With fall around the corner, it is time to gear up your body to fight colds. When temperatures fall and the nights are cold, damp and long, warm liquids and pepped up hot dishes help soothe the throat and aid healing.

Eating the right foods is the first step for effective prevention. So what exactly would constitute the right preventive foods?

Foods containing niacin.

Foods rich in niacin are whole wheat products, sesame, coffee, peanuts, animal liver, fish and milk. Munching on sesame, peanut and bran crackers is one way to ensure your intake of niacin through the day.

Foods containing Vitamin C

Vitamin C aids in building up immunity. While food sources like amla, guava, lime, orange and cabbage are rich in Vitamin C, leeks, carrots and spinach help to keep warm. Gearing up to fight colds with juice of amla and orange makes great sense. However, when you want to warm up, soups and broths containing, leeks, cabbage and carrots are the best bet.

Water and fluids

Fluids help lubricate the mucus membranes. Even a glass of warm water can give relief. Chicken soup helps clear up nasal congestion while soups that contain herbs do their own bit to fight cold.

Foods with spices and seasoning

There are plenty of spices that will warm you up to the toes and clear up congestion. Thus ginger, peeper, paprika and garlic can be combined to give that hot flavour to cooking. It can also boost the healing power of chicken soup for a spicy de-congestion version!

Mustard sauce helps loosen nasal congestion when all else fails. Likewise a dash of pepper helps keep the body warm. While sesame can be liberally used on cakes, cookies and dips, sweet balls of sesame and jaggery are ideal foods to fight cold. Adding ginger helps to boosts body heat and soothe a sore throat. Garlic helps to heal with its antibiotic properties. Pepper too builds up body heat and soothes the throat.

Adding basil, bay leaves, ginger, garlic and cloves in cooking, helps boost immunity. Not only do these herbs have therapeutic and anti-inflammatory properties, they also provide some instant relief for conditions of cold, cough and fever.

Thyme is the ultimate cold-fighting herb. It reduces chest and nasal congestion. Lacing with peppermint helps to ease breathing difficulties, nasal and chest congestions, as well as inner chill and headaches.

Foods strong in probiotics

Foods like yoghurt, milk and dairy products, have the required friendly bacteria that help the gastrointestinal tract and

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