What Nutritionists Do for Cold and Flu Season

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Transcript

Melanie: Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. I'm Melanie Beasley, Registered and Licensed Dietitian with Nutritional Weight & Wellness, and joining me today is my fellow registered and licensed dietitian, Britni Vincent. Hi, Britni.

Britni: Hello.

Melanie: And Britni and I, we are officially in that time of year when it seems that everybody knows somebody who is sick, school is in full swing, and we spend more time indoors, the holidays arrive, and suddenly you hear coughing and sniffling everywhere you go.

Britni: Yep, 'tis the season. And, you know, inevitably, I hear this frequently, "Okay, you're a dietitian, what do you do when you feel a cold coming on?"

Melanie: We do get that question.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: Well, exactly. So today we're giving listeners a peek into what nutritionists actually do during cold and flu season, you know, tips of the trade, what we're eating, what supplements do we keep around. I always have certain ones. I know you do, too.

Britni: Same, yep.

Tips from the nutritionists when you feel a virus coming on

Melanie: And what do we do when we feel that our first tickle in our throat, and what do we eat once we're already sick?

Britni: So let's start there. You wake up and you think, "Oh no, my throat feels a little scratchy." That is, for me, always the first sign. I know viruses hit people differently.

Melanie: Yep, me too. It's the scratchy throat. And, the first thing I do is get very intentional about taking care of myself. Like, I try to, but you know, we all lose track of what we're doing, and I don't wait until I'm completely knocked down and think, "Well, here it comes." I'm going to fight that thing.

Britni: Yeah. Same.

Melanie: So food-wise, I'm keeping things really simple. Simple proteins, vegetables, healthy fats, and plenty of fluids, and we all know that when you're not feeling the best, what you crave is different than in your normal day. For example, I love simple chicken soup. It tastes good.

I don't put noodles in it. I put vegetables in it, and you know, when you're not feeling great, it's warm, it's soothing, it's an easy way to get fluid, minerals, protein into your body. You know, I really crave toast. We were talking about this.

Britni: Same.

Melanie: But am I going to load up on a bunch of processed carbs and gluten? No, I'm not, because that's going to bite me in a different way. So I also want foods rich in vitamin C. So I, I crave, like bell, cold bell peppers. I can do Brussels sprouts, berries and citrus fruits, leafy greens. These are things that I will typically eat. I don't crave things that are full of like a sulfur smell, like broccoli and cauliflower. They just don't appeal to me once I'm down.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: But if I, before I'm down, if it's just that scratchy throat and sniffle, I know broccoli's high in vitamin C-so I'm going to start pounding a lot of broccoli. What about you?

Britni: Yeah, I mean, same thing. I'm trying to be really intentional about what I'm doing, making sure to load up on veggies, and you know, I always have frozen vegetables around.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: So even if you're starting to get the scratchy throat and getting also maybe a little tired, I mean, it's fine to hit the easy button and do easy proteins, frozen vegetables, simple.

Melanie: Confession, I just don't want to be cooking vegetables, so I have, I think I've mentioned this before on one of our other podcasts, I have a green smoothie I make, which is not a protein smoothie. It's simply to get greens down my gullet.

And it is, I keep on hand frozen kale and frozen chard that I have washed, got from the farmers' market, washed and froze. I keep frozen broccoli on hand, and I keep organic lemon juice on hand. I know Costco sells one that's like an organic volcanic.

I always keep that on hand. And, this is my green bomb, is I will throw in water, it's just water, the frozen vegetables, some broccoli florets, kale, whatever greens I've had. It might be collard greens, whatever I've got frozen. And then I put a big splash of lemon juice, and I sweeten it with monk fruit or stevia.

I blend that puppy up and, sometimes I'll add some fiber to it, you know, ground flax or chia or something, but not very often. And I just drink it down.

Britni: Yeah. Get 'er done.

Melanie: And lemon juice... Oh, and I like frozen cubed cucumber.

Britni: Okay.

