I chose a picture of oysters with lemons because 3 ounces of oysters provide 600% of your daily zinc needs, and lemons have vitamin C. What a great pairing! You would need to eat a whole lemon to get a third of your Vitamin C needs.
During cold and flu season, there are many ways to avoid getting sick. We're all very familiar now with masking and washing our hands; two great ways to stay healthy.
Sometimes we get sick anyway. Keeping your immune system strong will help you fight a virus if you do get one. Getting enough zinc and Vitamin C won't make your cold or the flu go away, but it will help your body fight it off.
Most multivitamins have zinc and Vitamin C in them, but you can get your needs met through food! When you use food to meet your vitamin and mineral requirements, you also get the additional benefits in those foods including antioxidants, that are hard to put into a supplement.
Below are ways to get your needs met using food.
High Vitamin C foods
Red pepper, citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, tomatoes, and broccoli
½ cup raw red pepper (95mg Vitamin C) will meet the minimum needs for adult men, adult women, and pregnant women. A breastfeeding woman would need to include an additional ½ cup cantaloupe (29mg Vitamin C) to meet her minimum daily needs.
High Zinc foods
Oysters, red meat, poultry, shellfish
Some zinc in beans and nuts
½ cup beans (2.9mg) at lunch and 4oz beef (9.3mg) with dinner provides 12.2mg zinc, meeting the needs for adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Some additional reading: