Tzatziki
Your immune system encompasses many metabolic processes that use a variety of nutrients to keep your body healthy and able to fight "foreign invaders." One of the first ways to keep your immune system in tip-top shape is to eat a well-balanced, varied diet. This is because many foods in a healthy diet provide nutrients that can help keep your immune system at its best. Here are recipes that include a variety of foods and nutrients that can help your immune system in various ways.
Tzatziki is made with strained yogurt, cucumbers and dill. Choose yogurt with live, active cultures as they act as probiotics, which are "good" bacteria that help protect the digestive tract. Research shows that some strains of probiotics can help keep your immune system healthy and promote a healthy digestive tract.
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Mum's Everyday Red Lentils
Otherwise known as dal, Aarti Sequeira’s red lentils are cooked down into comfort in a bowl. Lentils are a good source of zinc and vitamin B6, both which play a role in your immune system’s defense. It’s also an excellent source of iron which help creates infection-fighting white blood cells. This dish also includes turmeric, which provides inflammation-fighting phytonutrient curcumin.
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Mustard-Maple Roasted Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon provide omega-3 fats, which have anti-inflammatory properties and can potentially increase the body’s ability to fight off illness. Pair this salmon with antioxidant-filled sweet potatoes and whole grains.
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Healthy Overnight Carrot Cake Oats
Oats provide beta-glucan, which is a type of fiber that helps produce white blood cells. Your white blood cells help your body fight off foreign invaders that can potentially make you sick. Carrots provide beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant that helps fix damaged cells.
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Shakshuka with Feta
Shakshuka is a Mediterranean dish made with eggs cooked in a tomato-based sauce. One large egg provides 13 vitamins and minerals, plus high-quality protein. Many people think they should skip those golden yolks, but that’s where many important nutrients including vitamin D are found. Vitamin D is essential for your immune system to function properly, and eggs are one of the few natural food sources where it can be found.
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Turmeric Coconut Milk
This golden-colored drink is a nod to haldi doodh, a traditional Indian turmeric-milk drink. Thanks to turmeric, this drink contains potent antioxidant properties that can help protect cells and fight inflammation. Warm and steep a cup of this to have your home smelling dreamy.
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Strawberry-Green Tea Smoothie
Green tea contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that help fight disease. Polyphenols help activate some of the pathways within your immune system when a foreign invader is present to help your body get rid of it. Both green tea and strawberries also provide antioxidant vitamin C, which helps the body fight free radicals.
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Mango Orange Chow
Chow is a staple spicy snack food in Trinidad and Tobago. The mango and oranges provide a healthy boost of antioxidant vitamin C, which can increase the production of your white blood cells.
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Cuban-Style Orange Citrus Avocado Toast Salad
Oranges, almonds and avocados can all contribute to a healthy immune system. Oranges have antioxidant vitamin C, while almonds and avocados provide antioxidant vitamin E. Avocados also provide healthy unsaturated fat which are an immune system nutrient booster. The fat helps transport fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) throughout the body.
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Beef, Barley, and Many Vegetable Soup
Beef is one of the top sources of zinc, a mineral involved in many metabolic activities in your body, including the production of protein and wound healing. Zinc also plays a role in immune function. The vegetables in this soup also provide antioxidant vitamins A and C, which play a role in protecting cells from free radical damage.