By Lindsay Edwards

Certain foods can help minimize and shorten the duration of symptoms associated with the common cold. Here are some of the proven cold-fighting foods:

• Chicken soup thins the mucous in the lungs, making the mucous easier to expel.

• Hot and spicy foods act as expectorants. When you eat these foods regularly, they help thin mucous secretions of colds, asthma, and allergies.

• Garlic kills the viruses and bacteria associated with the common cold and flu.

• Drinking plenty of liquids will hydrate the mucous membranes. Viruses thrive in dry environments.