Immunity

Immunity is the word of the moment. The question that people have been asking me recently though is.

“Can I boost my immunity system through good diet?”

The simple answer is yes you can!

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There are specific chemicals that your body needs to have a healthy immune system. We all know about Vitamin C and reach for those lemons when we have a cold, but there are lots of other foods that help, so here is my selection that will ensure your body has a supply of nutrients that make a difference to your immunity.

The first on my list would be brassicas. You know them; broccoli, kale, sprouts, turnip, cabbage, cauliflower and the rest. As well as being a good source of dietary fibre and packed full of vitamins (C, A, E, K) they are full of folates, calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus. But they also have a little something special not found in other vegetables; glucosinolates.

Without going into the science, these little gems metabolise to supercharge your immune system. (there are loads of studies on this but a selection can be found by following the lnks in the endnotes, if you are interested in finding out moreiiiiii). The result is that eating brassicas has an antibiotic-like effect helping ward off disease, bacterial, fungal and hugely important at the moment viral.

There is one problem though, if you cook them for too long you destroy a key enzyme, myrosinase, which metabolises the magic in the glucosinades. But that isn’t a problem if you pickle them, cook them quickly or grate them onto your food. I love fresh sprouts chopped in half and seared in a dry frying pan on a high heat for a minute or 2 each side until brown. Peppery and sweet, yum! Horseradish grated over a veg frittata- double yum!

My other recommendation would be yoghurt, look for live culture versions such as Greek yoghurt. Do not go for low fat versions, they are generally full of additives and/or sugar. Yoghurt is a good source of protein, probiotics and importantly contains vitamin D. The probiotics help with your gut health which is important as many pathogens enter the blood stream through your gut, but it is the vitamin D that really gives your immune system a boost. We know you get this from sunshine but often getting enough sun can be an issue. Yoghurt is a good source of vitamin D without having to resort to supplements. Read more in my guide 10 steps to superhealth a free download available at www.nutrition-guru.com.

My idea therefore was to combine the elements and I have come up with this recipe which sounds bizarre I know but tastes delicious! I promise.

So I give you:

Berry and Broccoli Froyo

https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)38110-4/fulltexti https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)36571-8/fulltextii https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/18/1/184iii