Healthy Food Choices for Preventing the Flu

The flu is a virus that can last up to ten days and effect your nose, throat and lungs. Learn some tips about treating and avoiding the flu virus in this video.

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Effects nose, throat & lungs
Eat vegetables & citrus fruits
Sanitize kitchen surfaces

About this Author

Alice Merritt is currently the Campus Dietitian at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She has a masters degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in public health with a concentration on nutrition. Alice has worked as a registered dietician for four years, and believes that helping people reach their nutritional goals will lead to a long and healthy life.

ALICE MERRITT: Now I am going to talk to you about preventing the flu. Flu is a virus that can affect your nose, throat or lungs and can be very debilitating for up to 7 to 10 days. So learning ways to prevent the flu can be really helpful in assuring that at least if you catch the flu maybe it does not last quite as long. Helpful foods to help boost your immunity, again eating lots of fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits that are high in vitamin C. It is also a great idea to take a multivitamin because it ensures you get the minimum amounts of nutrients you need daily. Another important thing to remember about preventing the flu is sanitizing all kitchen surfaces. If someone around you or someone in your area has a flu, it is very good to wipe down kitchen surfaces with warm water and then go back in with disinfectant to keep from getting cross contamination when preparing foods. It is very important to make sure you eat a balanced diet and that you do not skip meals. You want to make sure you get a variety of foods in all of your meals and you never go longer than four or five hours without eating. When you go long times without eating, your immunity is decreased and you are more susceptible to catching the flu. So important things to remember about flu prevention is washing hands and sanitizing kitchen surfaces to prevent cross contamination, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables especially your citrus fruits that got a good source of vitamin C, make sure to take a multivitamin to ensure you get the minimum amounts of nutrients, eat a balanced diet, several meals and snacks a day, never skip meals or go long periods of time without eating, make sure you get--drink plenty of water and get lots of rest. These are all ways that will help you prevent the flu.

Healthy Food Choices for Preventing the Flu Video

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