from citrus fruit, veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and juice without added sugar in it.

Vitamin D

Another essential nutrient to have when you get a chest or head cold is vitamin D. If you are outdoors often, you probably already get enough vitamin D as its most natural source is from the sun’s UV rays. However, when you are sick, you spend a lot of time indoors. Plus, the cold is more common in the fall and winter seasons when you tend to have colder days without a lot of sunshine. For this reason, you should focus on getting more vitamin D in other ways. This might be with a supplement you take every day, a multivitamin, or food sources like yogurt, cheese, milk, tofu, or fortified cereal.

As you can see, something as simple as eating a healthy, well-balanced diet can help you get all the vitamins and minerals you need to help treat a cold and boost your immune system in general.