Cold comfort

Providing you are not suffering from nausea, try using more highly flavoured herbs and spices in your cooking. Among these, good old garlic has the most widely proven immune boosting properties. Garlic, is rich in a chemical called allicin as well as other compounds, and has been used world-wide throughout history to treat a wide variety of conditions, especially infections.

The best way to take it is fresh, in your diet. However, if you are going to take supplements opt for those made from dried powder (and follow the manufacturer’s dosage instructions); oil-based products tend to have fewer active ingredients.

New data also shows that common kitchen herbs and spices can also have germ-fighting properties. One recent study of 72 different herbs and spices showed that spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves – which can easily be worked into your diet – were particularly potent. If all else fails have a curry which will give you the best of most of these!

For sore throats

Try making a simple gargle out of 1 tsp salt in a cup of hot water. Lozenges made from propolis can also be useful in easing throat pain. If you have a humidifier use it to keep the air warm and moist. This has been shown to be helpful in relieving nasal symptoms. Otherwise, simple steam inhalations are also effective. Certain essential oils, such as tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus are safe and effective to use with steam inhalations during pregnancy to ease nasal congestion.

If your mouth feels dry, especially at night, keep a glass or bottle of water handy and take frequent sips. Try also keeping your lips moisturised with lip balm or cream.

In the mean time, you might also want to consider cutting down on foods that can increase nasal secretions such as dairy products. Although these are often considered essential in pregnancy, there are other good sources of protein (such as dried pulses) and calcium (such as green vegetables), which will ensure that you are well nourished while relieving pressure on your sinuses.