Chicken Soup
Why it’s a cold/flu fighter: When you have a cold or the flu, a major symptom includes congestion in the nose, chest, and throat. Chicken soup has specifically been shown in studies to thin mucus secretions. Broth and noodles provide carbohydrates for maintaining your energy levels, potentially helping you feel less lethargic. If you add vegetables, you’ll boost the level of nutrients in the soup, which will help support immune function. Slurp away on low- sodium soups that contain 30% less salt. You want the soup to contain some salt, though, because sodium helps regulate the amount of fluid in the body. Basically, the saltiness in soup may help encourage hydration, says Lawrence D. Rosen, MD, chair of the Integrative Pediatrics Council, and author of The Whole Child blog. This is important because fevers can contribute to dehydration.

鸡汤
普通感冒和流感都有鼻塞、咽部不适的感觉，其实这是病毒引起上呼吸道炎症的表现。很多研究已经验证了鸡汤的抗感冒作用：鸡汤能够减少呼吸道分泌炎性液体；肉汤和面条内含有碳水化合物，为患者提供能量，患者才不会总是昏昏欲睡；如果在鸡汤里加点蔬菜，营养会更丰富，对提高自身免疫力很有帮助；鸡汤里含有少量的盐，这对感冒病人也是有益的。因为盐里的钠离子可以促进水合作用，而感冒病人发烧时身体往往会脱水。

Garlic
Why it’s a cold/flu fighter: Garlic contains compounds, such as allicin—an oily substance, which gives it the characteristic odor and provide its antioxidant properties. Former research published in the journal Advances In Therapy found that taking a garlic allicin-containing supplement could help prevent colds as well as shorten their duration. The research shows that both consuming garlic in cooking and taking appropriate dosages of garlic supplements, as a dehydrated garlic powder, garlic oil, or aged garlic extract, may be effective and safe in adults. Because the safety of garlic supplements haven’t been tested on children, it’s safest to stick to incorporating just the whole food—one to two cloves or more, if you prefer the taste—into your kids diet.

大蒜
大蒜中含有大蒜素。这是一种油性的物质，大蒜的特殊味道就来自于这种物质。大蒜素有强大的抗氧化作用，已有医学研究证实，服用大蒜素能够预防感冒、缩短感冒病程。研究表明：无论是做饭的时候加入大蒜还是服用脱水大蒜粉、大蒜油、大蒜提取物等大蒜制剂，都能有效且安全地防治感冒。

Green Tea
Why it’s a cold/flu fighter: Green tea leaves contain antioxidants that can help to boost immune function. A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition showed that subjects taking a special preparation of green tea as a capsule experienced 23% less bouts of colds and flu overall and 36% fewer sick days. Their immune systems also produced more cells that fought off illness-causing bacteria and viruses.

What does this mean for you? Sip on green tea any chance you get. However, keep in mind that green tea does contain caffeine—20 to 50 mg per 8 oz.-cup, depending on how long you steep the tea. (In comparison, a cup of coffee contains 100 to 120 mg per 8 oz.-cup.) For adults, a moderate amount of caffeine is 200 to 300 mg per day; more can be associated with side effects, which include restlessness and difficulty sleeping. For this reason, you should closely monitor how much green tea kids have. One cup per day for a gradeschooler or preschooler is fine (just don’t steep the green tea too long for young kids). Or just give them the decaf variety, especially if they’re drinking it when they have the cold or flu.

绿茶
绿茶含有抗氧化剂，可以帮助提高免疫功能。最近一项医学研究表明：服用某种特制绿茶胶囊的受试者普通 感冒和流感的发病率降低23%，病程也缩短了36%。同时他们体内产生更多免疫细胞，可以更有效地对抗细菌和病毒。

对我们有什么启发呢？尽可能喝点绿茶。不过需要注意的是，绿茶含有咖啡因。一杯绿茶中含有20-50mg咖啡因，当然泡的越久含量越高。相比之下，同样的一杯咖啡中含有100-120mg咖啡因。成年人每天摄入200- 300mg咖啡因是比较适量的，再多就会引起激动、失眠等副作用。所以，对喝茶的孩子应该特别关注。学龄前儿童或小学生每天喝一杯绿茶有益无害。或者在他们感冒的时候，给他们一杯低咖啡因的绿茶也是个好主意
。

Strawberries, Oranges, Sweet Red Peppers, Broccoli
Why they’re cold/flu fighters: Some studies in adults have shown that taking high doses of vitamin C daily may significantly reduce cold and flu symptoms. Other studies have seen a modest benefit in reducing the duration of a cold or flu symptoms, and a few studies in adults and children have shown that taking vitamin C might help prevent colds or flu, although the research is inconsistent.

