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Keep Your Immune System Strong During Winter
The Autumn equinox has come and gone and Winter is upon us – in a BIG way! This is the time to stock-up on those immune boosting foods!
Look at the fruit and vegetables that are into season now - this is nature’s way of reminding us what to eat during this chilly season…
Get plenty of exercise indoors most of the time, but get outside when the weather is clear - for moving your sluggish lymph system & increasing those feel good hormones (endorphins). Get as much sunshine, which gives you Vitamin D, as you can when there is a break in the clouds, as this helps not only to defrost, but also to boost your calcium uptake.
Drink lots of fresh, clean water (about 20ml per kg of body weight). This helps to flush out toxins via the kidneys. Have it hot with a dash of lemon / ginger / cinnamon or stick to the herbals teas – rooibos, honeybush, peppermint, chamomile etc. Keep well hydrated and your skin won’t be so dry and flaky this Winter!
Eat plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables – raw & organic are best obviously, but as long as it is fresh – it is better than none at all!
o Bright yellow, orange and red colours for the antioxidants, Vitamins & Minerals:
Carrots, guavas, oranges, naartjies, berries
o Dark green leafy for the vitamin C & plenty of other beneficial phyto-nutrients:
Parsley, Swiss chard, broccoli etc. and the best Vitamin C supplier of them all kale! Guavas are also packed with Vitamin C!
o If the weather is a little cool, then instead of having a salad, have a hearty soup, stew or fiery curry – stuffed to the brim with vegetables. Remember not to over-cook or you will loose precious nutrients.
o Add additional healthy fiber by using lentils, beans and brown rice. This also helps to flush and “brush” toxins out of your colon.
Watch those stress levels - they lower your immune function and will make you sick! Find a healthy & calming outlet – meditation, exercise, deep breathing, yoga, TaiChi, dancing, painting etc.
Get plenty of rest and a good night’s sleep – about 8hrs. Avoid watching TV too close to bedtime & leave at least 2 hours after your evening meal, before retiring.
Avoid the heavy oily & fried meals and cut down on the heavy animal proteins and dairy. If you aren’t a vegetarian, then rather stick to fish & poultry as these are lighter animal proteins & easier to digest.
The antioxidant foods (containing Vitamin A, C, E, selenium & zinc) help us build-up our immune systems. Keeping the immune system strong during Winter, is often more difficult than we want to believe, because red wine & chocolate seem to dominate most people’s minds (and consumption) during this chilly season!
OTHER IMMUNE BOOSTING / FIGHTING FOODS TO ADD TO YOUR LIST:
Garlic & Onion – contain natural sulphurs and phytonutrients like quercitin. Both have anti-infection properties and are good for: circulation, coughs, colds, catarrh, digestion, liver, skin
Cloves – mild anaesthetic, natural antiseptic, antispasmodic, antifungal, warming stimulant, good for: coughs, colds, catarrh, aches & pains, digestion, liver, ear, eyes, nose, throat, wound healing. Great for toothache! The oil can be used to help treat cold sores.
Cinnamon – anti-infection / antifungal, circulation, digestion, liver, stress tonic
Celery – general aches & pains, urinary, digestion, liver
Omega 3, 6 & 9 essential oils – UNHEATED oils – fish, flaxseed, evening primrose, cold pressed sunflower, olive, hemp, coconut etc. – these will not only keep your skin moist from the inside during Winter, but they reduce inflammation, protect heart & brain and keep your immune system strong!
With the electricity crisis that we have (especially in the Western Cape), I suggest that for meal ideas – stick to the “one-pot-wonders” like stews, curries & of course soup! These can quickly be popped onto the gas cooker if the electricity gets cut! Add all seasonal vegetables. If you are vegetarian remember to include plenty of the legumes and some grains for complete proteins. If you aren’t vegetarian then include a few bacon bones or chicken/turkey/ostrich to your soup or Karoo lamb neck or knuckles to your stews & curries.
I have included 2 hearty Winter recipes –1 soup and 1 dessert. They both contain plenty antioxidants, so don’t overcook them or you will loose their benefit! Obviously raw is best for nutrient value, but when it is soooo cold, one needs some warm comfort food!
RECIPES
Best Butternut Soup:
Butternut - contains Betacarotene which converts to the antioxidant Vitamin A in the body. Add the garlic right at the end of the cooking process to preserve its antimicrobial activity.
2 litres vegetable or good chicken stock (home-made is always best).
1 large butternut – peeled & cut into cubes
1 large onion – peeled & diced
1 stick table celery – diced
2-3 cloves garlic – crushed, pressed or cut up finely
Zest of ½ orange or 1 whole naartjie
1. Sauté the onion and celery, until beginning to soften.
2. Add stock and butternut and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer until butternut has softened, but do not overcook.
4. Add garlic and either use a hand blender and blend in the pot, or pour into liquidiser, blend & return to the pot once smooth.
5. Garnish with a drizzle of cream.
6. Serve piping hot with homemade wholegrain bread smeared thickly with fresh basil pesto & topped with sliced beetroot.
o This soup freezes VERY well!
o Add cooked brown rice or oriental noodles to the soup, for an even more filling meal!
Stewed Guavas
Guavas – contain copious amounts of Vitamin C which is a potent antioxidant
8-10 ripe guavas - peel (optional) & halve
1 cup water
3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon (or 1 tsp powdered)
2 TBsp sugar
1. Place all ingredients into a pot & simmer until guavas have softened slightly.
2. Do not overcook or all Vitamin C will be lost. Remove the cloves & cinnamon stick.
3. Serve hot with custard or cream & toasted almond slivers on top.
o Keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days, and can also be eaten cold.
o Whizzed in a liquidiser with gelatine and low-fat Ideal milk or coconut milk and poured over a biscuit base – this will set into a lovely creamy guava “fridge tart”!
Enjoy!
Keep warm and remember between meals, to drink plenty of hot herbal teas to keep the body’s water supply at its peak. Lethargy & headaches may set in if you don’t!
Yours in Health
Adele Pelteret
Source of article -
Adele Pelteret - Clinical Nutritionist and Integrative Lifestyle Consultant
Tel: 021 531 3589
Cell: 082 369 6606
E-mail:
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Website: www.lifestylenutrition.co.za
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