Trying to keep the runny noses, sore throats and pounding heads at bay this winter won't be easy, so it is important to get all the nutrients you need.
While some people turn to supplements (not guilty), eating a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, is the best way to boost your immunity naturally.
Incorporating superfoods is also a fabulous idea and can help you ensure you get your daily dose of vitamins and antioxidants.
And while we are all familiar with the Instagram sensations that are goji berries, chia seeds, avocado and kale, there are some new kids on the block.
There are a number of new nutrition powerhouses emerging on the market that come with a lot of health benefits, such as reducing inflammation, improving digestion or strengthening your immune system.
Have a gawk, and let us know what you think:
1. Moringa
Originating from India, moringa is also referred to as the drumstick tree, and has been used as nutritional booster for centuries. The entire tree is edible but its most nutritious part is the leaves.
For a similar intake, moringa contains about 25 times the amount of iron as spinach or seven times the amount of vitamin C as oranges. It is also very rich in vitamin A, vitamin B, calcium, protein and potassium.
All good things, all good things.
Generally sold as a powder made from the leaves of the tree, moringa can be found in most health stores. Add a spoonful to your smoothies, soups or porridge, or whisk it to almond milk and a drizzle of honey to get all its incredible benefits, like as boosting your immune system, reducing inflammation and regulating your blood sugar levels.
2. Maca
Grown in Peru, maca is a cruciferous vegetable (from the same family as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage or kale) and its root has been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.
High in vitamin C, B6, copper, iron, potassium and manganese, it is mostly sold in powder form to add to food or as capsules. It is believed to improve the mood (say no more), reduce stress levels and anxiety and boost performances. According to some studies, it could even have a positive impact on fertility.
3. Elderberry
You might be familiar with elderflower, which blossoms around June, but elder trees also produce elderberries, which are in full season in September. While they can't be found commercially, these fruits indigenous to Northern Europe are usually used in crumbles, jams and pies. They could also be used as topping for porridge or in smoothies.
A real nutrition powerhouse, elderberries are a very good source of fibre, vitamin A and vitamin C, and also contain iron, potassium, vitamin B6 and betacarotene. Alongside the immunity-boosting effect, these tasty berries are diuretic and therefore boasts detoxifying properties. Interestingly, elderberries act as antiviral, which could really help you resist the winter flu.
Thankfully we don't have to be too devastated, as the Hatch St unit is still going strong, and is a mere five minutes away from the current location.
In more excellent news, this is more of a see you later than a goodbye, as Cocu announced that they will soon be setting up shop elsewhere.
The delicious foodie concept will be making a permanent home for itself in the IFSC in the coming weeks.
The Kale & Coco smoothie bowl pop-up will also be finishing up this week, but Rebecca and Jen have promised that they will be running some amazing special offers in the remaining days.
If you're a bonafide cheese-obsessive, then you're probably sick to the back teeth of having people highlight the downsides to your devotion.
From the product's high fat content to your 'worrying' ability to make it through a block in one sitting, being a cheese-lover definitely comes with its pros… and cons.
Thankfully, however, we have science on our side right now, and we're going to milk that for all it's worth.
Researchers in Korea have, according to Metro, established that one particular variety of cheese is of benefit to our health, and we are totally here for this news.
It turns out that Swiss cheese contains a probiotic called propionibacterium freudenreichii (expialidocious), and that means it works wonders for that bod of yours.
From reducing inflammation to kickstarting a flailing immune system, Swiss cheese sounds like the type of food we should all be stocking up on.
Ladies, let's be real here, science has basically told us so.
It can be hard to keep up with The Happy Pear brothers.
Having began their business as a simple vegetable shop, the energetic pair have since watched their vegan food brand transform into one of the most recognisable in Ireland.
With books, cafés and their own range of delicious plant-based products, it's safe to say that twins, David and Stephen Flynn, have made their mark on the Irish food industry – but they're not stopping there.
The lads look set to showcase their culinary skills on a new Netflix show, due for release in June 2018.
According to The Happy Pear's official Twitter account, the duo will appear on the upcoming I'll Have What Phil's Having, a food and travel series presented by Everybody Loves Raymond creator, Phil Rosenthal.
The upcoming Netflix series will follow Phil as he explores some of Europe's hidden culinary gems, and it looks like he's a big fan of Irish cuisine.
Earlier this week, the presenter gave a shout out to a a chip shop in Clonakilty, and just yesterday he declared he declared that Irish soda bread and butter was “one of the more delicious things you can eat in this world.”
Eddie Rocket's are now serving brunch – and we could not be happier about it.
The fast food diner have just unveiled their new menu, with a host of delicious brunch options sure to make any millenials mouth water.
From pancake stacks to avocado toast, there really is something for everyone and with the most expensive dish coming in at €9.50, these tasty treats won't break the bank either.
