Bytheway...Fightcoldswithfruit,notsupplements

MY YOUNGER brother was battling his way through his second heavy cold of the autumn recently, complaining that it was unfair that he should be stricken yet again.

Given the regular doses of multivitamins to which he is partial, I could not restrain myself from asking how he ever came to believe that taking vitamins would give him any protection.

While I cannot give any evidence-based advice about how to avoid colds — apart from isolating yourself on a Scottish island — I do hold some very firm views about nutrition and health. There is no need to visit health food stores and purchase a selection of refined chemicals — a trip to the farmers’ market or greengrocer is all that is needed.

There is, for instance, a mass of evidence that apples are a food that promote good health — along with many other whole foods that are natural and plant-based.

An apple has an antioxidant vitamin C-like benefit equivalent to a 1,500mg supplement of vitamin C, even though it only contains about 5mg of the actual vitamin. This is because there are other active beneficial chemicals in the apple: quercetin, catechin, phlorizin, and numerous others.

So bin all those expensive supplements and eat fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains every day, and reduce your dependence on the trickery of manufactured foodstuffs and supplements from factories.

If you do nothing else to avoid colds this winter, eat an apple or an orange every single day. Easy.