Melanie: So I cube cucumber and freeze it for my ice cubes. It's actually very fresh and the, between the lemon juice and the sweetener it does not taste like you're drinking earth.

Britni: I can see that. And then you've already had how many cups of vegetables? And so many vitamins, minerals.

Melanie: You know, you freeze, freeze is just as good of a nutritional profile.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: Sometimes even more than f- fresh depending on from where it was shipped from.

Britni: Exactly, especially here in Minnesota in the winter.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: Things can be sitting a long time: fruits and vegetables.

Melanie: So- Yeah ... it's just sort of my way... I do that when I'm lazy at night and I'm just cook a piece of protein.

Britni: Mm-hmm ...

Melanie: Have a green smoothie.

Britni: Food does not always need to be fancy. Especially when you're sick, just think of, you know, what's going to be easy but nourishing right now.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: And then, I mean, being intentional, too, about sleep, water intake, so important.

Melanie: So important.

Britni: I mean, I've learned that the hard way.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: I'm sure we all have.

Melanie: Oh, yeah. You don't want a headache on top of not feeling good because you're dehydrated.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: Or a UTI.

Britni: Mm-hmm. So get your sleep in, get your water in, and then, you know, you can get rid of that scratchy throat.

Skip the orange juice (& what to do instead for that vitamin C!)

Melanie: Yeah, for sure. You don't want to grab the big bottle of orange juice.

Britni: No. I mean, you talked about vitamin C, and I think immediately people think about vitamin C, drinking some orange juice.

Melanie: Don't do it.

Britni: I mean, that's what we had when we were kids.

Melanie: And it's a sugar bomb. You know? And if you've got a scratchy throat also, it's very acidic on your throat. But more importantly, it spikes your blood sugar, which puts your immune system in not a good place, and you don't want to be spiking your blood sugar. I know that we had an author that said that juice is really liquid candy.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: So does it taste good? Yes. Does it have some vitamin C? Hmm, probably. But is it the best for your immune system and your blood sugar? No. So don't grab the orange juice.

Britni: It's like eating multiple oranges in one sitting, which you would never do, right?

Melanie: Right. Without the fiber.

Britni: Without the fiber. Yeah.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: Just eat an orange, eat a clementine, or…

Melanie: Take a vitamin C.

Britni: Take vitamin C. Or like we said, broccoli, bell peppers, those are also going to have vitamin C, so it's not just the citrus fruit. So leaning into real whole foods to get your nutrients.

Melanie: One thing to note, too, if you are doing a stew and you're putting peppers in there and you're slow cooking it, you're probably destroying a lot of the vitamin C. So, you know, some strips of fresh bell pepper is probably going to be better, you know, a little cutie, an orange, broccoli that's steamed.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: Kept a little firmness to it, because you don't want to, vitamin C is destroyed with heat and light. So when we talk about vitamin C, you know, that's, it's a good place to start, but most people might not naturally think about upping your protein.

Eat protein to support the immune system

You know, your immune system is made up of cells and antibodies and enzymes, and signaling molecules that require amino acids, and that's part of your immune system. And your body gets these amino acids from protein. So this is not the time to live on crackers and toast for days, and juice, even though it sounds like that's what we were raised on, yet that old comfort food. Maybe some soft-cooked, hard-boiled eggs. You know, that would be something to get some protein in.

Britni: Yeah. I mean, chicken, turkey, beef, fish, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, if it sits well with you.

Melanie: If you don’t have a lot of mucus.

Britni: Yes. Dairy is going to increase mucus, so if you're feeling super congested, dairy's probably really not the best choice. But yeah, scrambled eggs are always easy. You could have soup or just brown up some meat.

Melanie: You know, and with that soup too, use bone broth. You can buy good, bone broth, Kettle and Fire. Costco has an organic bone broth. Keep it on hand because that ups your protein, too.

Britni: You know, a smoothie, that's kind of my default. Like, if I'm not feeling great, I know I need some good nutrition, or I'm just, don't have much of an appetite because clearly, as you described your green smoothie, you can get a lot of good stuff in one smoothie.

