Use Nutrition to Fight Off Flu This Year

Sniffle season is well and truly here! The weather is getting cooler, blankets and jumpers are being worn to keep us warm; however, many may forget that nutrition plays a crucial role in protecting and strengthening our immune system.

Think of nutrition as an extra layer of clothing keeping you warm. What we eat can either boost and strengthen our immune system or weaken it further, increasing our risk of the nasty winter cold and flu. 

Here are 3 great ways to use Nutrition to Fight Off Flu this year!

Here are 3 immune boosting tips : 

1. Fermented Foods 

Fermented foods contain probiotics (live bacteria) which can help boost the number of healthy bacteria in your gut and as a result strengthen your immune system.

Interestingly, 70% of our immunity comes from our gut, so strengthening it is critical for a healthy immune system.

Ideas to increase the consumption of fermented foods in your diet, might include:

• Including natural Greek yoghurt with your breakfast (top with granola!)
• Add kimchi into your salad
• Consider adding kefir into your smoothie 

2. Consume More Vitamin C Rich Food 

Most of you would have heard about Vitamin C supplementation to help reduce the severity/length of a cold; however, eating vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruits can help increase the number of white blood cells which are key to fighting infections.

Next time you have breakfast, consider a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice or a few mandarins as a snack (did I say they are also in season! Yum) 

3. Consume Zinc Rich Foods 

Consuming foods rich in zinc can help increase white blood cell count and more importantly fight off any pathogens.

Zinc also has antioxidant properties which means it can strengthen cell membranes preventing foreign invaders like germs and bugs from entering the cell.

Foods high in zinc include:

• Red Meat,
• Chickpeas
• Oysters
• Chicken

There are many more options, so feel free to reach out to our Dietitian’s for ideas. 

At Precision Athletica we know the importance of Nutrition and for that reason we have our own in house Dietitian’s. If you would like more information, or feel you might benefit from a session with with a Dietitian, you can either come into our clinic, or work with us online.

If you enjoyed this coconut banana smoothie recipe, you may also like our Vietnamese Chicken Salad Recipe.

How Do I Book an Appointment with Precision Athletica for Help?

We’re taking the health of our clients, members and staff very seriously and our preference would be for you to call to book an appointment so that we can make sure to explain our approach to keeping you safe. You can call our bookings team to schedule a session:

• Customer Support Centre: 02 9764 5787
• OR email us at: olympicpark@precisionathletica.com.au

Online Consultations

Evolving with the current environment, we are also now offering online appointments, meaning that we can support anyone who is unable to leave their home. Sessions are done via our state-of-the-art Telehealth system and as long as you have a laptop or tablet with an inbuilt camera, or a phone with camera, we can help! Online consultations would be especially effective for people looking to work on their nutrition and we have many clients working with us who are not based in Sydney.

To learn more about online consultations, please call us on any of the numbers listed above.