A nasty cold can knock you on your butt for at least a week. Thankfully, there are a few common foods that can help you fight off some of the annoying symptoms.
1. Oysters
They have tons of zinc, which is also an active ingredient in a lot of cold medicines, like Zicam.
2. Garlic
No one's going to be kissing you anyway, so load up. Garlic blocks enzymes involved in bacterial and viral infections. Plus, it helps your immune cells. If you're worried about bad breath, pills with garlic extract also work.
3. Almonds
Micronutrients in the outer skin can help you fight off a cold by boosting the sensitivity of your white blood cells.
4. Kiwi
A study a few years ago had one group of people eat kiwi while they were sick, while another group ate bananas. And the kiwi group's symptoms went away up to four days faster.
5. Chicken Soup
Yes, it really does work. It might be thanks to an immune-boosting compound in chicken called carnosine. Studies have also shown it helps with mucus, and can clear your nose if you're stuffed up.