There's no better time to boost your immune system than now! While balanced nutrition including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and starches, dairy, proteins and healthy fat, is key to a happy and healthy body all year round, here are a handful of foods that you may want to consider including more often as a way to boost your immune system and better prevent yourself from coming down with any sort of cold, flu, or virus! Think- Protein, Antioxidants, Vitamin D, Probiotics, Prebiotics, Omega 3's.
Greek yogurt:
Protein, Vitamin D, and Probiotics are all key to immune health. Greek yogurt contains all three of these. Triple whammy!
Citrus fruits:
Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C; a nutrient that is proven to be critical is fighting off sickness as well as reducing the severity of sickness if we do get it.
Tea, especially green:
Chalked full of health benefits, including being an excellent source of flavanoids, a class of antioxidants shown to be helpful in boosting immune function.
Salmon:
Salmon is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and zinc. Again, all three of which do wonders for fighting off illness. Another great source of Omega 3's are chia seeds and flaxseeds.
Whole grains:
Whole grains are a source of fiber and prebiotics. Prebiotics are the "food" for probiotics, which promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria. This in turn results in a stronger immune system, seeing as much of the immune system is housed in the gut.
That's a lot of foods to remember but luckily for you, here is a recipe that combines all of those ingredients in one! Try this tasty immune-boosting twist on your classic morning oatmeal.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (less or more based off hunger and energy needs) oats
- 1 orange, peeled and segmented
- 1/2 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt (less or more based off hunger and energy needs)
- 1 cup water
- 1 green tea bag
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds or ground flaxseed, or some of both
- Additional add-ins: shredded coconut, nuts or seeds, honey, maple syrup
Boil 1 cup of water and let the green tea bag steep. Use the resulting 1 cup of tea to cook up the oats in the microwave. Mix in orange segments, chia/flaxseeds, Greek yogurt and additional add-ins.
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