“If there’s one thing to know about the human body; it’s this: the human body has a ringmaster. This ringmaster controls your digestion, your immunity, your brain, your weight, your health and even your happiness. This ringmaster is the gut”.- Nancy Mure

You must have heard about the popular phrase - An apple a day keeps the doctor away! Well, IRL, it takes more than an apple to keep the doctor away.

The immune system is dependent on a few key ingredients that include movement (aka exercise), sleep, stress reduction and optimal nutrition. While it is important to focus on all key areas to properly equip your body to fight off any infections, food is a great place to start!

What are immunity-boosting foods?

The foods that feed our microbiome (our gut) - our first line of defense against diseases and illness are great for the immune system. They include:

- Foods rich in probiotics - Naturally fermented food like kimchi, yoghurt, kombucha, sourdough help in bolstering your immune system by being friendly for your git.
- Foods rich in prebiotics - They help in growing good bacteria in your gut. Examples include organic fruits and veggies like asparagus, apples, Onion, garlic and slow metabolizing starches like beans and sweet potatoes.
- Foods rich in polyphenols - Eating a rainbow of food that is high in antioxidants helps in keeping the free radicals in check. They are helpful in flushing out the toxins and boost metabolism. Example: Spices, berries, red fruits, broccoli, mushrooms and dark chocolate
- Anti-inflammatory foods - Inflammation is basically a body’s response to stress, but if it persists, it can be really harmful. While eating sugary food triggers inflammation like anything, you should include anti-inflammatory food like Turmeric, ginger, nuts, fish, seeds and olive oil in your immunity boost diet plan.

Here are a few recipes that you can adopt in your easy diet plan and give your immune system a boost:

Carrot-ginger soup

Have a bowlful of comfort (read soup) and support your immune system! It is full of all the ingredients that your body needs to stay fit. For example -
Carrots contain Vit A, an immunity booster and Onion is a great prebiotic. The two main spices involved in this recipe - ginger and Turmeric contain compounds that help the body fight off many diseases. It hardly takes 30 mins to cook and is a great comforter after a long day.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 lb. carrots, diced into 1/2-inch rounds
1-inch knob ginger, finely diced
1/2 inch knob turmeric, peeled and finely chopped. Or 1 tsp turmeric powder.
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
Freshly ground pepper

How to make?

1. Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, Onion, and carrot and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until soft. Then add ginger and Turmeric and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
2.Add broth and salt. Bring to a boil and boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes to let flavors meld and carrots get really soft.
3. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it’s a smooth consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in coconut milk and season with freshly ground pepper.

Healthy non-mayo broccoli salad

Broccoli doesn’t have to be boring! It packs a wide range of essential nutrients and vitamins that help your immune system function at its best. This non-mayo broccoli salad is not only good for your body but also tastes delicious as it has a lot of texture - crispy bacon (you can leave it out if you want to go for a vegetarian salad), crunchy nuts (like walnuts, almonds, or pecans), sweet grapes and sharp red onions. The dressing is made of tasty yoghurt and honey.

How to make?

1. Whisk up the easy (and everyone’s favorite) Greek Yoghurt Coleslaw Dressing. Toast the nuts and cook the bacon until crispy
2. Chop onion, grapes and broccoli in the shape you like
3. Add everything in a bowl and pour the dressing
4. Stir everything until everything is covered evenly in the dressing

Cinnamon almonds

A sweet treat that helps in keeping your immune system in top shape! Cinnamon tastes good, but it also has polyphenols that fight inflammation. In addition, almonds are rich in good fats, fiber, protein, calcium and vitamin E.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw whole almonds
½ tablespoon agave
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
Cooking spray or drizzle of Canola oil

How to make?

1. Start with raw whole unsalted almonds and add some agave, cinnamon and salt. Mix well until the almonds are coated in the spice mixture.
2. Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet.
3. Roast for 10 minutes. Let it cool and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed reading through these mouth-watering recipes!

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