Top 7 Immunity-Boosting Foods and Drinks for Flu Relief: Ayurvedic Expert Recommendations

Ayurveda considers low digestive fire as one of the root causes of many diseases.
The following seven food and drink recommendations will help you in times of sickness or low immunity.

• In general, light, easily digestible, and warm, nourishing food is highly recommended during the flu.
• Peya is nourishing, energizing, and light. You can make it by cooking 1 part of rice with 14 parts of water. The rice can be cooked until it becomes a very soft porridge. Season with salt, a pinch of black pepper powder will boost your digestive fire.
• Yavagu, a semi-solid porridge is made by cooking 1 part rice with 6 parts of water. It can be seasoned with grated ginger, black pepper powder, and salt.
• Warm, clear vegetable soups seasoned with ginger, black pepper powder, cumin, coriander, salt, etc are also highly recommended.
• Drink herbal tea made with a handful of basil leaves, 2 slices of crushed ginger, 2-3 black peppercorns, and boiled in 3 cups of water—to the boiling point—with coconut sugar or palm sugar.
• Avoid cheese, eggs, fish, meat, chicken, nuts, sprouts, raw vegetables, refined flour, cakes, avocados, bananas, yogurt, and frozen and cold drinks.
• Whole grains, ghee, boiled organic milk with a pinch of turmeric and a slice of crushed ginger will help you recover from the flu.

Aparna K. BAMS, MD, PhD

Aparna is one of the few specialists worldwide with a PhD in Ayurveda. Born into an Ayurvedic family which operates a traditional Ayurvedic Panchakarma hospital in Kerala, India, she grew up observing her father, the renowned Dr Padmanabhan.