Cold combat

Each year, at least 20 per cent of Kiwis are infected with Influenza. A dietitian, naturopath and GP share their advice to beat the dreaded winter lurgy.

Tara Diversi is a dietitian and author of The Good Enough Diet (Wiley, $34.95) who bounced back after a debilitating bout of swine flu, bronchitis and pneumonia last October. "When I feel sick I naturally feel like eating unhealthy food," says Diversi. "Even if I was feeling down, I consciously had to make myself focus on good nutrition and drinking fluids."


Be lazy

"The trouble is when you are sick you don't want to make an effort. The easier you can make things for yourself the better. I didn’t want to get out of bed when I was ill with swine flu, so I had to make sure I had plenty of water bottles at arms reach. I used a supermarket delivery service so I could get some fresh fruit and vegies, and I had frozen vegies or berries in the freezer all the time for smoothies or to throw into a meal."

Olwen Anderson is a clinical naturopath, practising in nutrition, herbal medicine and homoeopathy. "I can feel a cold trying to start two or three times a year, but I've become adept at stopping it in its tracks, so it never actually develops. When autumn arrives, I make sure I've got flu-busting remedies stashed all over the place and check my nutrition is on track."

Hot sips

"A hot lemon and ginger drink is ideal for a sore throat – a squeeze of lemon juice, a little of the peel, where the antiseptic essential oils are, and fresh ginger [topped with hot water]. The ginger is a traditional herbal remedy for the common cold, especially fever, which is your body's natural response to fighting illness."

Dr Ronald McCoy is the spokesperson for The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. "Keeping good general health and attending to personal hygiene is the best way to avoid a cold. If someone has a cold, and you can maintain a distance of one metre from the person, your chances of acquiring the cold are decreased."

Wash up

"Avoiding catching colds is about not letting the virus enter your body, and the commonest way this happens is through the virus getting into the mouth or nose. The single most effective measure for doing this is always washing your hands before eating or drinking."