Easy Food Changes That May Help You Avoid a Winter Cold

After summer ends, many people try to increase their intake of vitamins C and D, yet once autumn fully arrives, illness still seems to strike. Nutritionists Maz Packham and Jess Shand say the reason may be that avoiding seasonal colds depends more on steady, long-term dietary habits than on quick fixes.

“More than anything, I think we need to move away from trying to ‘boost’ the immune system overnight; we don’t actually want to boost it,” Shand says. “The immune system needs to be regulated, not permanently switched on.” Packham adds: “Rather than trying to load up when you feel a cold coming on, we want a regular supply of nutrients to support the immune system every day, so try to focus on colour when you’re building your plate and ensure there is a source of protein with each meal.” Below, the experts explain which foods to include in your diet to help you get through cold season.

Nutrient-dense foods to add to meals

Although supplements can be useful for topping up vitamin levels — and vitamin D is even recommended by the NHS — a healthy diet should always come first. “It’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from our diet alone as it’s naturally found in relatively few foods — such as egg yolks, oily fish, liver — and even then in fairly small amounts,” Packham explains. “My top tip is to take vitamin D supplements with a healthy form of fat such as eggs, yoghurt or nuts, as it’s a fat-soluble vitamin so this helps support absorption.”

Packham also suggests eating more vitamin C-rich foods that help support immunity, including kiwis, berries, citrus fruits and peppers. “Our bodies can’t make or store significant amounts of vitamin C, so we need to make sure we’re getting a regular intake of it through our diet,” she says. She adds that zinc is another key nutrient. “It’s found in oysters, red meat, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas and nuts, so it’s worth looking at whether you are getting these foods in your diet, as a deficiency in zinc could affect your normal immune function.”

Protein is another food group Packham says people often overlook when thinking about immune health. “I wouldn’t say that not eating enough protein will necessarily make you more susceptible to catching a cold, but protein plays a really important role in supporting our immune system,” she says. “We need amino acids from protein to produce antibodies, support the function of our immune cells and to help the body repair and recover when we’re unwell.”