Keeping our immune system healthy is top of everyone’s mind right now with the flu and the coronavirus. So, I thought back to what Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” When so much is out of our control, there are a few things we can control and that is how we respond to this crisis. By that, I mean how we react to stress and what we are feeding our one precious body.
With that in mind, why not feed ourselves food that actually boosts our immune system?! So – I looked at what I had in the kitchen and created this salad.
Immune Boosting Ingredients:
- Kale: Has Vitamin A, C & K; it reduces oxidative stress; has chlorophyll which will not only boost our immune system, it will also help to flush out and cleanse our blood. Kale also has a good amount of fiber which helps keep your digestion in working order which is super important to our immune system as well.
Almost 70% of our immune system is in our gut.
- Blueberries: contain a good amount of fiber; have 24% of our daily Vitamin C needs on one cup; plus they have a lot of Vitamin K and Manganese
- Pumpkin seeds: are full of nutrients like iron, zinc (which is vital to our immune system), and magnesium; they also provide healthy fats and protein
- Goji berries: 1 cup of goji berries have 340% of your daily need of Vitamin A – to read more about the effects of V-A & D on the immune system, click here.
- Carrots: are high in Beta Carotene (which our bodies convert into Vitamin A), Vitamins K1 and B6 as well as they contain a good amount of fiber.
- Quinoa: is a complete protein, which means that it contains all 20 amino acids including the 9 essential ones that our body doesn’t make on its own.
If you don’t have these ingredients in your house – just use any combination of fruits and vegetables that sound good to you – spinach, red peppers, oranges are all high in nutrients that help your immune system. The main take away is to eat whole foods and avoid refined sugar and processed foods. Those increase inflammation in our bodies and provide little nutrition – we need to keep our bodies fueled with whole foods that have fiber as well to keep our gut healthy.
More Immune Boosting Recipes:
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- Easy and Healthy Green Juice
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- Sweet Potato and Asparagus Frittata
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- Egg Roll In a Bowl
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- Anti Inflammatory Soup
Sweet Potato and Asparagus Frittata
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6 Delicious Foods To Boost Your Immune System Naturally, Plus An Immune Boosting Salad
- Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 2 salads 1x
- Category: Recipe
- Cuisine: Salad
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Nutritious whole foods is a great way to boost your immune system and to keep your gut healthy. This easy salad is filled with six delicious and nutritious immune boosting ingredients!
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked organic quinoa
2 – 3 cups of washed and chopped kale that has been destemmed
1/4 cup organic blueberries
1/4 cup organic goji berries
1/4 cup organic shredded carrots
1/4 cup organic pumpkin seeds
1/8 cup organic sunflower seeds (optional)
Salad Dressing:
2 ounces freshly squeezed organic orange juice
2 ounces champagne vinegar
1 ounce of shallot infused olive oil**
1 teaspoon orange zest from an organic orange
salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1.) In a medium to large-sized bowl toss the freshly washed and chopped kale and the cooked quinoa together. Toss in the rest of the other ingredients.
2.) To make the salad dressing, add all the ingredients to a small mason jar, add the lid (make sure to screw the lid on there tightly – trust me on this;) and shake to combine all together. Or you can place all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together to emulsify.
3.) Add as much of the dressing as you like to the salad (you will have leftover dressing) and toss all together, and enjoy!
Notes
**If you don’t have or cannot find shallot infused olive oil, feel free to use a 1 teaspoon of grated fresh shallot. I used this oil as it is low in FODMAPs and easier on my tummy
