How to Stay Well this Winter

Dose up your vitamin D

Miss the sun during winter? So does your immune system. Research has found those low in the "sunshine vitamin" were more likely to get an infection. A 2.5mg dose of vitamin D, which can be found in salmon, milk, eggs or in tablet form, will help keep your body in fighting shape for at least six weeks.

Turn to tea

Green tea is packed with anti-oxidants that destroy cell-damaging free radicals, says naturopath Mim Beim. According to a Harvard University study, people who drank five cups of black (or green) tea every day for two weeks had 10 times more virus-fighting proteins in their blood. Don't forget to repeatedly dunk your tea bag while you brew - it will help release more anti-oxidants.

Think zinc

A US study conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found elderly people with sufficient zinc in their diet were almost 50 per cent less likely to develop pneumonia - and another study shows Australian women are at risk of deficiency.


"Even a mild deficiency affects your immune cells' ability to function properly," says the University of Newcastle's Professor Margaret Dunkley. Zinc is found in lean red meat, oysters and nuts.

Go green

Spirulina, an algae available at health food stores in tablet or powder form, is a great source of micronutrients that aren't available in your average diet - and is 14 times more likely to increase your immunity against bacterial infections, according to a University of California study.

Snack well

"Probiotics, mainly found in yoghurt, are bacteria that keep the intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs," says Professor Dunkley. One study found people who drank a daily probiotic supplement took 33 per cent fewer sick days. Look for labels listing "live and active probiotics".

Should I get the flu vaccine?
The annual flu vaccine is about 80 per cent effective, says Professor Steve Wesselingh, Dean of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University. "I would recommend that everyone gets the flu vaccine," he says. Up to 40,000 Australians are affected by the common cold and flu each year - resulting in 15,000 hospitalisations and 2500 deaths.