The leading nutritionist loves these methods – and says they could really work
A head nutritionist at Zoe, which was co-founded by Tim Spector, a Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London, has shared how you can avoid getting the cold and flu this winter. Doctor Federica Amati said that this is how she protects herself and her family.
And thankfully, she says the measures she follows are all simple steps that many can take. Whilst she mentioned a variety of methods in her video, in her caption she said: “I also use zinc nose sprays and pastilles as an extra step. It’s not fool-proof, but viruses are more likely to be deactivated if they come into contact with zinc in your nose or throat.”
On her Instagram, the expert said: “I’m a medical scientist and registered public health nutritionist. I’m going to kick off by helping you to avoid catching that cold or flu virus.” In one of her key rules, she says that hygiene is key. “Start with the basics.
“Wash your hands regularly, sneeze or cough into your elbow and use a tissue.” She also suggested that people “ventilate shared spaces”, noting that these “simple steps are often overlooked.”
When it comes to ventilation, she says you can fix this by simply opening a window. “It helps to reduce the viral load in the room. If you reduce the viral load, you reduce the chances of catching it, or catching enough of it to make you really sick.”
When it comes to nutrition, she said your gut health plays a key role in supporting your immune system function. She said you should aim to feed your gut microbes with high-fibre plants and fermented foods every day.
“Your gut health is the centre that helps your immune system function properly. Feed your gut microbes”, she stressed.
She suggested: “Very high fibre diets and fermented foods combined are amazing for immune system function.” She then listed foods like beans, peas, nuts and seeds and whole grains like barley as everyday foods we should be having.
She also said that we should aim to snack on fruit and include fermented foods three times a day into our diets. This can include kefir yoghurt, natural yoghurt, kimchi or miso.
She further explained: “If you do those two things every day, if you have high fibre plant foods and your fermented foods, your gut microbiome is gonna be really happy. It’s going to help your immune system to function at its best.”
She concluded: “That is how I try and protect myself and my family. It doesn’t mean you definitely won’t get sick, but it can actually reduce your risk “
