Supporting Immunity, Naturally
In addition to following all guidelines from our government and medical officials around wearing face masks, physical distancing and frequently washing your hands, there are simple steps you can take to help support immune system health:
1) eat well
2) hydrate
3) get some sleep
4) move your body
5) lower stress
6) avoid sugar and excess alcohol
7) supplement vitamins C & D
When it comes to eating well, my number one recommendation is to eat a wide array of whole foods cooked from scratch, as much as possible. Making most of your meals plant-based helps, particularly vegetables. When you eat whole foods, as opposed to processed, you are getting the maximum amount of nutrients you can get from the foods, without a lot of added fillers and preservatives your body can do without. And if your diet includes a wide array of all differently coloured foods (think the rainbow!) then you should be consuming a wide range of beneficial nutrients. You don't have to know the micronutrient content of every food that way, it takes the guesswork out of nourishing yourself!
Don't forget the fermented foods. Check out my instructions for making your own sauerkraut.
1) eat well
2) hydrate
3) get some sleep
4) move your body
5) lower stress
6) avoid sugar and excess alcohol
7) supplement vitamins C & D
When it comes to eating well, my number one recommendation is to eat a wide array of whole foods cooked from scratch, as much as possible. Making most of your meals plant-based helps, particularly vegetables. When you eat whole foods, as opposed to processed, you are getting the maximum amount of nutrients you can get from the foods, without a lot of added fillers and preservatives your body can do without. And if your diet includes a wide array of all differently coloured foods (think the rainbow!) then you should be consuming a wide range of beneficial nutrients. You don't have to know the micronutrient content of every food that way, it takes the guesswork out of nourishing yourself!
Don't forget the fermented foods. Check out my instructions for making your own sauerkraut.
Broccoli, Spinach Red Pepper Frittata
(this makes a large one, will feed at least 4 people)
Ready in about 30 minutes, mostly hands-off time.
Source of protein, vitamin D, vitamin C, minerals, and antioxidants
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cups broccoli, chopped
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 8 eggs**
- fresh parsley, basil, dill, chopped
- sea salt and pepper
- olive oil
- grated cheese (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Place a large, oven-safe frying pan over low heat. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Add garlic and onion and a sprinkle of water to keep the oil from overheating. Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add broccoli and red pepper and continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, crack eggs into a mixing bowl, add a good dash of salt and pepper and about 1 T of water, then whisk the mixture together.
- Add spinach to pan and stir into other veggies. Now spread the veggies out in an even layer covering the whole pan bottom. Pour egg mixture over the veggies and tip pan to spread out evenly. Sprinkle herbs over the top (and cheese, if you like)
- Turn burner off and transfer pan to oven.
- Bake in 375 oven for about 20 minutes or so, until edges are browned and eggs don't jiggle when you shake the pan. Be sure to wear oven mitts when handling the pan!
- Serve with a salad or braised greens.
*This is a basic frittata formula, you can substitute the veg for whatever you have on hand. If you have leftover roasted vegetables from the day before, they taste great in this and cut back your cooking time!
**Eggs are a nutrient-packed food and great source of protein and vitamin D. They have had a bad rap for the last while due to fears about cholesterol though. Recent studies have shown that eating eggs really doesn't affect cholesterol levels as once thought, so we can embrace their goodness once again!
Chocolate Blueberry Anti-oxidant Smoothie
- 1 banana
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- handful of spinach, or a couple kale leaves torn from thick middle stem
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 scoop protein powder, collagen or 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- about 1 cup coconut or almond beverage
- 1/2 cup yogurt (optional)
Garlic Braised Greens
An easy, and tasty, way to get your daily greens!
Ingredients
- one bunch of greens (kale, collards, spinach, swiss chard)
- 5 -6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- dash of pepper
- olive oil
- 1/4 cup water or broth
- chili pepper or dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
Method
- Place a medium to large frying pan over low heat. Drizzle in olive oil and add garlic. Lightly saute for 1 -2 minutes.
- Add all of the greens to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, pour water/broth over. Give it a stir.
- Place a lid on top of the pan and turn heat to lowest. Let the greens steam for about 7-8 minutes checking periodically that the liquid hasn't completely dried out.
- Remove from heat, toss with chili if using, and serve.
Stay well everyone!
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