1. Tea: all types of tea including green, black, white and red offer health benefits in the form of antioxidants. Besides feeling good to your throat and warming your body when you have the chills, hot liquids temporarily thin out the mucus in the nose and throat. Here’s a little unexpected tip. Regular tea (not decaf) contains enough caffeine to give you a slight energy boost when you feel so bad you don’t want to lift your head off the pillow. Remember, in addition to tea, continue to drink a lot of water to keep your body well hydrated and to help thin out mucus buildup.
2. Potatoes and other vitamin C-rich foods: Surprise, most people don’t think about potatoes but they are a very nice source of vitamin C and potassium. Add them to your chicken soup or baked one quickly in the microwave when you don’t have much of an appetite. Other vitamin C-rich foods include kiwi, blueberries and blackberries, cherries, tomatoes, and the traditional tangerines, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and strawberries. Choose the whole food over a vitamin C supplement since you get the benefit of the water content as well as other vitamins and minerals in the fruit. Research has not proven that vitamin C prevents colds but it does aid your immune system which in turn helps you fight off the cold and flu. By the way, 100% fruit juices provide hydration plus the benefits of vitamin C and antioxidants, particularly the deeply colored juices such as pomegranate, cherry, blueberry and blackberry.
3. Chicken Soup: The zinc found in chicken is good for your immunity. Enhance your soup with garlic, onions, potatoes and lots of broth.  The garlic and onion loaded broth nourishes you and helps ease congestion and thin out mucous. If Mom isn’t around to make that chicken soup for you, there are some good canned versions on the market.  Be sure and check the Nutrition Facts label for the sodium content as canned soups can be over the top when it comes to added salt and sodium.
4. Yogurt. This is probably a food you never would have thought about to fight flu and colds but here’s the deal. You want yogurt that contains active cultures so check the label. Yogurt with active cultures such as acidophilus (also called probiotics) replenishes healthy bacteria in the body, especially your gastrointestinal tract where a lot of your immune function happens. Active cultures are particularly important if you are taking antibiotics which tend to strip out the bad bacteria and take the good along with it. The active cultures help replenish those healthy bacteria. Probiotics are strain specific meaning that you need a certain strain of probiotic bacteria if you are taking antibiotics so be sure to discuss this with your doctor, dietitian or pharmacist. You can also find these active cultures added to other products such as cereal bars, cereal, yogurt smoothies or kefir.
5. Spicy foods such as hot sauce, wasabi, chili or spicy sauces help to temporarily open sinuses and help with congestion. A bowl of chili or spicy tortilla soup with a dash of hot sauce may cause your nose to run and eyes to tear but right now, that could be a good thing. This relief helps you to breathe easier for a little while so if you’re up for it, try a little spicy food.

Now that you’ve given your body food to fight that flu or cold, it’s time for some much needed sleep. Rest and feel better.

Let’s scrub up on food safety with some easy tips to keep your kitchen clean and safe and your family healthy. So how do you stay healthy and prevent food poisoning without becoming germ phobic? I’ve compiled tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USDA and the FDA. Their websites have a lot of info if you want even more tips.

