9 Wonderful Flu-Fighting Foods

Power Eating

Did you know that eating and drinking right can help boost your immune system? Here’s a sample of some of the best flu fighting foods and drinks that can be beneficial to your overall health.

 

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We all know what flu season means — get a flu shot and do whatever you can to stay healthy. The foods (and teas) I have listed here can help you fend off the flu, and eat and drink well too.

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Black-Eyed Peas

 

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These nutritious legumes are rich in zinc, a trace mineral that keeps your immune system in working order. Pinto beans, peanuts, roasted pumpkin seeds and wheat germ are other good choices.

Carrots

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One of my favorites. They’re rich in beta-carotene, which your body uses to ward off respiratory infections. Other good sources are dark green vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and winter squash.

Tea

 

 

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Hibiscus, Green, black and oolong tea all contain naturally occurring compounds that reduce the risk of flu, including quercetin, a powerful antioxidant, and L-theanine, an amino acid found only in tea. Decaf teas contain the amino acid, herbal teas don’t.

 

Yogurt

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Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt and other fermented foods, strengthen the immune system. Not a fan of yogurt? Try cottage cheese, kimchi (a fermented Korean dish made of seasoned vegetables) or sauerkraut instead.

 

Tomatoes

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Vitamin C-rich tomatoes boost the body’s natural defense system in the same way their citrusy relatives do. One medium tomato provides 40 percent of your daily vitamin C, so have a glass of tomato juice at lunch and treat yourself to pasta with tomato sauce for dinner.

 

Mushrooms

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These powerhouses increase the body’s resistance to viral infections by boosting the activity of natural killer cells, a vital part of the immune system. Mushrooms are rich in selenium, low levels of which can increase the risk of developing a severe flu.

 

 

Almonds

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These popular nuts are a rich source of the antioxidant vitamin E, which helps your body ward off viral infections. To maximize the absorption of vitamin E, opt for chopped almonds, almond butter or almond oil.

 

Chicken Soup

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It may not prevent the flu, but a bowl or cup of soup can help your immune system fight off the virus in its early stages, thanks to a compound called carnosine. The only catch: You need to consume chicken soup throughout your illness to reap its benefit, says a 2012 study.

Wild Salmon

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It’s high in vitamin D, which the immune system needs to kill harmful bacteria and viruses, says John S. Adams, M.D., professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Farm-raised salmon has less, but is also a good source.

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Here are 7 Pinterest Tips for the Holidays

Anyone paying attention to social strategy knows that Pinterest didn’t spend its “off-season” resting on its laurels and relaxing by the pool. Instead, the company was hard at work all summer bolstering its business features, especially for the e-commerce industry. For this reason, Pinterest could prove to be the most profitable social network for retailers this holiday season.

In order to get the most out of this network, however, Web professionals must optimize their presence on the social network. Learn how to strengthen your brand’s holiday Pinterest strategy with these seven tips:

1. Get Pinterest Ready

The first step for any Web professional is to make sure his or her site is Pinterest ready, which means, at the very least, including “Pin This” buttons on the most important pages, such as product pages and article pages. This tip might seem like a no-brainer, but its importance cannot be stressed enough, as 70 percent of Pinterest engagement is driven by fans according to a Digitas study.

2. Leverage Rich Pins

Aside from making the content on a site easy to share, it is also important to ensure this content includes detailed information when it is pinned. Rich Pins are pins that include more information on content like products, recipes, movies or articles. Product pins, for example, are updated daily and display pricing and availability for retail items, while article pins include links to the article’s source. Retailers in particular should be leveraging Rich Pins because product pins should prove to be very valuable this holiday season. In fact, after its initial launch of Rich Pins, Pinterest announced a “Price Update” feature, which sends pinners notifications when the products they have pinned drop in price. This feature essentially provides merchants with free advertising, and can help to increase conversions on sale items.

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3. Create Holiday Boards

Once an Internet retailer has integrated Rich Pins into his or her site, it is time to focus on the actual boards. By creating holiday boards before the official holiday kickoff, people are more likely to find content when browsing Pinterest for holiday ideas. This is especially true when leveraging keywords and #hashtags on pins. While the type of holiday board(s) will vary depending on a company, there are a few generic themes that will work across a variety of industries, including “Gifts for Her”, “Holiday Style”, “Wish List”, “Gifts Under $25” and “DIY Holiday Decorating”.

4. Launch a Contest

Social media marketers can break up the hustle and bustle of the holidays by launching a contest or a giveaway. This strategy can help a brand acquire new followers, as well as help it obtain more pins and re-pins (resulting in increased visibility). For example, a merchant could launch a contest that requires followers to build their ultimate wish list that includes products from his brand, or simply ask followers to re-pin a product from one of his holiday boards for a chance to win a prize. Retailers can consider using a platform like Curalate to create Pinterest specific promotions.

5. Consider Advertising

Pinterest is currently offering promoted pins. Promoted Pins are Pins that businesses pay to appear where you’re more likely to notice them. The Promoted Pins you see are based on your interests and things you do on Pinterest, or because you visited an advertiser’s site or app.

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6. Cross Promote

After putting resources into optimizing a Pinterest presence, it is important for a marketer to promote their efforts. One should share their contests or favorite boards with their audiences on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on websites and blogs. This can help brands gain more followers, as some audiences may not be aware that certain companies are active on the pin boarding site.

7. Keep an Eye on Analytics

As with any other social network, it is important for brands to monitor their performance on Pinterest. By keeping an eye on Pinterest metrics, businesses can identify the most pinned content items from their websites, their most repined items and most clicked items, and then use these insights to adjust their Pinterest strategies accordingly. While Pinterest offers analytics to business users, they can also consider leveraging a platform like Curalate or a solution like Tailwind, which provides users with information like the optimal pinning times and top brand advocates.