When you have ... a hacking cough

Hydrate with teas
For Dr Ricardo José, consultant in respiratory medicine, hydration is key: “It’s about taking frequent sips throughout the day to keep the mucous membranes moist.” Immunologist Dr Jenna Macciochi agrees, saying: “I often stir a spoonful of raw honey – nature’s soothing antimicrobial – into a cup of thyme tea (thyme steeped in water), which helps ease irritation and supports respiratory health. I also love marshmallow root tea, which is great for the mucous membranes.”

Try the carrot trick!
Tailor your food-based remedy to the type of cough you have. “For a dry, tickly cough, honey in warm tea – lemon or peppermint – is very soothing,” says José. “Another remedy I’ve always liked is shredding carrots, covering them with sugar and leaving them overnight in the fridge. By morning they release a sweet syrup; a spoonful coats the throat and helps calm down an irritating cough.” For a chesty cough, “warm liquorice root tea and foods with bromelain such as fresh pineapple may help reduce mucus thickness”.

Get the juices flowing
Emeritus prof Ron Eccles, former director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, goes for warm foods. “Anything tasty such as tomato soup, chicken soup or a curry – I like chicken tikka bhuna – promotes salivation and mucus secretions in the airway and helps to soothe a cough. You could also suck a lozenge as this has a similar demulcent [irritation-relieving] effect and makes you swallow, which inhibits the cough reflex.” Macciochi takes a similar approach. She says: “I lean on warm broths with garlic, ginger and shiitake mushrooms, which are rich in immune-supportive compounds and easy to digest.”

When you have ... a stinking cold

Turn to turmeric
Asma Khan, chef and owner of Darjeeling Express in London, says: “My mother gave me haldi doodh, or turmeric milk, as a child and it’s still my go-to. The curcumin in turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and when you combine it with the fats in warm milk, it becomes much more bioavailable [easily absorbed]. It’s not some trendy wellness drink to me – it’s what my family has used for generations to soothe a sore chest and ease the body back into balance. Bring a mug of full‑fat milk to the boil, let it cool slightly, then stir in one teaspoon of ground turmeric. Drink warm before bed.”

Whip up broth
Specialist dietitian Sophie Medlin focuses on “soft, nourishing foods. Soups are great; ideally a blend of different vegetables cooked in bone broth for protein and nutrients. We also want some additional protein, so some shredded roasted chicken or tofu.” José tucks in to a bowl of canja, “a traditional Portuguese soup that my family always made when someone was sick. It’s prepared with chicken, rice and a light golden broth, garlic and finished with fresh mint. The chicken provides protein for repair, the rice is gentle on the stomach and provides energy from carbohydrates, the broth is hydrating, the garlic antibacterial, and the mint acts as a natural decongestant.”

Thomasina Miers, co-founder of Wahaca and author of Mexican Table (Quadrille, £28) also loves broth. “I find Asian broth particularly soothing, with its garlic and ginger and a few grains of rice. I often go to the butcher’s purely to buy bones for stock and will roast the bones while using the oven for something else. We have a roast chicken once a fortnight, so I rescue bones from everyone’s plates for the stockpot. The flavour and goodness is transformative.”

Not a broth fan? “I crave warming, easy-to-digest meals such as soups with orange veggies like pumpkin, rich in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A, which supports immune function, and spices such as turmeric to regulate inflammation,” Macciochi says.

Sip soothing teas
José drinks plenty of water and “warm tea with strips of lemon peel, turmeric and manuka honey before bed. The lemon helps relieve congestion and adds a little vitamin C, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, and honey soothes the throat while offering antiviral and antibacterial effects, particularly manuka honey.” Macciochi says she prioritises hydration, vitamin C and zinc-rich foods to support her immune system. “I’ll often make a citrus and ginger shot with lemon, orange, grated ginger, and a pinch of cayenne and black pepper.”

When you have ... a nasty sore throat

Cold comfort
For Medlin, “smoothies can feel soothing. I would use frozen mixed berries and kefir for bonus gut health benefits.” Eccles recommends “ice‑cream or an ice lolly to soothe the pain and irritation of a sore throat”. José agrees that “soft ice-cream can numb the throat and give some relief”, while dietitian Priya Tew likes “plain Greek yoghurt, as it can be cooling and soothing”.