1. Let start with your kitchen sponge. If you use a sponge or a dish cloth in your kitchen, wet it and toss it in the microwave for one minute on high every day, run it through the dishwasher daily or sanitize it in water with bleach. If you use it to wipe up raw meat juices, wash it out with soap and hot water and nuke it again. Or use recycled paper towel so you can toss it. Not as green an option but a safe one. If you use a dish cloth and this goes for dish towels as well, use a fresh one each day and wash the dirty ones in hot water. You know what I’m talking about…..that dish cloth or towel that stands on its own and is stinky….bacteria heaven. And while you’re at it sanitize the sink when you’re done in the kitchen. Wash it with hot soapy water or bleach water…about 1 teaspoon of bleach per quart of water…it’s cheap and easy. You can mix it up in a plastic spray bottle to keep on hand.
2. When you walk in your kitchen at home or at work, the first thing I want you to do is wash your hands. You would think washing hands is a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people use their computer keyboard, cell phone, TV remote or other items known to be covered with bacteria and then touch food in the kitchen or food anywhere for that matter. This is a very easy way to cross contaminate or spread germs from one item to something else…in this case, the keyboard to the cutting board or counter or microwave…whatever you are using or to the food itself. So wash well, count to 20…you know…1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi. Or use a hand sanitizer if a sink isn’t available.
3. I’m sorry I even have to mention this but washing hands after a visit to the bathroom is not even worthy of a discussion…just do it….many people don’t and germs transfer from the door handle to your hands and then to everything you touch and eat.
4. Do you use the microwave most every day to cook your breakfast sandwich or frozen dinner? Then you don’t want to miss this tip. Many people just toss the item in the micro for a little while and think they’re good to go. Not so. Microwaves can cook unevenly and leave cold spots in your food where bacteria can survive. It’s really important to follow the directions on the package of the item you’re cooking. These items have been tested and the microwave cooking directions are specific to them. Standing time is important as cooking actually continues during this time. You want the item to be cooked completely through and reach the necessary internal temperature to prevent food poisoning. It’s a smart idea to have a food thermometer. This way you can check the internal temperature which in most cases should be at least 165 degrees. You can find food thermometers in hardware stores, kitchen stores or house wares departments and they’re inexpensive.
5. Now it’s important to wash your watermelon and cantaloupe, citrus and other melons before you cut them. Why? Remember that you cannot see, taste or smell bacteria but it’s there. We know now that bacteria hang out on the skins of watermelon and cantaloupe and if you don’t wash them, guess where the bacteria go when you cut into the fruit with a knife? You got it…right into the flesh of the fruit and then you eat it.

   Now that produce comes from all over the world, it has many opportunities to become contaminated. My motto has basically become to assume the produce is contaminated and wash it before you eat it. Wash all products from apples and carrots to kiwi, grapes and berries…doesn’t matter what it is. Even if you plan to peel it, wash it first because of what we just talked about.

6. And last but not least…how long can food sit out at your party, in front of your TV, or on the counter before bacteria starts to grow? Two hours and that’s it…then it needs to go in the fridge or else be on ice or heated to maintain a safe temperature.

Be smart and savvy when it comes to protecting your health and your family’s health from food poisoning and the often severe illnesses that can result. Put these tips we’ve talked about into action and help keep the bad bugs at bay.

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You’ve probably heard the term ‘super fruit’ which means a fruit that offers health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Number one on your list of cold fighting foods are super fruits.

1. Tangerines, oranges, grapefruit along with cherries, pineapple and strawberries (to name a few). These fruits contain immune building vitamin C. I much prefer the whole food over a vitamin C supplement since you get the benefit of the water content as well as other vitamins and minerals in the fruit. Research has not proven that vitamin C prevents colds but it does play a role in a healthy immune system which in turn helps you fight off a cold.
2. Spicy foods such as hot sauce, wasabi, chili or spicy sauces help to temporarily open sinuses and help with congestion. A bowl of chili or spicy tortilla soup with a dash of hot sauce may cause your nose to run and eyes to tear but right now, that could be a good thing. This relief helps you to breathe easier for a little while. So if you’re up for it, try a little spicy food.
3. Yogurt. This is probably a food you never would have thought about to fight a cold but here’s the deal. Yogurt with active cultures such as acidophilus can enhance immune function by putting healthy bacteria in the body, especially your gastrointestinal tract where a lot of your immune function happens. Yogurt is especially important if you are taking antibiotics which strip out the bad bacteria and take the good along with it. Yogurt helps replenish those healthy bacteria.
4. Hot liquids, especially tea: Besides feeling really good on your throat and warming your body when you have the chills, hot liquids temporarily thin out the mucus in the nose and throat. Tea or coffee with a little caffeine gives you a slight energy boost when you feel exhausted. Drink a lot of water to keep your body well hydrated and to continue to thin out mucus buildup.
5. Chicken Soup. Load it up with garlic, onions and lots of broth. These are the items that benefit your cold so chicken is fine or not, depending on your preference.  The garlic and onion-loaded broth will help ease congestion and thin out mucous. If Mom isn’t around to make that chicken soup for you, there are some really good canned versions on the market.  Be sure and shop for a lower sodium version as canned soups can be over the top when it comes to added salt and sodium.

Now that you’ve given your body food to fight that cold, it’s time for some much needed sleep. Feel better!