Melanie: Yes. And then- And it's cold and feels good on the throat.

Britni: Or if you want something warm, you can make a warm smoothie. There's a delicious apple pie smoothie on our website.

Melanie: Oh yeah.

Britni: Use your protein powder, put some fruit in there, I usually do frozen. Put some veggies in there, because why not? It's an easy way. You could surely add some extra fiber, flax, chia, and then some fat, whether that's avocado, canned coconut milk. Sometimes I do olive oil as my fat for something quick.

Melanie: Interesting.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: And the other thing that's cool and easy is a protein chia pudding. So it's like three tablespoons of chia, a cup of milk of choice, probably dairy-free if you've got congestion. You know, like a sugar-free almond milk, organic almond milk or coconut milk in there, and then your protein powder.

And lately I've been using fresh mango. So that's been really nice, and you just put it all together and put, you can put the mango on the bottom, you can put berries on the bottom. You can make a bunch of them at one time, and then they sit. They're cool, delicious. Put some nuts on top. You've got protein, carb, and fat right there.

Britni: Super simple.

Melanie: Super simple, tastes like dessert.

Britni: Yep. Yum.

What to eat to build immunity

Melanie: So let's say you're feeling perfectly healthy right now, but you want to build your immunity to prevent getting sick. What should you be eating throughout the fall and the winter as a preventive measure to help your immune system be well-nourished?

Britni: For those of you that are longtime Dishing Up Nutrition listeners, you know our message is eating real food, foods you're going to find in nature, and we want the balance of it. And this way of eating, it's going to help all aspects of your health, including your immune system to be able to fight off those viruses this time of year. So what do we mean when we say eat real food in balance? Protein. We already talked about the importance of protein for your immune function.

Melanie: And to be clear, we're talking about animal protein, not nuts, seeds, or beans.

Britni: Yes, correct. They're complete proteins, meaning they have all the necessary amino acids. Also, they're just more usable or bioavailable for our body.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: So, you know, most people really need four to six ounces. Men probably need more than that. And that's after it's cooked at each meal. Ideally, we're getting a couple cups of, of vegetables. You know, if you can get at least one cup, and, that can be something you build on over time. And then some, some real natural fat, whether that's olive oil, butter, avocado, nuts, seeds.

Melanie: Coconut milk. Full-fat coconut milk.

Britni: Olives.

Melanie: And this is, again, what we're talking about consistently eating this way prior to cold and flu season, you're going to get through cold and flu season a heck of a lot better.

Britni: This is something I hear from clients frequently. When they change their eating to this way of eating, they say, "I do not get sick," or, "I get sick way less frequently," or, "When I do get sick, I recover a lot faster." This is a message we hear a lot. It truly, truly makes a difference.

Melanie: I also hear, "I don't... It doesn't turn into a sinus infection." People that struggle with sinus infections, when they start eating real food, they start eating this way, they build their immune system, sometimes removing that dairy, and the risk of sinus infections dramatically decreases.

So you don't want that cold or flu, then you've got that infection that follows. Yeah, miserable. You know what I, I would also emphasize a variety, because different foods provide different immune-supporting nutrients, and different fruits and vegetables feed different types of bacteria in your microbiome.

Eat zinc-rich foods

For example, zinc is essential for normal immune function, and great food sources are going to be, again, animal protein like beef, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds, good sources of zinc, and all real foods that come from nature. I love to put pumpkin seeds on top of my, you know, chia puddings.

Britni: Mm. Yummy.

Melanie: Yeah.

Eat vitamin C-rich foods

Britni: And then we talked about vitamin C, which again, it is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, not just citrus. So bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, berries, leafy greens.

Support the microbiome for immune function

Melanie: And let's talk about the gut. You know, we touched a little bit on, I mentioned the microbiome. Well, a large amount of immune activity takes place in and around the intestinal tract. Your digestive system is constantly interacting with food, bacteria, and other substances coming from the outside world.

