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Home › Articles › Pregnancy › Fighting the Flu Naturally

Fighting the Flu Naturally

Eating Healthy to Prevent Illness During Pregnancy

By Teri Brown

Pages:  1  2  3  

Also, having good protein stores is important, as protein helps build, repair and maintain your body, which will help you fight infections," says Madalis. "Since protein needs increase slightly with pregnancy, it's important to have two to three servings of protein every day."

Foods that contain a lot of protein include chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork, eggs, tofu, peanut butter, beans (such as kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, etc) and cheese. Milk and yogurt are also good sources of protein and calcium.

Whether or not garlic or onions help fight off the symptoms of the common cold is still up for debate and may be for years. But no one can deny that eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and quality protein will make you and your baby healthier and stronger and may even increase your chances of fighting off that pesky flu bug.

Healthy Eating

The following recipes contain nutritious foods to help you stay healthy during pregnancy and fight off illness:

Fruit Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup fat-free and sugar-free lemon yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
  • 1 large orange, peeled, with pith removed and segments cut in half
  • 1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
  • 1 cup red or green seedless grapes
  • 1 sweet, firm apple such as Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • Granola cereal

Combine the yogurt, vanilla and poppy seeds in a small bowl until well blended. Combine the grapes, apple chunks, orange sections and banana slices in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and stir to coat all the fruit. Sprinkle with granola cereal. Serve immediately (makes two servings).

Winter Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 ounces pancetta, chopped (optional)
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups cubed, peeled acorn squash
  • 2 14 1/2-ounce cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups diced, peeled red potato
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 4 cups chopped kale or spinach
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 15 1/2 ounce can navy beans or other small, white beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; saut矴hree minutes. Add onion and garlic; saute three minutes.

Add squash and the next six ingredients, stirring to combine. Cook four minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; cook two minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer eight minutes. Add kale; simmer five minutes. Add beans; simmer four minutes or until potato and kale are tender. Serves four (serving size about 2 cups). Recipe courtesy of Sharon Madalis.


Pages:  1  2  3  

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