Here's how to stay flu-free during those cold winter months

The cold winter months are upon us again. A yay for the cosy holidays, but a nay for that upcoming flu during this period. To prevent you from being sick at Christmas dinner later on, we have the solution. You guessed it: fruit!

1. Better prevention than cure

Eating fruit while you are ill is good for you, but eating fruit to prevent illness works even better. This is because the vitamins in fruit mainly help you build up your resistance and thus work more effectively to prevent illness than as medicine. If you eat a fruit snack every day, you won’t give the flu a chance! If you are already ill, eat fruit that contains a lot of vitamin C. This vitamin plays a big role in strengthening the immune system and stops inflammation in the body. The antioxidants in vitamin C also fight harmful particles in the body, such as free radicals. Go for oranges, tangerines and kiwis. These are real vitamin C bombs!

2. Health!

So vitamin C is a fat DO! But did you know that vitamin D is even more important in preventing flu and colds? A deficiency makes you more susceptible to diseases, which is exactly what we don’t want. Having the sun on your skin means you get enough vitamin D. During the winter months, this sun is often far away, so these vitamins have to be obtained elsewhere. Oranges put their best foot forward here too, because they are full of them. So regularly squeezing an orange will put off your cold for a while.

3. Active substances

Besides enough minerals and dietary fibre, fruit also contains plenty of fluid. We all know that drinking enough water (about 1.5 litres a day) keeps your immune system in good shape. According to the University of Nebraska, this prevents dehydration, which in turn is important to stop cold and flu viruses. One apple already contains about 84.3 grams of water. So an apple for thirst is definitely a must to maintain your fluid balance. Other anti-flu substances in fruit, are the “bioactive salvestrols”. These are created already in the plant of the fruit and, British research shows, they armour your body against various viruses and bacteria. Bring on red grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants, because these fruits are packed with salvestrols. In addition, drink plenty of water and you will be flu-proof.

It should be obvious: fruit keeps your resistance up. If you do not always have it at home, it is nice to have it up for grabs at the office. Order a fruit basket for the office yourself or through your employer. That way, you can stay on top of the upcoming flu and sit down to Christmas dinner with peace of mind and without a runny nose.

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