The new options available include:
The Big Breakfast – €9.50
Belgian Chocolate & Almond Short Stack – €6.95
Bacon & Maple Short Stack – €6.95
Sourdough Avocado Toast With Bacon & Egg – €7.95
What's more, the restaurant have added a bacon and avocado chicken or beef burger as well as four new salads in a bid to entice health conscious diners.
They'll also be serving 'veggie frites', or carrot sticks, green beans and courgettes sticks lightly seasoned with garlic and chilli, if you will.
The brunch menu will be served until 4.00pm daily, but many of the other new additions are available all day.
You can check out the full new Eddie Rocket's menu on their website now.
Adulting comes with many unfortunate tasks to accomplish, such as paying bills, paying bills and, oh yeah, paying more bills.
Yet one good thing that you learn to love as years pass by is simple homemade food.
Because too many takeaways is the death of your bank account (and probably a hazard to your waistline), you gradually started learning how to cook some basic meals, and before you know it, you actually begin to enjoy it.
Cooking tasty and nutritious food doesn't require some crazy skills and infinite knowledge, it is only about mastering some basic recipes, one meal at a time.
To help you nail it, we have scrolled the Internet to find the best of the best and establish the definite list of the recipes you need in your life.
We won't lie, we are slightly jealous of Niamh O'Sullivan's life.
The 24 year-old Kildare-native moved to New York in October 2015 and since then, she has been giving a snapshot into her life in the Big Apple as well as sharing healthy recipes, fitness and motivation tips on her blog Cinnamon Soul.
While her Instagram feed frequently features icecreams and pancakes, Niamh tells SHEmazing all about her favourite foods and how living in New York is both heaven and hell for healthy eaters.
I tend to rotate between a fruit smoothie, protein pancakes, and fried eggs on toast.
It depends on whether or not I've been to the gym that morning, and how much time I have to whip something up.
What about lunch?
I'm living in New York at the moment and one of the best things about it is all of the food options at your disposal. With that said, the cost of groceries is extremely high, especially in Manhattan.
I find myself picking something up last minute every day like a salad or wrap from Pret a Manger. As long as it's fresh, I'm not too fussy.
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What do you usually have for dinner?
I'm a serious creature of habit so my dinner is usually fresh prawns with soybean spaghetti, fried in garlic, chilli & olive oil. So simple and SO tasty!
Is it different at the weekend?
The weekends are always my biggest downfall when I'm trying to stay healthy, but I am definitely not complaining!
Not only are there literally thousands of restaurants to choose from in New York, but there's always a new part of the city to explore too so it's always fun to try new places.
Naturally though, my weekends plans revolve solely on where and what I'm eating!
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Do you snack during the day?
My go-to snack at about 3pm every single day is a tub of 0% Fage yoghurt with frozen berries, almond butter and a few drops of MyProtein flavour drops to sweeten it up.
What would be your ideal food day?
Breakfast would be a massive bowl of granola, boring – I know, but my Mum makes the most delicious kind and I miss it so much since I moved away from home.
I love tapas and the way that you can be so social when you eat it, so I would probably opt for that for lunch.
Dinner would have to be a classic roast chicken with every single trimming possible.
Dessert would be a warm chocolate brownie or fondant with some pistachio or vanilla ice-cream. Or, my Mum's chocolate roulade – my mouth waters when I think about it!
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What is your favourite meal of the day?
Probably dinner because I usually don't have to be anywhere after I eat it, so I can eat as much as possible and then vegetate on the couch until I can move again, haha!
Your favourite restaurant in Dublin/Ireland/the world?
My favourite restaurant in Dublin is probably the Rustic Stone: you can't beat a good steak!
In Ireland, I think my favourite restaurant would have to be the K Thai in the K Club in Kildare.
I waitressed in the K Club all through college and for my last few months of working there, I worked full time in the K Thai I've tried every single thing on the menu and can safely say that there's not one thing that isn't delicious! I always go back every time I'm home and still catch up with the chefs who are so sound, couldn't recommend it highly enough.
At the moment I'm obsessed with a small Italian restaurant in Alphabet City in New York called Supper NYC. Cacio è Pepe is one of my favourite meals ever and this place has a delicious version (it's basically just spaghetti with cheese and pepper but it's divine).
My favourite restaurant always depends on my mood though so it changes regularly!
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The best brunch place in Dublin?
I actually have only tried one place since I've been living abroad for the past 18 months and lived in Galway prior to that. BUT, I went for bottomless brunch in Cleaver East while I was at home in March and it was delicious!
Any “food pet peeves”?
When restaurants don't take the tails off prawns. I hate working for my food – LOL!
