talking point
How to tell?
COMMON COLD OR FLU
Colds and flus are both caused by a virus. The difference between the two, explains Dr Peter Vincent, a GP based at the Medicross Tokai Family Medical and Dental Centre in Cape Town, is that a cold is only an upper respiratory infection, whereas flu is more severe and affects the entire body.
“With a cold you just get things like a runny nose, postnasal drip and a cough. You generally don’t have a fever and colds pass quite quickly, within two to five days,” he explains.
“But with flu you may get a sore throat and cough
too, but it’s characterised by a high temperature, headaches, muscle aches and pains and fatigue. Flu can also take longer to recover from [up to two to three weeks].”
Eat your way OUT OF FLU
The foods you eat and how you eat them can make quite a big difference to your recovery from the flu, says dietician Catherine Day. She recommends pregnant women with the flu… Eat foods that are high in vitamin C – guavas, oranges, strawberries, sweet peppers, melon, papaya, broccoli and kale. It may shorten the duration of your cold as well as lessen the severity. Eat lots of vegetables that are high in beta-carotene: pumpkin, sweet potato, butternut and other orange and yellow vegetables. These can also help the immune system to recover from a bout of flu. Never skip meals.
Ditch the takeout meals – home cooked meals are generally much healthier.
Eat good wholesome soup with plenty of vegetables and legumes. These are packed full of nutrients that are important for health and immunity in general. See our recipes on page 18.
4 TAKE IT EASY
If you’re pushing yourself too hard, you’re far
more likely to get sick, so exercise in moderation and get enough rest, suggests Heather. Marion also advocates a lot of R&R (rest and relaxation), as well as a third “R”: rays (unless you have chloasma). “Pregnant women should go out in the sun a little bit each day because Vitamin D is very important for immunity and your whole metabolic rate. But be careful in the sun: go before 10am or after 3pm, spending five to 10 minutes in the sun.” For the rest of the day, make sure to wear a good sunblock.
5
SUPPLEMENT YOURSELF
Dr Vincent says taking the
recommended pregnancy supplements builds your overall health and, with that, your immunity against the flu. Marion believes it’s important to take a good product, or you may as well not take supplements at all: “You can consult any registered practitioner to recommend a good multivitamin or prenatal supplement.” On the shelf, look for products that have at least: 600mcg folic acid, 250mg calcium, 15mg iron, 15mg zinc, 50mg vitamin C, 2mg copper, 2mg vitamin B6 and 400IU vitamin D. YP
LIKELY TO GET SICK
IF YOU’RE PUSHING YOURSELF TOO HARD, YOU’RE FAR MORE
38 YOUR PREGNANCY
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