So supporting a healthy gut microbiome, that's your little garden of bacteria in there, that's a foundational piece of supporting a good immune function. Truly, leaky gut is one of the highest risk factors for having a poor immune system.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: And leaky gut comes from processed foods, not enough fruits and vegetables, not eating healthy proteins. So start now, and you're going to start really supporting that gut or that digestive function that you need for a good immune system.

Britni: Yeah, because you can turn that gut health around.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: I mean, we've seen it done. Or if you're somebody that have been, that you've been on a lot of antibiotics in your life, you probably have some work to do in your gut.

So, you know, one area to focus on could be fermented foods, because you're getting probiotics in there. So sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled vegetables, these need to be refrigerated. If it's something like pickles, they need to be without vinegar.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: Because the vinegar will kill the bacteria, and like shelf-stable sauerkraut, it would have gone through some sort of heating process, which also kills the bacteria.

Melanie: So you don't want to take your sauerkraut that you get that's a good probiotic sauerkraut, you don't want to heat that.

Britni: No.

Melanie: Because you're killing the little buggers in there that we want, but you know, like cold pickles, some people find that digestible. I used to take a tablespoon or two of sauerkraut cold on the plate.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: And use that as a tiny bit to salt my food.

Britni: Yes.

Melanie: So that's the way to go.

Britni: Yeah. I mean, I love sauerkraut or kimchi on eggs. You could put it on a salad, all sorts of different things. Plain yogurt or kefir, again, if you tolerate dairy could be an option, and there are some good quality dairy-free options out there, which would also have some, some good bacteria to offer. And then you mentioned this earlier, fiber.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: Fiber-rich vegetables or that flax, that chia we're talking about, that's going to feed the good bacteria. That's like the fertilizer for your garden. So getting good variety of the fiber-rich foods and berries, that's going to help to support a healthy immune function.

Melanie: We want to feed the bacteria that we have, the good bacteria that we have. And sometimes we need a little boost, and that's where a probiotic would come into play. I always make sure my clients, especially during cold and flu season, are on a good probiotic. And supporting a healthy gut microbiome is really foundational part of overall immune support plan.

It just is. I usually, if someone has not been on a probiotic I will usually start them with just simple strains like Bifido and Acidophilus. And then before you go to a multi-strain, because I don't want to blow their guts up. You know, where they're bloated as their body adapts. But, let's talk more about immunity after our break.

Supplements to consider when you feel a virus coming on

Britni: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. Melanie and I are talking about what we do to support our immune function, and what do we do if we feel a little virus sneaking in. So that brings us to a very common question we get. What's in our supplement cabinet?

Melanie: Mine is so full.

Britni: Mine is too.

Melanie: You know, when you're a nutrition nerd, you've got every supplement under the sun because we just know too much.

Britni: Yeah. We might want to try something for a little bit and there's all sorts of supplements you can do to support your immune function. You know, vitamin D, which really should be foundational for so many reasons.

Melanie: Forever, for everyone.

Britni: Exactly. Vitamin C, zinc, probiotics. Again, I think probiotics should fall in that foundational all the time for, for most people.

Melanie: I think so too. And you know, we just, we live too far from the sun.

Britni: Yep.

Melanie: Especially in Minnesota. Now, if you're walking the beach, you live in Florida, and you're walking the beach, and you got a big tan, maybe you're getting enough vitamin D, but that's not typically what everybody else is, is doing. Usually, if they're in the sun, they're wearing sunscreen. So vitamin D, that's kind of key. And I always like it combined with K2.

Britni: Agreed. Agreed. And it has a very vital role in immune regulation. So if you are deficient in vitamin D, the reality is you are more likely to get sick.

Melanie: Yes. And if you are sick, many times I will have clients just double their vitamin D for a couple weeks.

Britni: Same. Mm-hmm.

