Dietary Changes to Help Treat Your Head Cold

Believe it or not, one of the top ways to treat a head cold naturally is to look at what you 
are eating. Many foods, herbs, and spices can help to heal your body and help you to 
recover from the cold more quickly, while other foods are bad for you and tend to make 
your symptoms worse.

Avoid Dairy Foods

The first thing you should do if you want to eat a diet that helps with your head cold is to 
know what to avoid. This begins with your dairy products. Dairy isn’t necessarily going 
to make your cold worse, but it can worsen some of the symptoms of having a head 
cold. If you are getting a lot of congestion, phlegm, or ear infections, the dairy can 
actually make these side effects worse, even if you don’t necessarily have a dairy 
allergy. When you get a cold, try cutting out dairy and see what the difference is.

Don’t Forget the Leafy Greens

When you have a cold, eating might not be your favorite thing to do, but it is still 
important to eat nutritious foods with lots of vitamins and minerals. This includes making 
sure you get enough leafy greens each day. Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard 
greens contain a lot of fiber and nutrients that your body needs to heal more quickly. 
Make a simple salad or if you aren’t too hungry, just blend up a smoothie with greens 
and fruits to get the added vitamin C as well. 

Add More Garlic

When you are cooking meals or snacks while you have a head cold, don’t miss out on 
the chance to add a little garlic. This is one of the best spices to have when you are 
sick, since garlic has natural antibacterials and antimicrobials. These properties can 
actually help to get rid of bacteria and viruses in your body that lead to both head colds 
and the flu. While it isn’t a one-stop shop as far as treating a cold, it definitely makes a 
big difference. 

Eat Your Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup isn’t just good for a head cold because it is a classic comfort food, 
but it often contains ingredients that can help detox your body, give you nutrients, and 
allow you to keep something down that is gentle on your body. Try to eat more chicken 
noodle soup when you have a cold so that you are eating something warm and 
satisfying, while getting nutrients from the chicken and veggies.

