Foods That Boost Your Immune System

If you are looking for ways to reinforce your immune system, how about going to your local grocery store or to the fresh organic market? These are two of the places that you should visit to source out the ingredient for foods that boost your immune system.

Food is the best source of vitamins and minerals that our body needs. The challenge comes in because nutritious foods are not that tasty most of the time. Therefore, how do you whip up a delicious meal that retains most of the vitamins and mineral contents of its ingredients? You can get creative in the kitchen with some healthy and yummy recipes we have researched. Here are some recipes that taste good and are rich in sources of immunity boosting nutrients at the same time.

Foods that boost your immune system

Recipes of foods that boost your immune system

Zippy Hummus

Cheryl Forberg R.D, author of the book “Positively Ageless”, formulated this healthy appetizer. This is a rich source of Vitamin A – a powerful vitamin known to boost the immune system. Beta Carotene (Vitamin A) is one of the antioxidant vitamins that help to neutralize harmful free radicals.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups garbanzo beans
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tbsp garlic
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juice and lime zest

Steps:

  1. Mix everything in the blender.
  2. Add a teaspoon of salt and puree with water until smooth.
  3. Serve with carrots, slices of red and yellow bell peppers, which are very high in Vitamin A and C.

 

Healthy Tomato Soup

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a phytochemical which gives tomatoes a red color and their anti oxidant properties. Lycopene helps protect the cells from oxidative stress or damage.

This tomato soup is delicious, filing and most importantly, very healthy.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium size onion (white or yellow)
  • ¾ stick butter
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes  (14.5 ounce)
  • 1 can tomato juice
  • 3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 chicken bouillon cubes
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Sherry (optional)
  • 1 ½ cup cream
  • ¼  cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley

Steps:

  1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the diced onions and cook until translucent.
  2. Put the tomatoes and the tomato juice, and stir until combined.
  3. Add 3-6 tablespoons of sugar to counter the acidity of the tomatoes.
  4. Put in the chicken base or bouillons.
  5. Add pepper to taste, then boil.
  6. Turn off the heat before adding sherry (optional)
  7. Put in the basil and parsley then serve the soup warm.

 

Grilled Salmon with Tomatoes and Basil

Salmon is rich in Vitamin D, an important nutrient that activates the immune cells to destroy bacteria and viruses. This salmon recipe is delicious, healthy and power packed with immune boosting properties.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ pounds salmon fillet
  • 1/3 cup plus ¼ thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes thinly sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Steps:

  1. Preheat the grill to medium
  2. Make a garlic paste using the minced garlic and salt. Mash it using spoon until a paste forms. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir it in the olive oil. Set it aside.
  3. Put the salmon fillet on a foil sprayed with oil, with skin side down, and spread the garlic paste over it. Lay the tomato slices and sprinkle with 1/3 cup basil, salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Grill the salmon wrapped in foil for around 10 to 12 minutes.
  5. Serve the salmon sprinkled with the remaining basil.  

 

Food and Nutrition

Our current lifestyle demands a lot from us. Unfortunately, for most of the time, our health is neglected. Basic needs such as healthy food is often overlooked, leading to the development of an unhealthy lifestyle, stress and low immunity. What we need are foods that provide adequate nutrients to improve immunity.

Many people thought that delicious, nutritious dishes can only be enjoyed from high-end restaurants, and are difficult to prepare. The foods that boost your immune system recipes mentioned above are very easy to prepare.

When you are sick or under stress, eat some immune boosting food instead of taking in synthetic over the counter stress tablets. Load up on the following foods that contain immune system boosting properties:

  • Red Bell Peppers
  • Broccoli
  • Ginger
  • Spinach
  • Yogurt
  • Almonds
  • Turmeric

There are natural herbs that may also help enhance your immune system. Check out our collection of immune-boosting herbal supplements here.

 

References:

Keet, Einav (2011). Foods for Youth: Appetizers to Boost Immunity | prevention.com (online) Available at http://www.prevention.com/food/food-remedies/recipe-boost-immune-system/ [Accessed March 31, 2016]

Kazamias, Andrei . 25 Super Easy Recipes to Boost your Imune System | lifehack.org (online) Available at  http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/25-super-easy-recipes-boost-your-immune-system.html/ [Accessed March 31, 2016]

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