You are likely to get the flu if your immune system is compromised due to lack of sleep, nutrition deficiencies, exposure to toxins or just too much stress. The nasty symptoms of flu can cause fever, chills, aches, cough, sore throat and nasal congestion. Your treatment choices are many. If you prefer natural ways then cranberries and cranberry juice are your best bet to get rid of flu.
Table of Contents
- How Cranberry Prevents and Treats Flu?
- How to Use Cranberry for the Flu?
- Other Remedies to Improve Immunity to fight Flu
- Health Benefits of Cranberry
- Side Effects of Cranberry
- Other Tips and Precautions
How Cranberry Prevents and Treats Flu?
Cranberry helps you to fight and prevent the flu in two ways.
It increases immunity due to its high vitamin c contents. Any food item that has got high Vitamin C content it Vitamin A contents is good to improve immunity to fight against infections.
Cranberry contains high molecular weight materials(NDM) that inhibits bacterial adhesion as well as virus adhesion to host cells. This make the bacteria and viruses ineffective.
A study found that Cranberry juice reduces infectivity of H1N1 and H3N2 viruses by the doses which are almost 20 times lower than a glass of cranberry juice contains.
So, cranberry juice is not just a folk medicine anymore, it is now supported by scientific research to combat influenza viruses.
Women get more benefits from cranberry than men. So if you are a woman then you simply can't ignore cranberry for its multiple health benefits.
Cranberries are bitter in taste so traditionally these berries are sweetened and cooked or sweetened and dried to reduce the tartness.
How to Use Cranberry for the Flu?
You can use Cranberry in many different ways to prevent and treat the flu.
1. Cranberries with Salad
- Brush your teeth with flouride toothpaste before eating raw cranberries.
- Slice a cup of each cranberry in half
- Add to your salad
- Eat by chewing well
- Eat daily
Eating raw cranberries is very difficult as they are very bitter. Adding them to other ingredients reduces the tartness and increases the acceptability to eat them raw.
2. Cranberry with Plain Yogurt
Brush your teeth with flouride toothpaste.
Slice a cup of raw cranberries in half or even smaller
Add them to two cups of plain yogurt
Mix well and eat
Chew them well
3. Cranberry Juice.
- Slice a cup if cranberries in to two halves
- Toss them to a mixer blender
- Add a glass of water
- Blend them will
- Strain the juice and drink
- Do it daily
Dilute the drink with more water if you don't like the taste.
Other Remedies to Improve Immunity to fight Flu
- Garlic
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Plain Yogurt
- Kiwi
- Mushrooms
- Citrus fruits
- Broccoli
Health Benefits of Cranberry
- Lowers blood pressure
- Treats urinary tract infection
- Prevents certain types of cancers
- Improve oral health
- Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases
Side Effects of Cranberry
Cranberry is generally a safe fruit to have. However, it can pose certain risks under certain circumstances which you should be aware of
- Cranberry can lead to excretion of oxalate in urine in some cases. This can lead to kidney stones.
- Cranberry can interfere with some of the blood thinning medicines. therefore if you are taking any of the blood thinners then you should avoid too much of cranberry juice.
- Avoid the use of Cranberry and its use if you are allergic to aspirin. It also contains salicylic acid which is present in aspirin causing allergy.
- Brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste 30 minutes before eating raw cranberries as they may impact the enamel of your teeth.
- Avoid raw cranberries if you have heartburn problems as cranberries will increase the problem due to their acidic nature.
Other Tips and Precautions
- Always take unsweetened cranberry juice for best results
- Drink more water to improve your immunity to fight against the flu
- Drink more vitamin C rich drinks is vitamin C improve immunity.
- Eat more boiled sweet potatoes as they are rich in vitamin A that improves immunity.
Bottom line is that you can prevent the flu caused by viruses if you maintain your immunity Hai by drinking Cranberry juice and other Vitamin C rich juices. These juices will also help in fighting the floor if you already got it.