Outsmart winter’s worst flu and colds
This year’s flu season could be a doozy, since we’re battling a bug (the H3N2 virus) that vaccines trounce only 33% of the time. As always, scrubbing your hands plummets the risk of influenza and winter colds by 55%. Add these simple strategies to make your immune system so feisty, it’ll conquer any viruses that do invade— fast!
Bite into hearty bread Eating foods that require a bit of chewing can protect against illness, report National Institutes of Health researchers. Turns out regularly crunching on raw veggies, whole fruit, grainy breads and even al dente pasta can triple your production of flu-fighting immune cells! The reason: Chewing creates tiny abrasions in your mouth, and as your immune system repairs them, it produces the white blood cells that kill viral invaders. Tip: Chew around 30 times per bite.
Pork chops for dinner
Pork is loaded with zinc, a mineral that destroys germs at their most common point of entry, the tissues lining your nose and throat, says immunologist Laura Costarelli, PH.D. No wonder Italian researchers say enjoying three pork meals weekly can cut your risk of viral infections by 25%, plus help you bounce back 48% more quickly if you do pick up a bug.
Take in sunshine
In the middle of summer, your skin can make a full day’s supply of immunity-boosting vitamin D-3 if you stand outside for 20 minutes. In the middle of winter? Too cold! Thankfully, Boston University researchers say vitamin D-3 supplements can give you the same immunity-strengthening edge that sunshine can, cutting your risk of influenza and colds by as much as 64% if you take 3,000 IU daily. Note: Check with a doctor before starting a new supplement.
Pedal inside
Hop on a stationary bike or take an indoor cycling class: Peddling for 30 minutes four times weekly can cut your risk of colds and flu by up to 60%, suggests research in the journal Aging Cell. Explains study co-author Ross Pollock, PH.D., exercise turns back the clock on your immune system, helping it fight invading viruses as vigorously as it did in your youth.