The winter months can bring with them a spike in seasonal illnesses. Although you can’t always avoid getting sick over the winter months, there are certainly steps you can take to help support your immune system and ability to recover from illness.
Here are some winter wellness tips to help you get through the last of your ills and chills, and come out feeling strong and healthy for spring.
Warming winter foods
Cook with ginger, garlic, turmeric, chillies and onions. All of these foods have beneficial properties that help protect you from winter nasties. You can also take garlic capsules if preferred.
Chicken soup can help provide relief from congestion and general symptoms of colds. In general, winter meals should be warm and nourishing. It’s a great season to use your slow cooker and get in plenty of soups and casseroles that are loaded with vegetables. These healthy winter wellness recipes will help to get you inspired and have your taste buds tingling.
Herbal teas for winter wellness
Drink herbal tea. You can find many different herbal teas containing ginger, and also echinacea, which is known for its defense building properties. My favourite tea brand is called Pukka. They have a huge range caffeine free teas, which are superb for winter. My top winter wellness choices from Pukka include their three ginger tea, and their elderberry and echinacea tea.
To soothe the chest and throat, try some lemon balm tea. Lemon balm contains anti-viral properties that can be useful in helping flus and colds. Peppermint tea can act as a natural decongestant, and is another winter wellbeing tea that tastes delicious.
For coughing, you can try making your own tea. Try a teaspoon of honey, a couple of teaspoons of ginger juice, and a pinch of turmeric.
Vitamins and herbs for winter wellness
A general multi-vitamin and mineral supplement can help improve your immunity. Vitamin C and zinc are particularly useful choices for winter wellness, especially if you feel like your immune system is low. They can improve the symptoms of colds and flus, and help you to recover faster.[1] [2] [3]
Personally, I err away from most vitamin C tablets, which contain binders and fillers. Although I prefer whole food supplementation on a day to day basis, I’ll sometimes opt for synthetic vitamins if I’ve got an acute illness (i.e. cold or flu). This is due to the higher levels of vitamin C in those products. Some options to consider include sodium acsorbate, which comes in a powdered form,or liposomal vitamin C, both of which you can purchase from Iherb. Make sure you are aware of any potential risks of vitamin C supplementation before adding it to your winter wellness checklist.
Olive leaf oil or extract has an incredible amount of antioxidants and can also be great for winter immunity. You may also want to consider a big nutrient top up for your body by checking out what IV vitamin therapy is all about.
Vitamin D plays an important role in supporting your immune system. Your best source is the sun, so the next point can help with that a little. However, there are less sunshine hours over the winter, so you can also check out my Instagram post below. This offers a few other tips around vitamin D for strengthening your immune system.
The value of getting outdoors
If you are well, make sure you get some fresh air each day, no matter what the weather is. There are many benefits to getting outdoors and getting your blood pumping, especially so if you can spend a bit of time in nature. If it’s cold, wrap up warm, but don’t punish your body by staying locked inside all day. I like the saying ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing, and preparation’. If you are unwell, by all means, stay inside and wrap up warm!
Check out my instagram post below, which covers exercise and your immune system. If you want to strengthen your immune system, have a read.
Some final winter wellness tips
- Wear natural fibers close to the skin to keep you warm – e.g. merino wool
- Wear a woolen hat when you’re outdoors to help keep the heat in
- If you’re an office worker or employer, check out these ideas for workplace wellbeing
- Get plenty of rest and sleep. Find out about these five factors that can affect your sleep.
Please note that the above suggestions are considered guidelines only and you should consult your health practitioner for further information. The advice listed above is not intended to replace the advice given to you by your physician. Not all vitamins and herbs are suitable for all people.
You can also see all my most common holistic health and fitness questions (and links to the answers) in this post.
Ready for spring? Find out how to increase your energy levels and work towards a fit summer body. You might also want to know about how to keep your fitness motivation high until summer arrives.
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Good wellness tips Elly for looking after ourselves during the Winter months.
I couldn’t agree more about your comment on wearing natural fibers. Since buying merino thermals this winter it’s the warmest I’ve felt for years. Beats wearing half a dozen layers of other fabrics and still feeling cold.
Awesome Annie! And there’s the other bonus that the fibres will break down naturally when you have finished with them (i.e. they won’t clog up the landfill). I’ve cut my merino thermals up into strips once they have worn out and added them to the compost xx