Colds and Sniffles: best way to prevent

DH and I seem to be stumbling from one kind of sniffle, cold or cough to the next for the past few weeks. We take a multivitamin but was wondering what others do to stave off the winter snuffles. Vitamin C, ginger, supplements - what's your go-to preventative measure? (am already a hand-washing fanatic but maybe I need to carry one of those little antiviral sprays around).

I usually take echinacea everyday. Find it great got staving off coughs and colds. In saying that I bought some a few weeks ago and it's still sitting in the press so need to get taking it as it takes a few weeks to kick in. Also my diet can play a huge part in me getting sick - if I've been eating crappy food and under a bit of stress then I definitely get run down.

I've stocked up on the echinecha and we're having brown rice for dinner. It's just a headcold but it's my third this winter.

z

Getting enough sleep - I always seem to get a cold if I've been burning the candle at both ends. The usual healthy eating i.e. lots of fresh veg, fruit, oily fish, pulses etc and keeping hydrated. I wouldn't put too much store by taking a supplement apart from omega 3 oils as there isn't too much evidence to suggest they actually work Sunlight/vit D -> getting outside. apparently one of the reasons why people get more colds in winter is due to the fact that we have less sun/ daylight hours & therefore our bodies are producing less vitamin D which supports the immune system.

I take a Vit D supplement during winter as I work a long day and could go for days without seeing sunlight. I think it does support your immune system. Apart from that, I eat a healthy, varied diet and try to stay fit and active during winter as well.

Ructions, I don't think I would touch my face a lot - I used to work in catering and had it drilled into me not too. My theory is that DH picks up the germs on public transport and brings them home to me I made us a lovely pilaff last night with lots of roast veg and brown rice - we both feel better for it. The lack of sleep is definitely something I'm suffering from - our baby boy may be 10 months old and technically I suppose he sleeps through but he's a dreadful noisy moocher and has a bit of teething cough so I rarely get more than 4 hours sleep in a row.

Ah, not a whole lot you can do about the sleep then! Unless you try scheduling a nap for yourself at the wkend while your OH stays on duty... Just a suggestion. To help save time when cooking, try making extra & freezing it. Fresh soup is also very easy to make and ingredients like lentils are filling, nutritious & very cheap! Also try to avoid having tea or coffee an hour either side of mealtimes as the tannins they contain inhibit the absorption of vitamins in the body. Juice like orange juice helps with the absorption of vitamins & iron from food. Keep hydrated too, try herbal and spice infusions for sth hot. Hydration keeps the mucus membranes in your nose, throat and intestines lubricated thus making them more effective in resisting germs etc ( sounds lovely, I know). I find using a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over food is a nice replacement for salt & boosts your vit c intake.

always take fresh food, soups and use ginger in food, use some food supplement and also use maximum warm food and avoid cold coffee, choco shake and beer etc.

Make sure you are getting all your vitamins, so if you are not good with eating a variety of fruit and veg get a daily multivitamin into you!! Also a spoon of honey a day keeps the sniffles away.