When you are sick or suffering from a cold, you must be conscious about the drinks you usually take. It is true that you need to take plenty of fluids as your body needs extra hydration when you are trying to get well. But what, exactly, should you drink? Some drinks are excellent to ease symptoms while others may make them worse. Keep these tips in mind when you are picking what to drink to combat colds and sickness.
Best Drinks to Fight Colds, Sickness
Decaf tea
Vitamins and Minerals
Unsweetened, decaffeinated, instant, tea contains iron, calcium, and potassium.
Health Benefits
This caffeine-free tea has health benefits including the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and free radical aging.
The heat of the decaffeinated tea can soothe sore throats, stuffy noses, chest congestion, and upset stomachs. Besides, a warm cup of tea can comfort you when you’re feeling rough. This tea has less caffeine than coffee. Therefore, you can get calm wakefulness and more health benefits.
Tea with herbs such as ginger can boost your immune system. If you want to get extra benefits, you can add a small dollop of honey to your cup to calm a cough and help you sleep.
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Lemon water
Vitamins and Mineral
Lemon water contains vitamins and minerals such as potassium, folate, and some B vitamins.
Health Benefits
Lemon water is a great source of vitamin C that helps fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, and improve white blood cell counts. Warm lemon water works magically to heal a sore throat. It supplies a healthy dose of vitamin C that eases colds and coughs. It helps you stay hydrated. Most of us don't drink enough water during sickness. It has some other benefits, like:
- Aids in digestion. The acid helps break down food.
- Helps Weight-loss.
- Prevents oxidation.
- Provides a potassium boost.
- Helps prevent kidney stones.
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Bone Broth
Vitamins & Minerals
Bone marrow is enriched with Vitamins like A, B2, B12, and E, omega-3s, omega-6s, and minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc. It has connective tissue that provides glucosamine and chondroitin, a popular dietary supplement for arthritis and joint pain.
Health Benefits
Bone broth is related to collagen which is a structural protein found in skin, cartilage, and bone. Studies have shown that broth can help clear nasal passages and ease symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. It May support immune function. The other benefits are as follows:
- The broth is good for digestion and gut health.
- May support joint health.
- May help promote sleep.
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Coconut water
Vitamins & Minerals
Coconut water naturally contains some nutrients like the B vitamins Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, as well as trace amounts of thiamin (B1), Vitamin C, potassium, and sodium.
Health Benefits
Coconut Water has antioxidant properties and helps lower blood sugar for those who live with diabetes. Besides, it is great to prevent kidney stones and support heart health. Besides, it helps to regulate fluid balance, prevent dehydration, and even ensure proper muscle function. Its vitamin C helps to fight coldness.
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Golden milk
Vitamins & Minerals
This healthy drink is rich in protein, Antioxidants, Curcumin, Magnesium, Calcium.
Health Benefits
Most importantly, it boosts your immune system. If you drink warm, it can ease a sore throat and minimize cold.
Golden milk has the potential to lower cholesterol, reduce blood sugar, relieve arthritis, reduce inflammation, improve mood, support liver function, and improve digestion. It is also great to prevent heart diseases and reduce the risk of cancer.
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Orange, grapefruit, and other citrus
Vitamins & Minerals
You can get potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, B- 9 (folate) vitamin C and Zinc from the oranges, vitamin A from grapefruit, and vitamin C from all the citrus fruits.
Health Benefits
Drinking this citrus explosion, you will find more than enough of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C which has antioxidant properties to protect your cells from substances that damage the body. Remember, deficiency of vitamin C can lead to delayed wound healing and the inability to fight infections like colds and sickness properly.
However, if you have a cold, you need high doses of vitamin C so that you can experience less severe symptoms and a quicker recovery.
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Tomato
Vitamins & Minerals
Tomatoes are packed with Magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-9 (folate), vitamin C and vitamin K.
Health Benefits
Vitamin C from tomatoes can help you relieve a cold and runny nose. Tomatoes are packed with vitamin B-9- folate that helps lower your risk of infections. Tomatoes also have modest amounts of magnesium which is an anti-inflammatory.
Moreover, Tomatoes have many health benefits such as the reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
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Watermelon Mint
Vitamins & Minerals
This drink can supply your body with arginine, citrulline, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C
Health Benefits
As watermelon is riched with vitamin C and arginine, they are great to bolster your immune system. Besides, watermelon helps relieve muscle soreness which is a common symptom of the flu. Muscle soreness happens especially in older adults.
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Worst Drinks to Fight Colds, Sickness
Coffee
Caffeine can have a diuretic effect that can cause you to tinkle more frequently. If you don’t balance with plenty of water, this caffeine can lead to dehydration. Therefore, it would be wise to avoid beverages with added sugar or caffeine when you are sick
Alcohol
You should not drink Alcohol when you are sick.
However, certain alcoholic beverages like hot toddies may work as immune-boosters. Hot toddies contain lemon, honey, and anti-inflammatory spices.
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Sports drinks
You can take electrolyte drinks if you are very dehydrated. But during colds and sickness, these drinks may not help you feel better. Usually, sports drinks contain a lot of sugar whereas other drinks will help you hydrate without the extra sweet stuff.
Fruit juices
Fruit juice is great but like sports drinks, fruit juice is also filled with added sugar. The adults can avoid sweetened fruit juices during colds. But it is good for children.