Immune tips - for cold and flu season

The leaves are beginning to fall and it’s starting to feel a bit chilly when you leave your house in the morning. Although the autumn colours are warm, cold and flu season is unfortunately fast approaching! Here I share a few of my top tips on how to support your immune system through diet so that it’s more robust and resilient when facing these challenges. There are a few key nutrients which support healthy immune function, so let’s be sure to build these into our daily meals.

Vitamin C Probably the best known nutrient for helping the body fight infections. It’s

abundant in citrus fruits, berries, sweet peppers, tomatoes and broccoli. Try squeezing some lemon juice onto your salads or fish to increase your intake.

Vitamin D It is not just the virus itself, but our body’s response to it, which is important, and both an efficient and a balanced immune response is required. Vitamin D helps to regulate our immune responses, making it essential for fighting off viruses.1 Although our main source is direct sunlight on the skin from late March to September, we do not make enough from this source between October and early March and the NHS do in fact recommend supplementation.2 A blood test can determine your current levels to guide supplement dose. There are also some vitamin D rich foods to include in your diet: oily fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout), eggs, and irradiated mushrooms, for those who are vegan.

Zinc Zinc regulates signalling pathways in our immune cells and also exhibits antiviral

activity.3 Food sources include meats, fish, shellfish, wholegrain cereals, pulses, nuts and

seeds, as well as dairy products. Sprinkling pumpkin seeds on top of your granola or salads is an easy way to increase your intake.

Ginger A versatile spice with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties which is easy to add to curries, soups and sauces.4

REFERENCES

1. Bikle DD. Vitamin D Regulation of Immune Function. Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2022

Jun;20(3):186-193. doi: 10.1007/s11914-022-00732-z.

2. NHS. Vitamin D. [Internet]. 2020. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-

minerals/vitamin-d/.

3. Wessels I, Fischer HJ, Rink L. Dietary and Physiological Effects of Zinc on the Immune

System. Annu Rev Nutr. 2021 Oct 11;41:133-175. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-122019-

120635.

4. Ayustaningwarno F, Anjani G, Ayu AM, Fogliano V. A critical review of Ginger's (Zingiber

officinale) antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. Front Nutr. 2024

Jun 6;11:1364836. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1364836.