Top ten foods to keep you happy and healthy

These tasty treats will add zing to your dinner menu and will keep you in top form this spring.

1. CHICKEN SOUP: It's not just your mum who thinks chicken soup has healing properties! Documentation of the recuperative effects of chicken soup can be found as far back as the 12th Century when the Egyptian Jewish physician and philosopher Maimonides recommended its use for the treatment of respiratory infections. Various scientific studies have supported its ability to hydrate your body and improve your nutritional status, as well as decrease the symptoms of a stuffy head cold. Some of the research even indicates that chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties. We recommend a home-made variety with plenty of vegetables including onions, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots and parsley.
   
   
2. GARLIC, ONION, LEEK, SHALLOTS: Widely regarded in herbal medicine for their antimicrobial properties, garlic, onions and other members of the Allium genus can help boost your resistance and keep colds and other respiratory infections at bay. Fresh garlic is particularly effective against viruses that cause colds and flu, so try to include some raw garlic in your diet (it's fantastic crushed and added to salad dressing). If you'd rather take a supplement, look for one that's standardised for its content of allicin.
   
   
3. CITRUS FRUITS: Boost your vitamin C levels by including lots of citrus in your diet. For optimum nutritional value, be sure to eat some of the white pith around the flesh of the fruit too - that's where you'll find lots of bioflavonoids, which your body requires in order to make best use of the vitamin C. Bioflavonoids also play important roles in managing inflammation and allergies, and in promoting healthy circulatory function. Oranges and lemons have the highest vitamin C content, with around 50mg per 100g of fruit, followed by limes, grapefruits and mandarins.
   
   
4. KIWIFRUIT: Kiwifruit are in season right now and make an excellent choice for your lunch box. Just one a day provides you with around 70mg of Vitamin C - that's even more than an orange!
   
   
5. HORSERADISH: The same phyto-chemicals that produce the strong pungent taste of horseradish are also responsible for its remarkable sinus-clearing properties. The mustard oil glycosides help to thin mucus and make it easier for you to breathe when you have a cold or flu, and have also been associated with antimicrobial activity. Horseradish makes the perfect accompaniment to roast beef… so now you've got even more excuse for a lazy Sunday roast next weekend!
   
   
6. CHILLI PEPPER: Chilli or cayenne pepper was one of the favourite remedies of the classical American herbalists. Even though it tastes fiery, chilli helps to cool the body - an effect believed to occur due to its action on the hypothalamus - so it can help if you're hot and bothered with the flu. Just add a pinch of ground chilli or cayenne pepper to the traditional honey and lemon drink and batten down the hatches! (This remedy is not for the faint of heart… please DON'T try it on the kids!)
   
   
7. TEA: There's nothing more welcoming than a freshly made cup of tea. Make your cuppa even more warming by turning it into chai with the traditional Indian addition of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Both green and black tea are full of antioxidants, but green tea is the more potent of the two and drinking it regularly has been associated with weight loss and decreases in oxidation of cholesterol, and even a reduced risk of certain types of cancer.
   
   
8. GINGER: The medicinal use of ginger can be traced as far back as 4,000 BC when Chinese herbalists prescribed it for a range of digestive problems, including nausea and diarrhoea. This traditional use has been supported by research showing that ginger has antispasmodic effects on the gastrointestinal tract and is a safe and effective remedy for nausea and vomiting in many forms - including morning sickness and travel sickness. Ginger is also used by herbalists as a circulatory stimulant and has warming effects on the body, so it's ideal for anyone who gets cold hands and feet during the winter months. Add some ginger to your fresh juice in the morning, toss it in a stir fry or simply chop it up and pour boiling water over it to make a cup of tea.
   
   
9. RED WINE: For extra antioxidant protection, have a glass of wine with your dinner a few times a week - research shows that moderate and regular consumption of wine may offer some degree of cardio-protection by lowering the risk of blood clots and decreasing harmful oxidation of LDL-cholesterol. These effects are due to a variety of compounds including tannins, anthocyanins and flavonoids such as quercetin and resveratrol. Some researchers also believe that resveratrol may help reduce the risk of cancer, but more investigation is required before we can say this for sure. In the meantime, choose red wine, which contains much higher levels of all of these important compounds than white wine does, and remember the secret is to keep your intake moderate - no more than two glasses a day should do it.
   
   
10. TURMERIC: Curries are a perennial favourite, and turmeric is a key ingredient in many recipes. Herbalists and naturopaths are also big fans of this important herb due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Turmeric is considered to have particular benefits for the health of the liver and gall bladder, where it helps to maintain cholesterol levels and prevent the formation of gallstones.
    

This article authored and brought to you by Blackmores.com.au, Australia’s most popular online natural health provider.