Nutrition for Preventing Cold and Flu
Written by Pooja Mahtani, PharmD, MS, CNS, LDN, IFMCP
PART 1 - ZINC
Hello, I am Pooja Mahtani, PIM’s integrated and functional nutritionist.
Today I want to talk to you about the mineral zinc.
Zinc is a very important mineral involved in regulating the immune system. In fact, zinc can help maintain your physical barriers, like your lungs and GI tract. It can also help regulate stomach acidity which helps to further destroy any unwanted pathogen.
Foods that are rich in zinc are meats, poultry, fish and pumpkin seeds which you can sprinkle on top of granola or hot oatmeal. And lastly, beans and legumes like chickpeas and kidney beans are also rich in zinc. You can try adding these foods to any soups, stews, or chilis as one of the best ways to introduce more beans and legumes into your diet.
Zinc supplements can also be helpful. Some studies show that starting short term high dose zinc supplementation within 24hrs of symptom onset can actually shorten the duration of a cold up to 33%, which is pretty cool!
The upper limit of zinc for an adult is 40mg per day. So, higher doses that are often found in cold and flu lozenges should be taken for no longer than 1-2 weeks.
PART 2 - VITAMIN D
Vitamin D plays a critical role in immune system regulation especially during an acute infection. Vitamin D actually helps to stimulate specific immune cells that, once activated, can help to further boost immunity! In fact poor Vitamin D status has been linked to a greater risk for infections. Especially infections of the upper respiratory tract. While some foods are a good source of Vitamin D, such as salmon fortified milk and eggs, the best source of Vitamin D is actually sunlight! Sunlight exposure anywhere from a few minutes to several hours per day may be required to meet your body’s daily needs of Vitamin D with an average of at least 15 minutes per day. Of course, the amount of time spent outside will depend greatly on the time of year, where you live in the world, and your skin pigmentation.
If it is difficult to get adequate daily sunlight, the next best recommendation would be supplementation. To reach optimal serum or blood levels of Vitamin D, I often recommend 2000 IU to 5000 IUs of daily Vitamin D supplementation.
PART 3 - VITAMIN C
Our final nutrient spotlight of cold and flu season may be of no surprise to you, it’s Vitamin C!
Vitamin C is a very popular supplement during cold and flu season. Vitamin C is a major antioxidant that helps to neutralize free radicals in the body. More specifically this vitamin can help your immune cells get to the site of infection and then help those same immune cells eliminate whatever is infecting your body. It also enables your immune cells to live longer so your body can continue to fight off the microbe that is causing your cold and flu symptoms.
The best food sources of Vitamin C include bell peppers, broccoli, and kiwi fruit. Believe it or not, while oranges or orange juice are a good source of Vitamin C, a cup of chopped bell pepper contains nearly three times as much Vitamin C as an orange. So, next time you are feeling under the weather, reach for a bell pepper instead.
Of course supplementation can help. Studies show that people who regularly supplement with Vitamin C have less severe cold and flu symptoms as well as a shorter duration of illness. My recommendation is taking 1000mg of Liposomal Vitamin C.
PIM wants to hear from you! Do you have an experience with these nutrients for cold or flu? Do you find this article helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook and Instagram!
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