With the arrival of the cooler, rainy weather along with longer darker evenings, the cold and flu season is upon us again. Many of us are already feeling fatigued, not to mention the coughing, sneezing, scratchy throats and headaches. In today’s blog post, I’d like to offer some helpful tips and tasty recipes for supporting the immune system.
Lemon water: Start your day with drinking freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon in a glass of lukewarm water on an empty stomach. Lemon supports the liver in its detoxification function, it alkalizes your body, improves your digestion and boosts your metabolism. Most importantly, it contains a generous amount of one of the most important antioxidants in nature, vitamin C along with other flavonoid compounds which together greatly improves your immunity.
Vegetables are loaded with antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds, thus increasing their consumption will further strengthen your immune system. Vegetables can be eaten raw, steamed, grilled, boiled in soups or blended in smoothies. However, one of the most efficient ways to maximize their intake is to juice them. As the fiber is removed during the process, the health-supporting nutrients can easily be absorbed in the digestive tract. Juicing also allows you to mix and match various vegetables to enjoy all their nutrients in one delicious drink. The basic ingredients of my juice are always green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, Romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, dandelion leafs, herbs such as cilantro, parsley, basil, depending what I have in the fridge at the time). These greens are then combined with a few stalks of celery, some ginger, carrots and a fruit that provides sweetness (green apple, pineapple, berries, etc.).
Try this simple but tasty juice recipe (for 2 servings):
Ingredients
- 4 kale leaves (or Swiss chard leaves)
- 4 celery stalks
- a handful fresh cilantro
- 3 carrots
- 1 cucumber
- 1/2 cup pineapple
- a small piece of ginger (be careful if you are not used to its taste)
Directions
Place the ingredients into the juice extractor one by one.
We have all heard about the various benefits of curcumin but did you know that it is just one of the large number of bioactive ingredients of the yellow-pigmented spice Turmeric? Recent research showed that all these active compounds act synergistically in turmeric, meaning their final immune- and general health-boosting effect is much stronger than when they act alone. Here is a great turmeric chicken recipe (modified from an original recipe of nutritionist Julie Daniluk):
Turmeric Dijon Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 (2.2 lbs/1 kg) skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) coconut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
- 2-3 tsp (5 mL) turmeric
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) grey sea salt or pink rock salt
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegetable or chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) natural Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup (85 mL) coconut milk
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) unpasteurized liquid honey
- 2 tbsp of fresh parsley and basil or 1 tbsp (15 mL) Italian herb blend (basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme)
Directions
1. Drizzle the oil over the chicken thighs and sprinkle with turmeric and salt. Spritz liberally with filtered water or broth to keep meat moist and ensure the oil doesn’t overheat. Cook over medium heat for 5 to7 minutes, turning every couple of minutes until golden on all sides.
2. Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally about 5 minutes.
3. Spread the mustard evenly over the chicken pieces using a spoon or brush.
4. Cook for another 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
5. Pour the coconut milk and honey into the skillet and stir until the sauce has thickened slightly (2-3 minutes).
6. Arrange the chicken on a serving dish and pour the sauce over and around the chicken. Adjust seasonings to taste.
7. Garnish with the herbs and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Besides turmeric, there are some other immune-boosting ingredients in this recipe, such as garlic (hence the generous amount), coconut oil with its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and honey, which in its wild unfiltered state confirms anti-bacterial qualities. The oven-baked sweet potatoes on the side provide another important antioxidant, the beta-carotene which gives them that deep-orange colour. To make the meal complete, the cooked chicken and sweet potatoes are balanced with a delicious Greek salad containing raw nutrient-dense vegetables.
Finally, let’s discuss the chicken soup. Can it really shorten the time of your cold or is it a myth? Actually, it can help you to fight the virus. I have to emphasize though, that it has to be a homemade soup and not the processed canned variety. Cysteine, the amino acid present in chicken, has a thinning effect on the mucus in the lungs to be expelled more easily. Depending on the added vegetables, spices and herbs, you can increase the soup’s immune-supporting benefits many times. They combine specific nutrients that will make easier for you to combat the infectious agent.
Are you ready to go grocery shopping? Make sure, you put some of the immune-boosting foods in your shopping cart!
By Marianna Duba, M.Sc.
Registered Nutritionist