Vitamins and Minerals for Cold & Flu

Getting enough nutrients throughout the day not only help you prevent getting the cold 
and flu by boosting your immune system, but allow you to treat it as well. Here are some 
important vitamins and minerals for these types of illnesses.

Zinc

When you have the cold or flu, you need to be sure you get proper vitamins. This isn’t 
always easy because you aren’t hungry and may even have nausea or vomiting. If that 
is the case, try to take an additional supplement to get the nutrients you need. To start 
with, it includes zinc. Zinc is great for many illnesses and general health, but especially 
if you have a cold. It can help keep your immune system get all the nutrients it needs, 
plus zinc works great in a lozenge when you have a sore throat from a cold or a flu. 

Vitamin C

Treating a cold and getting more vitamin C seem to go hand-in-hand. A lot of over-the-
counter treatments boast about having vitamin C, because this is one of the best 
nutrients for your immune system. With a stronger immunes system, you are able to 
prevent illnesses like colds and flus, but you can also treat a cold even after you already 
have it. Getting more vitamin C into your body can help reduce how long you have the 
cold, and keep it from worsening. Try to get natural sources of vitamin C first, such as 
from citrus fruit, veggies like broccoli and brussels sprouts, and juice without added 
sugar in it. 

Vitamin D

Another important nutrient to have when you get a chest or head cold is vitamin D. If 
you are outdoors often, you probably already get enough vitamin D, as its most natural 
source is from the sun’s UV rays. However, when you are sick, you spend a lot of time 
indoors. Plus, the cold is more common in fall and winter seasons when you tend to 
have colder days without a lot of sunshine. For this reason, you should focus on getting 
more vitamin D in other ways. This might be with a supplement you take every day, a 
multi-vitamin, or with food sources like yogurt, cheese, milk, tofu, or fortified cereal.

As you can see, something as simple as eating a healthy, well-balanced diet can help 
you get all the vitamins and minerals you need to help treat a cold and boost your 
immune system in general.

