Battling A Common Cold? 5 Odd Food Remedies To Try

For the past week, you have dealt with a runny nose, an itchy throat, and a constant cough.  To ease your symptoms, you may have swallowed a bottle of cough syrup and eaten a bag of throat lozenges over the past few days.  If this scenario sounds familiar, you might want to try the following 5 odd food remedies for the common cold.

Turnips

As a child, you may have refused to eat the turnips on your plate.  However, this sometimes maligned vegetable is believed to help ease the symptoms of the common cold.  In Iran, a serving of mashed turnips is often the prescription of choice for a runny nose and chest congestion.    

This super food is loaded with immune system boosting vitamin B and vitamin C.  These infection fighting vitamins are thought to help thin mucus and lessen coughing episodes.  If plain mashed turnips aren't appetizing to you, you could:

  • Combine mashed turnips with parmesan cheese

  • Mix mashed turnips with butter

  • Cook turnips with rutabagas

  • Cook turnips with cauliflower

Onion

If you normally avoid onion because of its tendency to induce bad breath, you may want to give this healthy vegetable another chance.  The onion is known to have antimicrobial properties.  Antimicrobial substances often function as microorganism destroyers.  At the very least, they might be able to stunt the development of microorganisms. 

This unique property of onions makes it a good cold fighting asset to have.  In addition to being microbial, onions are also a great source of sulfur.  This mineral helps boost your immune system.  It may also aid in the mucus expelling process.  You can consume your dose of this vegetable by:

  • Adding chopped onions to a tossed green salad

  • Pairing sliced onions with cucumbers and vinegar

  • Adding diced onions to chicken soup

  • Preparing a cheesy baked onion casserole

Coconut Water

If you've ever sought treatment from a physician for the common cold, he or she probably advised you to consume a large amount of fluids.  This practice is necessary due to the loss of liquids from blowing your nose or spitting up mucus.  When people run fevers with their common colds, they can also become easily dehydrated.

In order to replenish liquids effectively, drinking only water may not be sufficient.  If you have a severe common cold, you are probably losing electrolytes.  Electrolytes help keep your body's cells functioning properly. 

Enjoying a glass of delicious coconut water is a great way to reload your body with electrolytes.  If you're not a fan of this frothy drink, you can also obtain necessary electrolytes from:

  • Energy drinks

  • Table salt

  • Bananas

Gogol Mogol

Do you look forward to sipping eggnog during each holiday season?  If you enjoy eggnog, you may wish to experiment with the European drink Gogol Mogol.  This frothy concoction is similar to American eggnog and is believed to relieve the annoying symptoms of the common cold, especially a pesky sore throat.

To make a heartwarming mug of Gogol Mogol, simply mix together:

  • Warm milk

  • Whipped egg yolks

  • Honey

  • Fresh or ground nutmeg

  • The contents of a vanilla bean or vanilla flavoring

Lizard Soup

If you're looking for an adventurous cold remedy alternative to chicken soup, you might be interested in savoring a steaming bowl of lizard soup.  Like consuming chicken soup, eating lizard soup will probably help thin mucus.  This Hong Kong specialty will also aid in fluid replenishment. 

In order to prepare lizard soup, you will need to assemble:

  • Dates

  • Dried lizard

  • Yams

  • A pot of water

While you probably can't find dried lizards on your local supermarket's shelves, you might be able to locate some at an Asian grocery store.  You may also be able to purchase this delicacy from a retailer of Chinese herbs. 

If you've been battling a common cold for several days, you might be willing to try almost anything in order to obtain relief.  The aforementioned 5 odd food items might help you fight your annoying cold symptoms.  If these remedies aren't enough to beat your cold, you may want to contact a local health clinic or your doctor. You can click for more info on health clinics near you. 


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