How to NOT get sick this winter - 3 foods to fight colds, beat flu season and protect your immune system

Why do you catch every cold going, while others rarely get sick?

Many of the cold and flu tips you grew up with are myths, but in today’s episode, world-leading immunity expert Professor Daniel Davis and Professor Tim Spector explain the five everyday habits that can protect your immune system.

You’ll learn why some people get sick more often than others and test common beliefs about how to boost immunity and beat flu season: does getting cold and wet really give you a cold, and can vitamin C or immune-boosting supplements actually help? We explore the five habits that the science links to immune health and share three food tips, so you can learn how to stay well this winter.

If you get sick more often than your friends, this episode will break down why that might be, and give you the tools to help.  

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Timecodes

00:00 Intro

05:57 Can you really boost your immune system? 

07:51 Is man flu real? The science of who suffers worse colds.

11:55 Why you take a week to shake off a cold your friend beats in 2 days.

14:20 Is catching colds in your genes?

15:54 Why your immune system slows with age, and the inflammation link.

20:16 Why do we actually get more colds and flu in winter?

21:28 Why your snot is magical, and how it fights colds.

22:31 Can wet hair give you a cold? 

24:06 Vitamin C, vitamin D or zinc: do any supplements stop a cold?

27:36 The truth about immune-boosting supplements and food labels

29:38 Should you feed a cold and starve a fever?

31:30 Should you avoid crowds to prevent colds? 

34:09 Habit 1: What 4 hours’ sleep does to your immune system.

36:48 How to sleep better: Tim Spector's routine 

38:56 Habit 2: what the stress hormone cortisol does to your cancer-fighting cells

42:24 How to lower cortisol: do tai chi, walks or laughter work?

45:22 Habit 3: is a glass of wine bad for your immune system?

46:13 Habit 4: why gut health is Tim Spector’s main reason for not getting sick.

48:04 How gut bacteria keep your immune system in balance

49:39 Does diet change how sick you get?

51:57 Habit 5: how exercise changes your immune system, and the truth about 10,000 steps.

54:28 Is it too late to start exercising for immune health? 

55:42 Tim Spector’s 3 food rules for your immune system and gut health

57:47 The 5 habits that really protect your immune system.

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra  

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

⁠Immune Health: A Myth-busting Guide by Prof Daniel Davis

The science behind “man flu”, BMJ (2017)

Sleep and food choices, ZOE (2025)

Childhood adversity and inflammatory processes, Psychoneuroendocrinology (2013)

Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Response to Immunization, JAMA (2002)

Increased concordance of severe respiratory infection in identical twins, Pediatrics (2008)

Longitudinal dynamics of gene expression and metabolomics in an aging population cohort, Science (2026)

The nonlinear association between sleep duration, cognition and mental health, Nat Aging 2 (2022)

 Effects of odors on sleep quality, Scientific Reports (2022)
Diet quality and risk and severity of COVID-19, Gut (2021)

Episode transcripts are available ⁠here⁠.