Melanie: Because, you're going to go through it, and during COVID, studies showed that it helped prevent lung involvement, so people were less likely to get pneumonia if they were doubling up on their vitamin D.

Britni: I have some clients that travel a fair amount and I will have them do that a few days leading up to, to getting on that airplane, being in the airport, and a couple days after, and it, it really seems to be effective.

Melanie: Yeah. That's interesting, because when you're traveling in an airplane, you're just like in a Petri dish that someone spits in. You know, I mean, it's just loaded.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: So I will have them... I like the vitamin D, I'm going to incorporate that. I will have them take Wellness Formula. There's a lot of products out there that are high in sugar.

Britni: Yes, there are.

Melanie: And sugar suppresses your immune system for a few hours. So I think it's contradicting itself. Like, it's supposed to be for your immune system, but it's also suppressing your immune system.

There's a great product called Wellness Formula by Source Naturals that I love. You can get it on the Nutrikey website. And I have them do the loading dose the day before, the day of travel, and the day after to help prevent getting that Petri dish illness when you're sitting in an airplane.

Britni: Vitamin C, I mean, we've talked a lot about vitamin C, and again, ideally we are eating vitamin C rich foods daily. But some people, you know, you could supplement extra during cold and flu season, somebody in your family is sick, or it could just be if you feel something coming on. You can get vitamin C in various different forms.

We have like a Nutrikey Vitamin C-1000, which is easy. Generally just taking one of those. There's a Liposomal Vitamin C liquid if you prefer liquids. They're highly absorbable, well-tolerated, and, you know, there are other vitamin C products out there. Sometimes they can be a little more irritating to the gut.

Melanie: Yeah, I can't do ascorbic acid.

Britni: Can cause diarrhea.

Melanie: Mm-hmm. You want with- something that's absorbed, because vitamin C can cause diarrhea, and ascorbic acid, the term acid, is really irritating.

Britni: Yep.

Melanie: And I know we carry several of those products on the Nutrikey website. So you can go on there, click around and see what suits you, if you like liquids versus, you know. One thing I would recommend is don't shake the liposomal vitamin C. We always shake but when you open it, it foams out, so.

Britni: Gosh.

Melanie: Don't shake it.

Britni: That would be a surprise.

Melanie: Yeah. Well, I did it, so. And then there's zinc. Oh, gosh, did we, we all hear about zinc, and you may have heard of taking zinc lozenges. You may like that better than a capsule or a tablet. You can get those as well on the Nutrikey website.

But be careful of lozenges that you pick up that are full of sugar, because again, are you taking zinc? Yes. Is it having sugar that suppresses your immune system? Yes. So supplementing zinc when you start early in a cold has some evidence of reducing the duration of cold symptoms, depending on the dose and the formulation. But zinc is really another example of where more is just not better.

Britni: So like you said, Melanie, we don't want too much zinc. So, high doses of zinc is something, it can interfere with your copper absorption, and that could create its own issues. So, we don't want to take high doses of zinc every single day. Zinc can also make people nauseated, especially on an empty stomach. So what I would say is use zinc; I mean, if you're taking a multivitamin, generally there is adequate zinc in there for a daily, daily dose.

Melanie: If it’s a good one.

Britni: Yes. High quality. Thank you for pointing that out.

Melanie: Because you are not absorbing the take a little one multi that you get at a big box store. You're absorbing maybe 10% of what's in there.

Britni: Yep. Very good point. But if you are looking to take extra zinc to support your immune system, you know, if you did it for a couple months, cold, flu season, I think that would be fine. Or again, just kind of as needed, like if you feel like something's coming on or your family is sick, that could be a good time to do it.

Melanie: Yeah, that's really good. And then there are combination immune support formulas containing vitamins and minerals and herbs. Some of them have a zinc in there so you probably don't need to double up. And these products we like to have on hand during cold and flu season.

We talked about some. I love the Wellness Formula, particularly at the first sign of a cold or a flu. I've been known to zip out and get it if I'm traveling and look for it in a co-op and see if they have it if I didn't bring it. But I know you talked about Viracid.

