Natural Cold and Flu Remedies. Chinese medicine dictates that if you look after your respiratory and digestive systems, you can better guard against colds and flu. Winter is coming, so here are seven recipes to keep you well.
Chinese medicine dictates that if you look after your respiratory and digestive systems, you can better guard against colds and flu. As the final months of winter play out, we provide seven recipes to keep you well.
With the solstice behind us, winter may be on its way out, but the cold and flu season is hanging around a little bit longer. To stay sneeze-free and make the most of what’s left of winter, you may want to pay attention to Chinese and Indian medicine, which argues you’re more likely to catch a cold if your digestive and respiratory systems are compromised. Here are our favourite recipes to strengthen the lungs and large intestine, and make sure your keep that cold at bay.
LOOK AFTER YOUR LUNGS
Believe it or not, vegetables that look similar to the structure of the lungs are particularly nurturing for them. This means vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and broccolini, all of which work well with salads, stir frys and Asian noodle soups. Here are two other recipes to help you integrate broccoli and cauliflower into your diet. Don’t forget to use the stalk, too – packed full of flavour you can slice the stalks finely and use in your dish, or reserve them to make a winter stock.
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Available all year round cauliflower is at its best in the winter months. The florets are great used raw in a salad or as part of a crudité selection served with dips. But for a warm mid-week meal combine cauliflower and potato for a hearty soup.
Orecchiette with Broccoli
Quick and easy, vegetarian, seasonal and tasty. This pasta recipe has it all.
BE GOOD TO YOUR BOWELS
As a rule of thumb, vegetables that push down into the ground as they grow are particularly beneficial to the bowel. This includes carrot, daikon, radish, fennel and beetroot. Make sure, too, that you eat plenty of fibre – by replacing a glass of orange juice with the real thing, for example, you’ll not only up your fibre intake, but also dose your body with vitamin C, which is also perfect for fighting off colds and flu.
Carrot Pie
With its delicious walnut pastry, this appetising carrot pie is sure to bring a cheerful start to a wintry week.
Fennel soup
Fresh fennel is available from autumn to early spring. Buy tight, compact, medium-sized bulbs with nice green sprigs that you can use for garnishing.
Russian Borsch
Enjoy this traditional Eastern European dish with chunky wholemeal bread and a dollop of sour cream. But try replacing the traditional glass of vodka with a cheeky mug of steaming hot mulled wine.
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Chinese medicine and Ayurveda recommend foods that are cold, wet, white, damp and sugary are avoided during winter months. So swap your breakfast cereal for whole wheat porridge, and replace your soft drink with a warming winter cuppa…
Whole Wheat Porridge
Avoid drinking cold milk and eating cold sugary foods for breakfast. Opt for a bowl of warm whole oat porridge with spices – this recipe uses bananas but for winter months you may like to replace with grated pear or apple.
Warming Winter Cuppa
Made with spices, ginger and a slice of orange, this hot drink is packed full of healthy ingredients. Instead of sugar, use raw honey to sweeten to your palette.