This article highlights the role of nutrition in illness recovery, focusing on immunity-boosting foods and remedies to ease cold and flu symptoms. Doctors can use these insights to guide patients on dietary strategies that support recovery and overall health during the winter months.

You are what you eat, and when you’re fighting something off this winter, nutrition can give your body the boost it needs.

Prioritising whole foods that are vitamin-rich can aid the immune system and help with recovery. “The lack of well-balanced nutrition support can delay or lengthen recovery time,” said Pattie Lueyot, MS, RD, LD, CDCES, from the University of Kansas Health System.

“Well-balanced meals provide essential nutrients necessary for tissue repair and immune function, which are crucial during recovery from illnesses.”

Here are the best foods to prioritise during respiratory virus season.

Eat this to boost immunity

In the cooler months, it’s important to fuel your body with whole foods that can boost your immune system and help the body fight infection. Plant-based diets, which are high in antioxidants, can lower inflammation while boosting immunity, according to Dana Hunnes, PhD, a senior dietician at RR-UCLA Medical Center. 

“Frozen fruits and vegetables are equally healthy and often affordable during the winter months when some fruits/vegetables might otherwise not be available in the market or prohibitively expensive,” Dr Hunnes said.

These foods are easy on the digestive system

1. Your grandma was right when she suggested soup could help a cold. “The ideal food to eat while you are feeling under the weather is easy-to-digest, nutrient-dense meals to help support your immune system, soothe discomfort, and give your body the energy to speed the recovery,” Dr Lueyot says.
2. “If you have symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, or stomach ache, which can lead to dehydration and lack of appetite, then try focusing on foods that can ease these symptoms and help you stay hydrated.”
3. These include soup made from beef or chicken bone broth, along with chicken, pasta, and mixed vegetables, if tolerated. 
4. BRAT foods—that is, bananas, rice, apples, toast, and similar—can be a great choice when experiencing diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea or other gastrointestinal upset.[1]

Give this unlikely combo a go 

Honey is a common remedy for respiratory issues,[2] but for a bigger boost, try combining it with garlic and lemon.

However, she advises that some people should exercise caution before concocting a honey and garlic drink: “Both raw garlic and raw honey can pose a risk for botulism under certain conditions, especially when combined and left for longer than 7 days, and honey is not safe for children under the age of 1.”

Enjoy these tried and true favourites

There is no perfect food to eat when sick, but choosing foods high in vitamins can be helpful—this includes cold-weather favourites packed with vitamin C: bell peppers, strawberries, and citrus fruits.

“It’s difficult to ‘eat’ the right foods to avoid getting sick," Dr. Hunnes says. "However, there are things we can eat to aid our immune system so that it is stronger and maybe can reduce [our] risk." She also notes that, even in the winter months, cold foods from the fridge can help with hydration. “Cold food and food with little odour such as Jell-O, fresh or frozen fruits, and yoghurt can help to ease nausea and replenish fluids,” Dr Lueyot says.

Disclaimer: This story is contributed by Elizabeth Pratt and is a part of our Global Content Initiative, where we feature selected stories from our Global network which we believe would be most useful and informative to our doctor members.