5 Easy To Make Immune Boosting Recipes


General

Attending college comes with many challenges such as balancing busy schedules and setting aside enough time to study. However just because your daily schedule is hard to juggle does not mean your eating habits should be affected. It’s easy to make bad choices when junk food is always a convenient option, but making healthier choices doesn’t have to be hard.  Eating healthy foods can keep your stress levels low, your energy levels high, and boost your immune system. Keeping your immune system strong is especially important as it will give you the advantage when it comes to remaining healthy and fighting off infections so you can stay on top of your busy schedule.

Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid

We spoke to Irma Mendivil, a Mind & Body Wellness practitioner to see if she had any advice for quick and easy immune-boosting recipes. In her daily practice, Ms. Mendivil works with traditional and naturopathic doctors to help provide dietary and nutritional education to their patients to help them develop and maintain healthy eating habits. Mendivil teaches group cooking classes and even goes to the grocery store to show her clients how to shop to support a healthy lifestyle. She encourages her clients to follow the anti-inflammatory diet, created by Dr. Andrew Weil, which focuses on inflammation moderating foods that help maintain immune resources and directs them appropriately. “Dr. Andrew Weil is a well-known naturopathic doctor and he is a big influence in the way I approach my diets and recommendations to my clients,” says Mendivil.

She has shared five immune-boosting recipes with us that will nourish your body from the inside out and keep your immune system strong.  “These immune-boosting recipes are good for anyone looking to lead a healthy lifestyle,” said Mendivil. “They’re also great recipes for students who tend to have busy schedules as they are easy to make.”

Immunity Soup

 

If you are looking for a meal that will keep your energy high, then this delicious soup is just for you! This meal will give a boost to your immune system so you can keep studying for your classes.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 large carrots, thinly sliced on the bias
  • 2 1/2 pieces astragalus root (about 15 inches total)
  • 10 cups Mushroom Stock 2 tablespoons tamari or low sodium soy sauce Salt 2 cups broccoli florets 1/2 cup chopped scallion

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the shiitakes, carrots, astragalus root, and mushroom stock.
  3. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
  4. Add the tamari and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
  5. Add the broccoli florets and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
  6. Remove the astragalus root pieces.
  7. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with scallions before serving.

Mushroom Stock

This broth is chock-full of mushrooms which Irma encourages an increase in intake as they are full of compounds that enhance immune function. A tasty broth on its own but can also work exceptionally well as the base of a delicious vegetarian stew. It only has a shelf life of 3-5 days, but once you have tasted this stock, using it quickly will not be a problem!

Ingredients

  • 2 gallons of water
  • 1-ounce dry shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 onions
  • 4 stalks of fennel
  • 4 carrots
  • 4 tablespoons tamari

Instructions

  1. Clean and chop all vegetables.
  2. Cover with water/tamari mixture and simmer 1.5 hours.
  3. Strain mushrooms and discard.

Garlic Broth

Mendivil highly recommends this recipe for immune health. “Aim for a clove of fresh garlic a day – raw, if you can or lightly cooked,” Medivil says. Enjoy the smell, taste, and healthful effects of the whole, fresh herb. Sip a warm mug of this flavorful broth as is or use it as a base for other soups.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Pinch dried sage
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. To the vegetable stock, add the olive oil, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, and sage.
  2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Add salt to taste.
  4. Strain and serve.

Tuscan Kale Salad

Kale is among the most nutrient-dense commonly eaten vegetables. One cup provides 1,327 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin K, 192 percent of DV for vitamin A, and 88 percent for vitamin C. This salad can be a nice addition to any weekly meal.

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups Tuscan kale
  • Loosely packed, sliced leaves of Italian black (Lacinato, “dinosaur,” cavolo nero) midribs
  • 1 lemon
  • 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Mashed salt & pepper,
  • To taste hot red pepper flakes
  • 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup freshly made breadcrumbs from lightly toasted bread

Instructions

  1. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes.
  2. Pour over kale in a serving bowl and toss well.
  3. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.
  4. Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes.
  5. Add breadcrumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Tomatoes and watermelon? Together? You will be surprised how good something so simple can taste. This recipe is an ingredient match made in heaven as well as a great meal during a study break.

Ingredients

  • 2 organic watermelons, peeled & cut into chunks
  • 8 organic local heirloom tomatoes (various colors and sizes),
  • Cut up 24 mint or basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons red onion sliced paper-thin
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • Feta cheese, optional
  • Coarse sea salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Arrange the pieces of watermelon and tomato on a serving platter.
  2. Sprinkle with mint/basil leaves and red onion.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar.
  4. Finish with salt and pepper.

Adding these delicious immune-boosting recipes and foods to your diet will get you on the right path to a healthy lifestyle during your studies. When it comes to creating your own meal plan, Mendivil says, “Eat the rainbow! Our bodies require many different nutrients that come from a variety of different foods so it’s important that we diversify what we eat. Ask yourself ‘have I eaten something red, yellow, or green today? If not, you need to diversify.”

While these immune-boosting recipes are recommendations from a professional dietary educator, Mendivil says “When it comes to diet, everyone is unique, there is no one size fits all.” Remember to always consult your doctor if you have any medical conditions and never replace any medicine or advice from a medical professional with a nutritional food plan without consulting your physician first.

To learn more about creating a diet for a healthy lifestyle, head to Irma’s website, healthycookingcoach.com.

Sources

Information in this blog post is accurate as of May 9, 2020.