Feel better, faster: how to heal your gut after a cold

When a cold hits, the sneezing, coughing, and runny nose can make you feel miserable—urgh! But here’s the good news: your gut plays a powerful role in how your body responds to infection and how quickly you recover. Supporting your gut health when you’re unwell isn’t just smart—it’s essential.

Here’s what happens in your gut when you’re unwell, and practical tips to help you recover and strengthen your immune system.

Your gut immune system are deeply connected!

Around 70% of your immune cells live in your gut! The gut contains beneficial bacteria, which help train your immune system to recognise what’s harmful (such as viruses) and what’s safe (such as food).

The gut lining acts as a protective barrier, letting nutrients in and keeping harmful substances out. If this lining becomes damaged, toxins can leak into your bloodstream, potentially triggering inflammation and confusing the immune system. An unhealthy gut can weaken your immune response and may be linked to conditions like allergies, autoimmune diseases, or frequent illnesses.

Tip: Eat a healthy, fibre-rich diet to support your beneficial gut bacteria, which helps reduce inflammation and strengthen your immune defenses.¹

Gut imbalance during illness

Even though colds primarily affect your respiratory tract, your gut can still feel the impact. Illness, stress, changes in diet, or medications can disrupt your gut bacteria, causing bloating, diarrhoea, or general digestive discomfort. This may cause momentary gut dysbiosis, but it can persist for longer in some individuals. Your body undergoes a shift, focusing on using its energy to fight off the infection rather than maintaining optimal gut function.²

Hydration: the first step to recovery

It’s easy to think that the healing process is over once your nose clears and your cough fades but your gut often needs a bit more time and care to recover fully. Supporting your gut afterwards helps restore balance, improves nutrient absorption, and strengthens your overall immune resilience.

Step one: Stay hydrated. Colds can cause mild dehydration due to fever, mouth breathing, and reduced fluid intake. Drinking plenty of water, herbal teas, and warm broths helps replace lost fluids and supports healthy digestion.³

Nourish your gut to aid recovery

Once you’re well hydrated, focus on feeding your beneficial gut bacteria.

Probiotics: Replenish the good bacteria that may have declined during illness. Include fermented foods like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, or kombucha.⁴
Prebiotics: These fibres feed your gut microbes Foods like oats, garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, apples, and asparagus are excellent choices. A prebiotic supplement is a great addition to the diet, providing a quick and easy way to boost your fibre intake and fibre diversity.

It’s also important to limit or avoid heavy, greasy, or ultra-processed foods for several days, as they can overwhelm a recovering digestive system.

Extra TLC: Your digestive tract is closely linked to your nervous system through the gut–brain axis, so adequate rest, low stress, and gentle movement, such as walking or stretching, can all promote healthy digestion and microbial balance.⁵

By following these simple tips, you can help your gut microbiome recover faster and strengthen your immune defences for the future. A healthy gut means better digestion, fewer infections, and greater overall wellbeing. Even after your cold has passed, caring for your gut is one of the best ways to keep your body strong and resilient.

For more information on how food can support you this winter, click here.

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays 8am to 8pm.

Feel better, faster: how to heal your gut after a cold

Your gut immune system are deeply connected!

Gut imbalance during illness

Hydration: the first step to recovery

Nourish your gut to aid recovery

References

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!

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