Health: 10 ways to beat sniffles and sneezes

With mornings darker and temperatures cooler, it's the time of the year when noses start to run and throats get scratchy. Rather than leaving it to the stage where copious tissues and lozenges are required, you could try keeping away the sniffles and sneezes with these 10 cold-preventing foods ways to beat sniffles and sneezes.

1. CAULIFLOWER

This white vege is high in vitamin C. But keep in mind the more you boil it the less vitamin C will still be there. Steaming, microwaving and stir-frying your cauliflower will make it more likely to help you combat colds and the flu.

2. GARLIC

Add garlic to a few dinners each week and you'll give yourself a better chance of preventing colds this coming winter. Should you actually catch a cold, studies have also shown it will shorten how long you will be feeling unwell.

3. STRAWBERRIES

Add frozen strawberries to a smoothie for a chilled brekky with a super hit of Vitamin C.

4. CABBAGE

Add cabbage to your Asia-inspired dishes for a healthy kick of Vitamin C - and flavour. Cabbage contains nutrients which have been shown to be useful in helping to prevent cancer.

5. SUNFLOWER SEEDS

Sprinkle some sunflower seeds on a salad. They're one of the best sources of Vitamin E, which strengthens your immune system.

6. AVOCADO

By eating avocado instead of butter you will consume 20 different vitamins and eight minerals to keep you healthy and the bugs away.

7. BLACKCURRANT JUICE

Swap the orange juice for a glass of blackcurrant juice. The small purple berries have more vitamin C than cranberries, blueberries or oranges.

They also have a high concentration of anthocyanins, which - among other things - reduce muscle stiffening, improve blood circulation and improve kidney function.

8. SPINACH

Pick up a bag of baby spinach to form the basis of your salad and you'll get the benefits of a heap of Vitamin C.

9. GREEN TEA

Drinkers of green tea experience fewer colds and bouts of flu than people who don't. Studies show it contains antioxidants that boost the immune system.

10. STEAK

Iron helps support the immune system; an efficient way to power yourself up on iron is to tuck into a juicy steak.