It ultimately doesn’t matter whether vitamin C can or can’t prevent or ease cold and flu symptoms, because it offers numerous health benefits when consumed through eating enough fruits and vegetables (3 or more cups per day). Plus, vitamin C acts as a cell-protecting antioxidant and an immune booster, which means it’ll help keep you healthy anyway—even if it isn’t a magic elixir for colds and flu specifically. Just remember to sidestep the supplements and
stick to whole foods—especially vitamin C-rich foods such as strawberries, oranges, sweet red peppers, and broccoli—when you want to make sure your child gets enough of this powerful
nutrient.

草莓、桔子、甜椒、西兰花
很多研究证实：成人每日摄入大量维生素C能够明显减轻感冒症状。另外一些研究则发现维生素C能够缩短感冒病程。另一些同时涉及成人和儿童的研究结果显示：服用维生素C有助于预防普通感冒和流感。

维生素C能不能预防或减轻感冒症状似乎并不重要，因为通过水果、蔬菜补充维生素C对身体的好处远不止这一点。此外，维生素C是一种天然的抗氧化细胞保护成分和免疫增强剂。所以，即使它不是抗感冒的良药，同样对您的健康非常重要。放弃那些维生素药片吧，坚持食用全食材，特别是维生素C含量丰富的草莓、桔子、甜椒、花椰菜。

Lean Meats
Why they’re cold/flu fighters: Maintaining good iron levels is necessary for maintaining a healthy immune system, and eating lean red meat and poultry, as well as fish and shellfish, provides a type of iron that is easily absorbed by the body. Zinc is another important mineral that these food sources provide—it serves many functions, one of which includes activating a white blood cell that helps fight off infections.

In some studies, zinc nasal sprays and lozenges have been shown to reduce the duration of a cold and the severity of symptoms, but overall, the research is inconsistent. Some people have also reported that they lost their sense of smell after using zinc nasal sprays. In addition, ingesting too much zinc could be harmful.

瘦肉
保持铁的摄入量对维持健康的免疫功能非常重要。瘦肉、家禽、鱼类和贝类食物里含有的铁很容易被人体吸 收。这些食物里也都含有另外一种重要的矿物质-锌。锌在人体内参与多项重要生理功能，如激活白细胞帮助抵抗感染等。

一些研究结果显示：锌的鼻腔喷雾剂和含片能缩短感冒病程、缓解感冒症状。不过另有报道发现锌鼻腔喷雾剂引起嗅觉丧失。而且锌摄入过多是有害的。

Honey
Why it’s a cold/flu fighter: Grandmothers may not be surprised by this, but a study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, found that buckwheat honey may reduce cough by coating and soothing an irritated throat. Researchers compared the effects of giving children this dark-colored honey (1/2 teaspoon, ages 2 to 5; 1 teaspoon, ages 6 to 11; 2 teaspoons, ages 12 to 18), honey-flavored dextromethorphan (cough medicine), or nothing at
bedtime. Honey worked the best at reducing cough and helping their child sleep. How did the cough medicine fair? It didn’t work any better than using no treatment.

Note: Don’t give honey to children younger than age 1—it could lead to infant botulism, a rare but potentially fatal illness.

蜂蜜
很常见的一种食物。研究发现蜂蜜附着在咽部可以缓解咽部刺激引起的咳嗽。第一组儿童睡前服用蜂蜜，第二组儿童则服用蜂蜜口味的右美沙芬止咳药，第三组儿童什么也不用。结果表明：蜂蜜缓解咳嗽、帮助儿童入睡的效果最好。止咳药呢？和什么都不用的效果差不多。

特别提示：绝对不要给1岁以下的儿童喂食蜂蜜，因为蜂蜜中的肉毒杆菌毒素会引起婴儿中毒。这种情况很少见但很严重，甚至致命。

Hot Peppers
Why they’re cold/flu fighters: You don’t have to sip tea or broth to turn up the heat when you eat. If your nose starts to run whenever it catches a whiff of spicy fare, add some chili peppers to your dishes when you’re stuffed up. Capsaicin, the natural compound found in hot peppers that provides the heat and spiciness of the food, can thin mucus, giving you a runny nose to help you breathe better and allow your nasal passages to get rid of germs.

When cooking, add small amounts of less than a half teaspoon of fresh or 1/8 teaspoon of dried hot pepper if you’re not used to hot foods. Use as much as you or your child can handle.

辣椒
有的时候你是不是被辣得泪涕俱下呢？所以，感冒鼻塞的时候在菜里加一点点辣椒吧。辣椒中有一种天然的化合物 - 辣椒素，这种物质含热量很高，当然，也非常辣。辣椒素能够降低鼻粘膜分泌物的粘稠度，方便鼻涕流出，从而让您呼吸更顺畅，还能促进鼻腔内细菌的清除。

感冒的时候不妨在菜里放一点干辣椒。吃得越辣，康复得越快哦！