Immune Boosting Foods {Winter Eating}

Greetings from most southern nook of North America that I could get to. I do not think I could’ve survived the negative thirty-seven temperatures that most of you have had to endure the last week, but I applaud you for your courageous and brave walk through the front door. Congrats because of the way these temperatures seem to affect our bodies and most importantly, our immune systems. I touched a little on immune-boosting foods a couple weeks back with my Eat Pretty book review, but I thought with the current state of our environments, the more help we can get the better.


I have to say, I’ve been very blessed to have avoided being sick at all over the course of the winter, but I’ll admit, I've been lacking in Vitamin D. Unfortunately, I often suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) during the winter months and I’m sure I’m not wrong in assuming a lot of you do too. I believe it has a lot to do with being cooped up inside trying to escape the cold and an inevitable lack of sunshine. When I get in the fresh air and sunshine, I immediately start to feel better, it’s very instantaneous. But how can you keep that up all the time? I often have to supplement and consume immune boosting and vitamin D rich foods.

Of course, along with adding things to our diet (by the way, when I say diet, I don’t mean a strict regiment of what we can and can’t eat, but simply what we eat on a regular basis) there are some things we need to leave out. A lot of gluten, sugar and some dairy can aggravate a brewing cold or nasty cough. I know from experience the instantaneous feeling of a brewing virus turning into a full fledged head cold moments after consuming three slices of pizza. Not fun. Aim to steer away from sugar, it’s a killer and our viruses feed on it, literally.

Sweet Potatoes and Carrots.
These are both full of beta-carotene and vitamin C. I think I can safely assume that we all know Vitamin C is good for our immune systems. It’s a powerful anti-oxidant that helps against free radical damage, absorb iron from plant-based foods and assists in properly protecting our bodies from disease. On top of as much Vitamin C as we can get, these two foods are full of betacarotene which is a naturally occurring pigment in fruits and vegetables. It either converts to Vitamin A or to an antioxidant which will help protect our cells from damage, thus boosting our immunity.


Spinach/Kale.
Greens go without saying. This energy packed food is always going to benefit, no matter how you feel about the texture when you touch it. (Or is that just me?) Fun fact. I can’t touch Spinach without feeling like I might gag. But to actually eat it? I’m fine. Strange, I know. Spinach, kale, arugula, all that good stuff, is packed with disease, viral fighting agents that boost our immunity and our overall health. These greens also help to protect our skin and hair!

Ginger.
This root is an amazing antiviral, immune boosting spice that seems to clear up stuffed nasal pathways and even chest congestion. It’s also an anti-inflammatory and helps to ease aches and pains. Basically, if you’re feeling under the weather, some organic ginger tea is going to be your best friend.

Beets.
I am obsessed with beets. Again, we’re talking vitamin C and liver health with these babies. Another tip about vitamin C, it actually stimulates the production of white blood cells, which is our bodies way of defending itself. Think of them like body guards against viruses and infections. And why buy a vitamin C supplement when we can get all of this from our food? Other than all of this and tasting delicious, they help to prevent skin, lung, and colon cancer along with reducing birth defects.

Grapefruit.
Again. These babies are packed with vitamin C. Little known (or not) fact about grapefruits is that because of their dusty rose colour, they are full of bioflavonoids (phytonutrients which essentially you can picture as nutrients that are super-sized, like The Hulk of nutrients). I don’t know about you, but when I have grapefruit, I instantly feel strangely invigorated. Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a couple and incorporate them into your breakfast or for a mid-day snack.

Salmon.
Since I’ve currently ousted any red meat from my diet, salmon is my perfect high source of vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids, which all help to boost your mood and immune system. This is the kind of protein you want at your meals. For me, since I have issues digesting red meat, any kind of fatty fish like salmon is my go-to at dinner times or on top of quinoa or salad at lunch. Vitamin D is often just as effective or more at boosting immunity and giving our bodies what it needs to protect itself from disease. Especially because we don’t get enough of it in the winter, D-rich foods are always needed.

Hope you enjoyed and until next time,

Yours,
The Holistic Darling