How to cure a cold

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Posted at 1:00PM, 11 January 2011 by Emily Boyce - Sub-editor, bbcgoodfood.com

For the past couple of months, at least one member of the bbcgoodfood.com team has had a sniffle in rotation, and at times there's been a veritable chorus of nose-blowing around our desks. It's not just us of course, as the cold and flu season is in full swing and some reports suggest it's worse than usual this year.

In desperation, we reached out to our Facebook friends yesterday, asking for any tips on how to cure a cold. Along with some more unusual suggestions (including mulled wine, 'not just for Christmas'), these were their top five tried-and-tested remedies:

1. Old classic Chicken soup, or as one of our Facebook fans called it, 'Jewish penicillin'. With noodles, for extra comfort-factor.
2. Variations on hot lemon and honey, with or without an added shot of whisky (making it a Hot toddy).
3. Garlic - in tea, if you can stomach the taste; raw, if your friends and family can bear your breath; or used in your cooking.
4. Ginger - again in tea or in your cooking.
5. A punchy curry with lots of chilli to clear the airways and antibacterial turmeric. This has the added benefit of being one of the few things you can still taste when your taste buds are shot.

There's something very satisfying about making yourself meals designed to fight your illness; it allows you to feel you're doing yourself good, even if it's just cheering you up a bit rather than providing a miracle cure.

When I'm feeling sorry for myself, I retreat to the foods my mum gave me when I was poorly. Top of the list is tinned tomato soup with sliced white bread - somehow the sweet, vividly orange liquid becomes appealing in a way it never is when I'm on top form.

What do you eat when you're under the weather?

Comments

MZ

11 January 2011, 2:24PM
MZ

when suffering from a cold it is also often a good idea to dairy avoid foods as these can increase mucus production...yuck!!! To make yourself feel better try a vitamin c smoothy made with strwaberries, a banana and orange juice.

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Lexi99

11 January 2011, 11:34PM
Lexi99

I was ill recently and wanted to test out the roast chicken soup recipe but didnt have the right ingredients :( Soup if a winner with me, cold or no cold

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Colette

12 January 2011, 4:03PM
Colette

Soup, soup and more soup - when you're feeling under the weather, whether self induced or not it's the only way to go.

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Roger

12 January 2011, 7:50PM
Roger

My wife and I (both in our 60s) avoid colds during the winter by drinking liquidised ginger, carrots and apples each morning. We also heap loads of honey on our porage oats. A brisk one-hour walk after breakfast also sets us up for the day!

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Bev

13 January 2011, 8:12AM
Bev

I put a lot of garlic in my meals and I have not had a cold in over a year, so if anything I am preventing myself being ill and so far it is working. I was running on a record of two years without a cold when I got my last one so not bad going really.

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Mrs Chutney

15 January 2011, 8:58AM
Mrs Chutney

A garlic pill a day works wonders and keeps the odd sniffles at bay, though this latest coughing bug is evil! When I have a sore throat, I reach for a fruit jelly to drink it is so soothing & tastes good too!

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Jeanette

18 January 2011, 5:30PM
Jeanette

Comfort food when i`m unwell always has to be the same. 2 soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers, just as my mum prepared for me when I was a child. I always know I`m on the mend when I start fancying eggs .

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