Raid the tea (and booze) cupboard
Warm drinks also get lots of votes. Medlin is “a fan of hot honey and lemon as the honey can have antiseptic qualities and lemons have vitamin C, which can help to shorten the duration of a virus”. Macciochi likes “a warm herbal tea with marshmallow root, honey and slippery elm, which helps coat the throat”. Meanwhile, Miers says: “Hot toddies are our mainstay for a sore throat – with honey and lemon for the children and glugs of whisky for us.”

Stick to soft
José focuses on textures that heal. “When my throat hurts, I stick to soft foods such as mashed potatoes, yoghurt and smoothies, as they go down easily without scratching or irritating the tissue.”

Sip on spices
Khan, on the other hand, rustles up a strong masala chai with fresh ginger and crushed black pepper. “The warmth of the tea soothes the throat, but the ginger and pepper do the real work – increasing circulation, clearing the sinuses and helping fight off infection. In a pestle and mortar, grind four or five cardamom pods, three or four cloves and a quarter of a teaspoon of black peppercorns. Add to a pan with a grating of fresh ginger (to taste), one mug of full-fat milk and half a mug of water. Add two teaspoons of loose black tea. Bring just to the boil, then strain and drink hot.”

When you have ... a bout of flu

Focus on fluids
Eccles says it can be difficult to eat anything at first. “During flu I often have little appetite and lack energy, so I have energy drinks, coffee and tea to pick me up and get going.” Macciochi sips “coconut water or an electrolyte-rich herbal tea for hydration”, followed by “clear bone broth or veggie broth with garlic, miso and greens, when I can tolerate them”. José goes back to his staple, canja, “along with warm lemon tea with manuka honey”. He  reiterates that “hydration is absolutely essential”.

A bowl of comfort
“Flu knocks you out,” says Khan, “so I always want khichdi, the ultimate comfort food. It’s gentle, nourishing and easy to digest. Made with rice, moong dal [mung beans], a little turmeric and a touch of ghee, it gives your body the fuel it needs without overwhelming the system. It’s soft, warm and full of love. Wash half a cup of rice and half a cup of moong dal. In a heavy pan, combine with four cups of water, half a teaspoon of turmeric and a pinch of salt. Simmer until the grains soften and break down to a porridge-like consistency. In a small pan, heat one teaspoon of ghee, and add half a teaspoon cumin seeds and a little grated ginger. Stir into the khichdi and serve warm.”

Strength-building suppers
Once you’re ready to eat, it’s time to get your strength back. Medlin knocks up “a pasta bake with plenty of veg and some protein such as chicken or cheese, which means you have something to reheat easily when you start to have an appetite again. The more veg, the better, as different vegetables have different benefits in terms of vitamins and antioxidants.” For Eccles, it’s all about “foods to build me up, such as porridge and tasty meat stews with lamb or beef, and plenty of vegetables such as carrots, onions or potatoes”.

When you have ... a tummy bug

Nil by mouth, then bland
Tew has nothing at first as “the stomach can need a break. Then I build it up slowly, eating drier, plainer foods such as crackers.” She adds that it’s worth avoiding dairy for a few days, “as it can make you feel more nauseous and sometimes the body can struggle more with it after a bug”.

Brews to soothe
Similarly, Macciochi stops eating and focuses on fluids at first, “cooled ginger tea or plain water with a pinch of sea salt and a splash of apple cider vinegar”. Dr Emily Leeming, a scientist, dietitian and author of Genius Gut (Penguin, £18.99) agrees that “staying hydrated is important, so I’ll sip water or herbal teas. If I’m feeling nauseous, ginger tea can help to settle the stomach.” While for Khan, “the only thing I trust is ajwain [carom seed] tea, or sometimes saunf [fennel seed] tea. Both seeds are used in Ayurveda [an Indian holistic system of medicine] for digestion. For either tea, boil a teaspoon of the seeds in one and a half cups of water for five minutes, strain and sip slowly while still warm.”

