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The body realizes that it is winter. A cold appears, and for many of us, our defenses are reduced and our health is affected. Lifestyles and ways to protect yourself from the cold aim to allow your body to cope with the discomforts of winter. For this reason, this article highlights some of the steps you can take to strengthen your winter defenses.

Stress, bad eating habits… They reduce our defenses and make us more vulnerable in winter. To this, we must add a constant change in temperature that we experience when leaving an enclosed space. These fluctuations increase the risk of catching a cold. Therefore, special care must be taken to protect the body.

The importance of diet as a preventive measure

First of all, pay attention to your diet. As we have said many times, food is essential to keep our body in perfect condition. Sometimes we don’t realize that the general state of life largely depends on what we eat, so especially this time we are faced with external attacks, which can be triggered by environmental degradation. You have to get stronger.

To protect yourself from a cold, it is essential to eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Maintaining the perfect balance is essential. Whenever we talk about colds and vitamins, we think of vitamin C, but vitamin D is the key to having high defenses.

The importance of vitamin D

According to a study from the University of Cambridge, vitamin D not only helps fix calcium, but also helps strengthen the immune system. The problem is that in the absence of sunlight in winter, the body produces less vitamin D, which releases a protective antimicrobial peptide that increases the risk of catching a cold. For this reason, in addition to sun exposure for about 10 minutes a day, foods that help produce vitamin D should be included.

Some foods in which we can find large amounts of vitamin D are: Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, eggs are also found in large quantities. To this Lulu Largesa can be added in very high amounts with a dietary supplement or food rich in this type of vitamin.

Vitamin C helps but it’s not that important.

Vitamin C is probably the most famous for the prevention of colds. But we have to say one thing about it, and that is that there is no definitive research on its direct effect on colds. It is true that vitamin C generally helps the body. As it is a particularly strong antioxidant, it protects cells from the effects of free radicals. However, in this context, vitamin D is more key.

Vitamin E and its help in the elderly.

Another published study emphasizes the alleviation of the effects of colds, especially the importance of vitamin E in the elderly. Although vitamins were not considered for colds, I would like to emphasize that as a result of this study, they are good allies to achieve a better general condition of the body.

Best of all, the effect of this vitamin in the body is, above all, a powerful antioxidant that helps strengthen the body’s natural defenses. In addition, the study highlights its effectiveness in strengthening the body and improving its response to typical colds and infections during this time. Therefore, when it comes to alleviating or reducing the effects of colds, it is a necessary and very useful vitamin.

Vitamin E is found in foods such as whole grains, nuts, olives, sunflowers, soybean oil, and wheat yeast.

And the minerals?

Regarding minerals, emphasize zinc. According to studies published in this regard, this mineral has important prophylactic effects as it helps to strengthen our body and make it more resistant to attack by viruses and bacteria. Also, if you have a cold, it will help to significantly reduce the effects on your body.

Zinc, a necessary mineral to prevent colds due to its power over the immune system

Zinc fully activates the body’s natural defense system. The deficit reduces the body’s natural defenses, which increases the risk of infection. Therefore, it is important to take this mineral regularly. Especially in winter, additional defense and especially prevention contributions are needed.

Zinc is a mineral found in foods such as meats, shellfish, whole grains, beans, and nuts…

Sport, a good way to strengthen your body

Another point to consider when considering colds is sports. Physical activity helps strengthen our body against the cold, according to a study published by Charles E. Matthews at the University of South Carolina. Not only is it a preventive measure, but it also helps to make the symptoms milder.

The reason why he uses it is that sports help us relieve stress and make us feel much better. The release of endorphins makes our body more relaxed and much better in terms of defense. Therefore, exercise helps to strengthen the body’s immune system. Doing it regularly helps us to be better and stronger physically.

Rest is the tool to relieve stress and improve defenses

From this study, the importance of rest in the prevention of colds can be derived. This is because the resting body helps to achieve a stronger defense. Without rest, stress can build up and affect your body’s defenses, which in turn can affect our response to viral and bacterial attacks.

Therefore, rest is essential to keep the body in perfect condition. If you want to be strong against harsh winters, you have to take good care of it and take it seriously. In addition, good rest affects our mood. This is also related to stress and defense responses.

Some general considerations for colds

Finally, keep in mind some considerations regarding colds.

The use of supplements in winter helps to strengthen our body and fill the deficiencies in our daily diet. Of course, supplements should not replace a balanced diet.

It is necessary to maintain an optimal state of mind. Laughter is a good ally, it weakens your defenses and avoids stressful situations that make you more vulnerable to external attacks.

It is important to pay attention to sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, you should take care of the clothes you wear. Care must be taken to maintain body temperature so as not to be exposed to external attacks.

Smoking and drinking not only do not help prevent colds, they are not good friends for colds. Cold A cold makes symptoms worse.

If you don’t already know Fitenium is a free, mobile, video-based social network for athletes who train strength or bodyweight exercises. At Fitenium users can follow their performance, compete and get discounts in nutrition and sports equipment stores. Download it here.

Five keys to reducing the duration and severity of symptoms

The important thing is to reduce the discomfort that the flu can cause after the virus has infected us, and also to reduce the time that it is present so that the set of symptoms that causes the disease can be identified as soon as possible.

Therefore, the following five tips can make recovery easier.

Vitamin C does not help prevent colds or the flu, but it has been shown to reduce symptoms of this disease by 85% when taken in large amounts (1 gram or more per day). Eating other foods rich in vitamin C can be very helpful in promoting recovery from colds and flu.

Published on Unplash by Hannah Reding

Adequate hydration helps “clear” the airways and remove any mucus present, so drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and relieve nasal congestion. Remember that you can drink water through infusions, other liquids, foods or formulations rich in water.

Include garlic in your regular diet. It has not been shown that its consumption reduces the incidence of influenza and colds, but a study published in Clinical Nutrition found that the compounds in garlic act on the defense system, so it is recommended during the period in which the disease is more frequent. Regardless of the form of garlic you consume, it is recommended that you grind or mince it beforehand to activate its beneficial compounds such as allicin.

According to American scientists, supplementing the diet with brewer’s yeast also provides minerals and elements that are involved in the body’s defense system, thus significantly reducing the symptoms and duration of flu and colds.

Consuming echinacea tea reduces flu symptoms and eliminates the viruses that cause infection in a shorter period than the traditional period of five days or more, according to a study published in 2004.

Published on Unplash by Anastase Maragos

These five tips will help you alleviate cold and flu symptoms, promote recovery with a healthy lifestyle, strengthen your defenses, and help you recover from the stress that flu puts on your body.