A leading nutritionist has offered advice on how to avoid catching colds and flu this winter. Dr Federica Amati shared her personal methods for protecting herself and her family, all of which she said are simple steps that many can start implementing now.

The expert works at Zoe, a company co-founded by Tim Spector, a Professor of Epidemiology at King's College London - and her words come amid a rise in flu cases in the UK. Speaking on Instagram, she said: "I’m a medical scientist and registered public health nutritionist. I’m going to kick off by helping you to avoid catching that cold or flu virus."

An average of 2,660 patients a day were hospitalised with flu in England last week. That is the highest ever total for this time of year - and a rise of 55 per cent on the week before.

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In her video, the doctor discussed various strategies, but in her caption, she mentioned a handy way the virus responsible can be banished. She explained: "I also use zinc nose sprays and pastilles as an extra step.

"It's not fool-proof, but viruses are more likely to be deactivated if they come into contact with zinc in your nose or throat." In one of her key rules, she says that hygiene is key: "Start with the basics.

"Wash your hands regularly, sneeze or cough into your elbow and use a tissue." She also suggested that people "ventilate shared spaces", noting that these "simple steps are often overlooked."

When it comes to ventilation, she says you can fix this by simply opening a window. She said: "It helps to reduce the viral load in the room. If you reduce the viral load, you reduce the chances of catching it, or catching enough of it to make you really sick."

When it comes to nutrition, your gut health plays a key role in supporting your immune system function, she said. You should aim to feed your gut microbes with high-fibre plants and fermented foods every day, she said.

“Your gut health is the centre that helps your immune system function properly. Feed your gut microbes", she stressed.

She suggested: "Very high fibre diets and fermented foods combined are amazing for immune system function." She then highlighted everyday foods, including beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and whole grains such as barley, that we should be consuming regularly.

She also advised snacking on fruit and incorporating fermented foods into our diets three times daily. Options include kefir yoghurt, natural yoghurt, kimchi or miso - and so much more.

She concluded by saying: "If you do those two things every day, if you have high fibre plant foods and your fermented foods, your gut microbiome is gonna be really happy. It’s going to help your immune system to function at its best.

"That is how I try and protect myself and my family. It doesn’t mean you definitely won’t get sick, but it can actually reduce your risk "