Winter special: Get rid of the sniffles with these five superfoods!

New Delhi: Every time Winter comes around, people begin complaining of flu, especially cold. The wheezing, sneezing, sniffling common disease makes a comeback every year.

Although, not so serious in most cases, they do give us tough times.

Even though medicines are the obvious way out for many, there are always better solutions like natural supplements.

Apart from natural remedies, there are certain foods that are, more often than not, always available at home, which will help you battle your miserable cold and considerably speed up the process of recovery.

Have a look!

1. Garlic:

The stinky, smelly root is actually a miracle worker when it come to colds. The bulb is often dismissed because of the offensive odour it gives out, which lingers on your breath for hours afterwards. However, garlic is a risk worth taking if you have a cold ar a strong tendency to catch one. One of the key ingredients in garlic is called allicin, and it has proven itself as a potent antioxidant which helps the immune system fight illness.

2. Red peppers:

It is common knowledge that vitamin C-rich foods are great when it comes to curing colds and the first sources that come to mind are oranges and other citrus fruits. They are undoubtedly good sources of vitamin C, but red peppers which are excellent sources too are often forgotten. Just a single red pepper averages about 150 milligrams of vitamin C, which is twice the recommended daily allowance for women.

3. Mushrooms:

Although a fungi, it is a healthy one, not to mention super delicious. The many varieties of mushrooms that are edible differ quite a bit when it comes to their nutrient content, but most of them contain antioxidants that will boost your immune system and give it the requisite strength to fight off a cold.

4. Sunflower seeds:

Considered a popular snack, sunflower seeds are a powerhouse of health benefits. It’s the antioxidant power of vitamin E in sunflower seeds that makes them useful in the fight against colds.

5. Tea:

Is a steaming, hot cup of tea one of the first things you ask for when you're suffering from a cold? If yes, then you're doing the right thing! Because, not only does it make you feel better, but it has real cold-fighting benefits as well. Tea contains a rich amount of antioxidants called catechins, which combat colds powerfully. A study conducted in Japan in 2011 found that people who took catechin supplements for five months lowered their chances of catching the flu by 75 percent. So there you have it! Tea is definitely the way to go if you catch a cold.

Take care!