Every year most of us will go down with some kind of minor respiratory illness. Be it a cold, a cough sore throat or full blown influenza, as we head into Winter this seems to be the time when we become particularly vulnerable. A sore and chapped nose, headaches and fever and sore throats are miserably familiar to us all.

Unfortunately, the impending party season, with its excess of sugary foods can only make us more vulnerable, as sugar can reduce our immunity. Studies have shown that even the amount of sugar that you would find in just one can of fizzy drink can reduce the ability of phagocytes (specialised white blood cells) in the bloodstream to engulf and kill germs by about 40%!

But in the face of all those Christmas goodies it would take a cast iron will power to avoid them all so why not redress the balance by maybe eating a little less than you might have done of those sugary treats and then to boost your immune system by eating a range of foods known to have immuno-protective properties.

Immune enhancing foods might help you keep those colds at bay or help you recover from them more quickly if you do succumb – and they taste good as well! They work by stimulating the white blood cells to move more quickly towards a site of infection and respond to pathogens in a more effective manner.

So what are the immune boosting super foods?

Elderberries and Blueberries: These are rich in anthocyanins which regulate and support the immune system. Eat some with live plain yoghurt, drizzled with a little Manuka Honey…….

Manuka Honey (a honey produced by bees that predominantly feed from the flowers of the Manuka bush) has been shown to be a powerful antibacterial agent and its effects are both local and systemic, meaning that it positively affects not just the surfaces it comes into immediate contact with (for example the throat) but also has positive effects throughout the body as a whole

Garlic – effective against both viral and bacterial infections and has a beneficial effect on the immune system. As the essential oils from the garlic move through the respiratory tract they are very effective in destroying viruses and bacteria. Best eaten raw and crushed to release therapeutic properties (ok so this may not be great for your social life, but then neither is a red runny nose and constant sneezing!). Eating homemade hummus is a good way of getting some raw garlic into your diet and is delicious as well. Many garlic supplements are odour free.

Shitake mushrooms have been used for a tonic for the immune system for centuries. They contain a group of very chemically complex sugars called polysaccharides which are responsible for their powerful immune stimulatory effects.

Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory that can help to reduce that bunged up feeling by decreasing inflammation in the mucous membranes that line the nose and the sinuses’

Chilli can thin out mucous making it easier to remove from the body – again really useful when feeling congested and bunged up.

Carole Nicholson BSc N.Med

References

Bub, A. et al., 2003. Fruit juice consumption modulates antioxidative status, immune status and DNA damage. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 14(2), pp.90-98.

Butt, M.S. & Sultan, M.T., 2011. Ginger and its health claims: molecular aspects. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 51(5), pp.383-393.

Collier, B. et al., 2008. Glucose control and the inflammatory response. Nutrition in Clinical Practice: Official Publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 23(1), pp.3-15.

Goncagul, G. & Ayaz, E., 2010. Antimicrobial effect of garlic (Allium sativum). Recent Patents on Anti-Infective Drug Discovery, 5(1), pp.91-93.

Harris, J.C. et al., 2001. Antimicrobial properties of Allium sativum (garlic). Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 57(3), pp.282-286.

Hearst, R. et al., 2009. An examination of antibacterial and antifungal properties of constituents of Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) and oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) mushrooms. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 15(1), pp.5-7.

Kwakman, P.H.S. & Zaat, S.A.J., 2011. Antibacterial components of honey. IUBMB Life. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22095907 [Accessed December 7, 2011].

Lila MA 92004). Anthocyanins and Human Health: An In Vitro Investigative Approach. Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

Pinnock D (2011) Medicinal Cookery. Right Way Press, UK

Turina, M., Fry, D.E. & Polk, H.C., 2005. Acute hyperglycemia and the innate immune system: Clinical, cellular, and molecular aspects. Critical Care Medicine, 33(7), pp.1624-1633.

Sanchez, A. et al., 1973. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 26(11), pp.1180 -1184.