Nibble cautiously
Once over the worst, Leeming says: “I tend to focus on eating very plain foods such as toast, rice or bananas, a little but often. They’re gentle on the gut, give some energy without being too heavy and provide some nutrition to help support your body on the mend.” Medlin also keeps it bland with “toast, oatcakes, rice cakes and fruit purees – any fruit will do”. For Khan, “once things settle a bit, I eat some plain rice with yoghurt, but no spices. It’s about letting the healing happen gently.”

Restore your microbiome
“Once I’m up and about again, over the course of a day or so, I start adding back in foods for my gut microbiome,” says Leeming. “Live yoghurt or kefir and fibre-rich foods such as oats and stewed apples can be a gentle start, working up to adding in a range of different-coloured fruit and veg, whole grains and a handful of nuts and seeds.” Medlin also aims to recover gut health by “getting plenty of plants back into my diet; soups and smoothies can feel like an easier way to do this”.

When you have ... a splitting headache

Magnesium-rich morsels
“Cluster-headache patients are typically unable to eat during an attack – it would be akin to asking what I’d like to eat when a hot steel rod is being driven into my eyeball,” says Tom Zeller Jr, author of The Headache (Mariner, £22). “That said, during a period when the attacks are coming, but between individual headaches, I gravitate toward green vegetables – particularly spinach – peanuts, bran cereals and other foods rich in magnesium, which some evidence suggests might be helpful in reducing attacks. That’s not to suggest supplementation with magnesium is a cure, but any potential port in a storm, as they say.”

When you have ... general lurgy

Put fire in your belly
When feeling generally run down, chef Anna Jones’s cure-all “fire honey” comes into its own. “It’s pleasing, bright-orange sunshine in a jar,” she says. “Peel the zest of a lemon and an orange, finely chop a red chilli and 50g ginger, add the lot to half a pot of good-quality, runny honey. Grate 30g of fresh turmeric into the honey (or a tablespoon of ground turmeric) and mix. It can sit in your fridge for up to two weeks and see you through the whole winter.” When you need a boost, “pop a tablespoon in a mug and top it up with hot water. You could add an extra slice of lemon or orange, too.”

Spice up your life
Miers keeps a spicy remedy on hand all winter. “I make a fire cider and put it in the fridge,” she says. “It’s a simple ferment I learned about in Mexico, which helps gut health and is deliciously thirst-quenching. Essentially, you flavour vinegar with ginger, chilli and your favourite seasonings – I love rosemary and star anise – then sweeten with honey or agave, and add sparkling water. For one 400ml jar, finely slice two jalapeño chillies, a thumb-sized piece of ginger and another of fresh turmeric (optional). Place in a sterilised jar with two rosemary sprigs, a cinnamon stick, two tablespoons of honey, the zest and juice of an orange, and 350ml of apple cider vinegar. Leave in the fridge for at least a week – the health benefits peak after three weeks – and the vinegar will last for six months in the fridge.”

And once you’re feeling better ...
Once on the road to recovery, Macciochi focuses on “rebuilding strength and supporting my gut – think slow-cooked stews, fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kefir, and plenty of colourful plants”. José takes a similar approach. “I return to a balanced diet with a good amount of protein (for example, eggs) to support healing. If antibiotics are needed, I bring in probiotic foods such as natural yoghurt or kefir to help restore gut balance.” Tew, meanwhile, picks soups. “I make a vegetable and lentil soup, but if you’ve had the flu you aren’t likely to have the energy to make soup, so a shop‑bought one would be fine,” she says.

When you have ... a stinking hangover

Juice, water - then a fridge raid!
When the malady is more self-induced, Miers first loads up on vitamin-rich liquids. “Celery, parsley and apple is the green juice of choice in Mexico, and it always makes me feel better. They add cactus and pineapple – local ingredients over there – but I sub in ginger for some fire and oomph. Then it’s lots of water, a good strong coffee and, when I can face it, grilled sourdough with a fried egg, crispy chickpeas, a few leaves, a grating of good cheese, and chilli oil normally does the trick – and whatever other delicious things I have in the fridge.”