Britni: Yeah. I used Wellness Formula for years, and then last year I decided to try Viracid, because why not? . Well, I like to think it helped to prevent me from getting the flu. My family got the flu.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: Last year, and of course with kids, you know, there's “snottiness” all over the place, so.

Melanie: Yes. Especially for mommy.

Britni: Yeah. So I thought that was really helpful. How you do Viracid is a little different. It works better if you take it right away when you feel a symptom come on.

Melanie: It's not preventative.

Britni: Whereas Wellness Formula can be taken preventatively. So I think both of them are wonderful, and you can take quite a bit of both the Viracid and the Wellness Formula. Read the label, again, when you are feeling symptomatic.

Melanie: And for the optimal, you want to follow the directions on the bottle because the manufacturer knows how to use it with the best efficacy.

Britni: Yes. And so that's what I personally do, one of those kind of, multi-ingredient products, and then I don't worry about all these separate ones.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: Then I take extra vitamin D, I take extra probiotics, and yeah, I think it works, along with, with all the food. And then the, there is, a ViraKid, so a kid's version of the Viracid, which I give to my kids. You know, I think that that has also been helpful in a chewable.

Melanie: That's great. And do you give that to them at the first sign of them being sick?

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: So what do you do if, like, ever sickness is going around daycare?

Britni: That is a great question, because of course there's lots of stuff going around the school. So I will give them probiotic, make sure they're taking vitamin D, and of course supporting their nutrition. You know, avoiding that sugar. Because like you said, Melanie, that's just going to reduce your immune function, like it, make it more likely for you to get sick.

Melanie: Yeah. The less junk, you know, that they get. And then, you know, vitamin D is very dose-dependent on size and things like that. So you want to work with a, a nutritionist for that.

Easy ways to get in some nutrition when you’re sick

Well, let's talk about what to eat when you're sick.

Britni: All right, so life happens. Despite your best efforts, you caught the bug, you're not feeling great. Now what do you do? So first of all, do not expect your food to be perfect during this time, or really any time. You know, we're not striving for perfection here.

Melanie: Right.

Britni: When you have a fever, congestion, body aches, nausea, sometimes your appetite is just not there. But you still want to provide your body nourishment to help to fight it off, and hopefully reduce the severity and the duration of the virus. We mentioned chicken soup, classic for a reason. You got your broth. I always keep bone broth on hand.

Melanie: Mm-hmm.

Britni: That's kind of a good staple, especially fall, winter season. So you're getting some fluids, you're getting some sodium, which is an electrolyte. Chicken, it could be rotisserie chicken. It could be some stores even sell the rotisserie chicken already pulled.

Melanie: Yeah. Or you could, you know, you can get some canned chicken on hand. If, if you are not up to even going to the store, these are things to have on hand. Maybe you have some chicken in the freezer that's chopped and ready to just throw in your chicken soup. So you don't have to think about cooking. Just get ready.

Britni: Mm-hmm. Use frozen veggies in there. You know, you can add some seasoning to make it a little more exciting, although you might not be tasting much anyways, so it might not matter.

Melanie: So if you're not, that's when you, you know- the fresh garlic, onion, ginger. These are all immune-boosting.

Britni: I always have easy proteins around, just because life happens, whether it's illness or schedule changes, whatnot. So sometimes I'll have, like, frozen turkey patties that I throw in my air fryer. I make some frozen veggies, put some butter on my veggies.

Melanie: Because kids still need to eat even though mom is sick.

Britni: Yeah. So that, I mean, easy things , that are still providing you nutrients but you're not obviously going to want to spend much time in the kitchen doing this stuff.

Melanie: No. One of the things I keep on hand, I call it the sweater stacking method, is I might cook ground beef, pulled pork, chicken, and then I put it in a big Ziploc bag. I buy the silicone Ziploc bags. I flatten it out so it's flat, and I freeze it like a stack of sweaters, right? I've got all these proteins. And then all I have to do is break off what I want. It's easy to break off because it's this flat, thin layer. And add it to, you can add it to your broth.

