We are deep in the middle of winter now and with chilly days and nights it can feel like almost everyone around us is suffering from a cold or flu. After getting a little run down, sleep deprived and surrounded by cold weather, our immune system can struggle to prevent us catching viruses. Building your immune system up by including immune-boosting foods in your diet is a great way to prevent reoccurring colds throughout winter.

Winter is the ideal time to rest and eat nourishing, warm foods like soups, stews and curries. This Shiitake Bone Broth Pho is a perfect meal to have on rotation throughout the colder months. It uses bone broth as a base (feel free to sub for vegetable broth or stock as a vegetarian option) because of the powerful health benefits of broth.

Bone broth is a slow cooked stock which allows time for the healing nutrients from the bones to be released into the water. Bone broth contains a host of amino acids like arginine, cysteine and glutamine which support the gut and immune system.

Your grandmother was right about chicken soup – a study examining chicken broth given to people suffering from upper respiratory tract infections revealed that the soup helped relieve common cold symptoms by clearing mucous, opening up airways and reducing inflammation in the respiratory system.

Bone broth also contains gelatine and collagen which are responsible for the gelatinous texture of cooled bone broth (this is how you can distinguish bone broth from regular stock – it will be solid once cold, not liquid). Collagen is an important nutrient for gut health as it feeds and strengthens the cells lining the gut.

This Pho contains plenty of garlic – a key anti-microbial and anti-bacterial food (meaning it kills bacteria and viruses). Ginger is also used in the soup which provides an anti-inflammatory effect – soothing sore throats and reducing inflammation in the respiratory tract.

I love making a huge batch of this soup and freezing portions for a simple, delicious meal to reheat when I’m feeling under the weather. For another great flu fighter, try juicing a lemon and mixing with hot water, a few pieces of raw ginger and a teaspoon of honey.

If you’re really brave, chopping up a whole, raw garlic clove and swallowing whole is a powerful way to stimulate your immune system when you first feel like you are coming down with a cold. Try mixing with a little olive or coconut oil to help it slide down easier.

What are your favourite winter flu fighter recipes or drinks? Let me know in the comments below.

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Tamika Woods | Nutritionist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For a decade, Tamika battled chronic acne, irregular cycles, mood swings, hair loss, painful periods, severe digestive issues and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). You name it - she's been there!

Tam was finally able to clear her skin, regulate her cycle, be free of period pain and fall pregnant naturally with her daughter in 2020. It took Tam 10 years and tens of thousands of dollars in tertiary education to get the answers she needed to get better. She didn’t want other women to suffer as long as she did which is why she has dedicated her life to helping women in the same position as she was.

Tam helps women interpret what their bodies are trying to communicate through frustrating symptoms, and then develop a step-by-step roadmap to find balance again. She's here to help you get on track!

Tamika Woods holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree (Nutritional Medicine) as well as a Bachelor of Education, graduating with Honours in both. She is a certified Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) Educator and a certified member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA).