4 Foods to Defend Yourself from Cold & Flu Season

Food is the best natural medicine and the most delicious line of defense against falling ill during cold and flu season. Make it through the last half of winter with these edible remedies from the experts at Veria.com, an online extension of the national health-and-wellness TV network Veria Living.

1. Ginger: This humble root spice is actually one of the strongest natural immune defenders available to us — great for aiding in digestion and countering nausea. Suggestion: Drink your medicine by brewing ginger in a tea.

Ginger tea:

1. Cut off a chunk of ginger
2. Drop it in a cup of boiling water
3. Let steep for 5 to 10 minutes
4. Add a squeeze of lemon for a citrus kick or some honey as a natural sweetener

2. Garlic: This versatile and widely used member of the onion family is an immune-system-boosting powerhouse. Cook with it, roast it, toss it in with a homemade salad dressing or eat it raw — but get it in any way you can. Two cloves a day should keep the doctor away, but during flu season try at least four to five.

Pickled garlic candy:

1. Fill a glass mason jar with cloves of garlic
2. Pour a mixture of 50% raw apple cider vinegar and 50% raw honey mixture over the cloves.
3. Let sit and ferment for two weeks.
4. Enjoy on its own as a sweet treat or drink the liquid.

3. Thyme: This herb garden favorite is also a powerful decongestant and cough/mucus reliever. Create a "thyme steam" by tossing a bunch of thyme in a pot of boiling water; leave in the middle of the room or center of the kitchen table, and breathe in its gentle scent to relieve your upper respiratory tract.

4. Chicken soup: The ultimate embodiment of what is good is also good for you. This soup's broth can help build immunity, strengthen bones and hydrate your body — making it a super triple threat against the flu this season and all year round. Check out our Skinny Chicken Noodle Soup!

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