My stepdaughter got sick, and I made her chicken noodle soup. I had the bone broth on hand, I had the chicken on hand. I just chopped up some, you know, celery and carrots and we were done.

Britni: Yeah. Easy.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: That's a great idea. Just always have it on hand.

Melanie: Yeah. Scrambled eggs are another option, you know, if that's something that appeals to you. I like a soft-cooked egg when I don't feel good with a little sweet potato. You know, a smoothie or a protein shake can also work beautifully.

Again, it's cool, it's easy. You know, if solid food isn't appealing to you, throw it in your blender, some berries. You can do some water, some of your protein powder, a little canned coconut milk or a liquid or some avocado for a healthy fat in there.

You know, if you can, if you want to make a big batch of this, maybe you do three smoothie servings at a time, and you can have three, you know, in the fridge for when you want it or you have low energy. You know, it's dinner, that's usually nighttime, things amp up the worst. You can just grab that smoothie, shake it, throw some ice cubes in it and a straw.

Britni: Yep.

Melanie: And you're done.

Britni: It's not going to taste as good leftover, but you know what? Sometimes it's just about getting something in your body.

Melanie: Nourishing you and keeping you hydrated. Hydration is key for everything to move along at a tickety-boom pace.

Britni: Yep. I always have Key Greens around so when I'm sick, and you know, you can do this anytime, just put a scoop in your water.

Melanie: Mm, yeah. They, like the lemonade is ice water.

Britni: Like that one, yep. You know, it helps because you're probably going to drink more fluids because it tastes a little better. It's something different than water, also giving you some more antioxidants as well. And remember, if you have a fever, you're sweating, you're vomiting, you have diarrhea, your fluid needs increase.

Melanie: Yes.

Britni: So we want to make sure you're not getting dehydrated.

Melanie: So instead of grabbing the Gatorade, I like people to have on-hand electrolytes.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: So that you can just add it to water and drink it down. If you want it flavored, you can add some of the Key Greens. The Key Greens are like a combination of fruits and vegetables, but they have, like we said, like there's a berry flavor, there's a chocolate flavor.

Like they're different flavors, and you're getting the antioxidant boost that you get from fruits and vegetables. Does not replace fruits and vegetables, but it does give you that boost, and sometimes that's all you can get down. But you can combine it with your electrolytes, some water to flavor, you know, whatever. But if you're vomiting, diarrhea, fever, you're going to need electrolytes and you're going to need antioxidants, and you're going to need fluid.

Britni: When my kids are sick, I will get them coconut water because it has naturally occurring electrolytes.

Melanie: That's really good to have on hand.

Britni: Yeah, so that can be helpful.

Melanie: And tasty.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: You know, try it before you're sick, make sure you like it.

Britni: Yeah. Mm-hmm. And, you know, when you're sick, maybe you're eating smaller meals more frequently. Maybe it's a cup of soup now and a couple hard-boiled eggs later, couple hours later. You know, again, there's no expectation that you're going to follow your typical eating pattern, and that's okay. It's about providing your bodies with immune-building nutrients throughout the day. And, you know, we don't want to make eating at that time a stressor.

Foods that weaken the immune system

Melanie: And then, you know, on the flip side, which foods weaken the immune system? We touched on we can't have cold and flu show without talking about sugar.

Britni: You think about cold and flu season overlaps perfectly with what we could call sugar season. Halloween candy leads to-

Melanie: Coincidence? ...

Britni: Thanksgiving pies, leads to Christmas cookies, holiday drinks, office treats, New Year's parties. Oh my gosh, and then everything in between.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: So it can very easily become months of sugar overload.

Melanie: And isn't it surprising that that's also cold and flu season? Which came first? There's the question. Yeah. So we are indoor, we're not exposed to sun like we normally are. We're more sedentary-

Britni: Yep.