I also hate when the restaurant doesn't tell you that what you're ordering definitely needs a side of veg or chips. Nothing worse than when you're finished your meal and have to ask to see the menu again because you're still starving.
What food would you not eat for the whole world?
Celery. I despise it more than anything and I can taste/smell/sense it a mile away. It physically makes me gag!
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Do you find it hard to eat a healthy diet in a daily basis?
Yes and no. In New York, there are so many healthy food options to choose from. But with that, there is also a massive amount of unhealthy options to test you.
If I'm on a roll with my healthy eating then I usually find it easy enough but the smell of pizza is always lingering!
What is your guilty pleasure?
Mayonnaise. I add it to the majority of my meals, I can't help myself.
Bad news guys – smelling food before you eat could contribute to weight gain, new research has found.
Researchers in the US have found that the smell of food could actually play a vital role in how our body processes calories.
In a study, scientists at the University of California, Berkely, used gene therapy to eliminate in the sense of smell in a group of obese mice.
Results showed that the mice who couldn't smell lost weight when compared to those who could, even though they all ate the same amount of high-calorie food.
What's more, the mice who were able to smell actually doubled in weight, while mice with a boosted sense of smell put on the most weight.
As it turns out, smelling food could trigger the body into storing calories rather than burning them off.
Céline Riera, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said: “This paper is one of the first studies that really shows if we manipulate olfactory inputs we can actually alter how the brain perceives energy balance, and how the brain regulates energy balance.”
Researchers hope that the study could help people with eating disorders and diseases such as Parkinson's. It's also thought the results will help those who struggle to lose weight.
Senior author Andrew Dillin, said, “Sensory systems play a role in metabolism. Weight gain isn’t purely a measure of the calories taken in; it’s also related to how those calories are perceived,”
“If we can validate this in humans, perhaps we can actually make a drug that doesn’t interfere with smell but still blocks that metabolic circuitry. That would be amazing.”
For now though, it's probably best to avoid walking past that bakery on the way to work.
In what can only be described as a feat of food engineering, one innovative bakery in the US have created a combination of sweet treats that you never even knew you needed – until now.
Introducing the ice-cream donut.
The guys and gals over at B Sweet Bar in Los Angeles have blessed the world with their mouth-watering dessert know as the 'Halo'.
According to the shop's official Instagram account, the dish consists of "a scoop of your favourite #icecream heat-sealed inside our fresh glazed donut!!! Hot on the outside, cold on the inside and yummy allover!"
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Customers can choose to fill the classic donut with a scoop of their favourite ice-cream, with options of vanilla, mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream, rocky road and chocolate malted crunch to choose from.
B Sweet is also famous for its rotating menu of over 40 different flavours of bread pudding, which honestly looks way more appealing than it sounds.
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Alas, these beautiful creations are only available in LA right now, but fingers crossed the recipe will make it onto Irish shores sooner rather than later.
Dublin will be transformed into a feast of food, fun and entertainment this weekend as Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular takes over Merrion Square South.
Festival goers can enjoy a huge selection of freshly-made dishes from over 25 culinary regions at the Just Eat STREET international street food festival, including award winning Mexican food from Boojum, authentic barbecue from Smokin Bones and loaded sweet potato fries from Strong Roots.
The Just Eat waiters will be on hand to take orders and deliver some of the best street food the country has to offer, so you can sit back and enjoy the sound of the international music stage which will feature a wide variety of genres to compliment the food on offer.
Across the two-day festival, visitors will be treated to live performances from Cuban All Stars, Havana Club Trio, Manden Express and samba musicians and dancers MaSamba.
The Just Eat Street at Laya City Spectacular will take pace this Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9. You can find more information at cityspectacular.com.
Poke bowls have taken over the Internet, and has proven itself worthy of the title of most fashionable food trend of 2017.
Colourful, healthy and yummy, they tick all the boxes, and many eateries around Dublin now offer their own version of the trendy bowl.
This traditional Hawaiian dish could be basically described as a sushi salad, and just like our beloved sushi rolls, you can make poke bowls with loads of different ingredients.
Rather than splashing the cash on a takeaway poke bowl, you can follow our recipe, which is super easy to make and most importantly, tasty AF.
Watch out G&T, a new drink is currently taking over as our beverage of choice.
Perfect for the summer, Aperol Spritz is a traditional Italian cocktail already ubiquitous in Europe and we can see it popping up in trendy bars in Ireland.
A combination of Prosecco, Aperol and soda water, this bitter-sweet drink is served in a wine glass and we can't wait to jump into the bandwaggon and sip on these all summer.
We have heard a lot about fermented food for the past two years and it remains on trend this summer, particularly pickled vegetables.
In Dublin, numerous cafes and restaurants use them to pimp their salads or breakfast dishes and we can’t get enough of these tasty and colourful veggies.