Melanie: And we're eating these holiday foods. So if you want to get through your holiday season, move your body, get in the sun, get your sleep, try to avoid sugar. Pick your 10. You know, if it's Christmas Day, that's your 10.

Britni: Yeah.

Melanie: It's the thing you always have on Christmas Day, but so much is available before Christmas Day, before Hanukkah, before Thanksgiving, you know? So whatever your holiday indulgence is, pick your 10, have it, but don't have a season of it.

Britni: And, you know, not only for your immune system, but, you know, sugar just leads to you're not going to feel your best.

Melanie: No. It's sandpaper to the body.

Britni: The other piece with eating a lot of sugar and refined carbohydrates is it's going to send your blood sugar up, and high blood sugar itself, it increases inflammation in the body, it impairs immune function, particularly when we have chronically elevated blood sugar.

Melanie: Yeah.

Britni: So we clearly see this with people that have poorly controlled diabetes. They have a greater susceptibility to certain infections and generally get sicker when they are exposed, because they have difficulty fighting them.

Melanie: Yeah, so if you feel a cold coming on, that's probably not the time to rely on caffeine and sugar because you need that energy to get through your day. Instead, give your body a break and your immune system a boost, you know, and give it the raw materials that it needs, up the probiotics, the vitamin D, maybe some zinc, maybe some vitamin C. You know, that's the way to take care of yourself through the season, not a sugar-ladened coffee drink.

Britni: Yep.

Melanie: Because darn it, I feel bad and I deserve. What you deserve is someone to nurture you like your mother or grandmother did.

Simple cold & flu season checklist

Britni: Yeah. So let's, let's give listeners a simple cold and flu season checklist. Start with real food. You know, at meals we're aiming for a quality source of protein, plenty of colorful vegetables, and then that healthy natural fat. Again, when you're sick, it's okay if you're just eating smaller, more frequent meals to, to get food in.

Including foods rich in vitamin C and zinc can be very helpful to support your immune system. Support your gut with vegetables, fiber, fermented foods, and keep the added sugar and highly processed carbohydrates to a minimum because they are going to lower your immune function.

Melanie: Think it's not just about avoiding, it's also about eating what's going to support your system. So we're back to the real food concept that we hammer home every podcast. Real food you find in nature as much as possible of vegetables and healthy protein, you know, some healthy fat in there.

But you want to pay attention also to vitamin D, particularly during our Minnesota winters. You don't want to lapse off on vitamin D. Consider having your level tested rather than guessing about what your needs are. So think about reaching out, working with a practitioner, a nutritionist, dietitian.

You can go to weightandwellness.com, and you can schedule your own appointment. We accept a lot of insurance plans. Or you can give us a call.

Learn More About Nutrition Counseling 

Britni: Yeah, give us a call. Our number is 651-699-3438. And, you know, also during this time, do the boring things that actually make a tremendous difference. Drink your water, get enough sleep, manage your stress, and just don't drive yourself into the ground, right? Give yourself breaks.

Melanie: It's the simple, boring message. And the reason it's around for so long is because it works. It's not magic.

Britni: Mm-mm.

Melanie: It's just consistency.

Britni: Mm-hmm.

Melanie: So it's not, "Oh, I ate really good one or two days a week." It's that consistency that makes a difference. You know, I think that's the perfect way to end today's show. Supporting your immune system, it isn't about finding one magical food or a magical supplement that guarantees you'll never get sick. It's a stack of things.

You know, health is a casserole of components, and so you want the supplements, you want the exercise, you want the sleep, you want the decreased stress, and you want the real foods. It, all of it works together to make this fabulous casserole of wellness. You know, it's about creating that environment where your body has the nutrients and the resources it needs to respond appropriately.

And that's really our message at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, is to teach people the healing power of real food in balance, taking care of your body. It's a simple yet powerful message. Thanks for listening to Dishing Up Nutrition, and Britni and I, and here's to staying healthy this cold and flu season. Cheers. We'll talk to you soon.

Britni: Thank you.