It’s that dreaded time of year. Where ever you go, you see sick people. As you travel around, participate in activities or have children participating in their activities, often we are along side other’s with runny noses and coughs. You can’t do much than watch in horror as the sneezes and coughs attack everything everywhere! Is getting sick the inevitable outcome of the season? Or is there more we can do in our own homes to boost our immunity? Many of our healthy recipes are filled with immunity boosting foods!
So let’s talk about immune boosting foods from your pantry that are best to incorporate into your fall and winter meal plans.
Immune Boosting Foods
Black beans and spinach are high in magnesium – these nutrients are critical to supporting your body through fatigue. Spinach is full of many of the vitamins and minerals that boost our immune systems. It has vitamin A, E, C, and K, folate, manganese, zinc, selenium, and iron. Spinach gives you a great boost for just a little price tag! While red peppers have 3times the calcium than oranges! Isn’t that crazy?! They also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Many of us decide that carbs are our BFFs when we are beginning to not feel so well. But it is important to remember nutrient-dense, fiber-rich whole foods tend to promote a healthy bacterial balance, which is why a balanced whole foods diet is your best insurance against all kinds of viruses and infections.
It has been shown that when you are low in vitamin D, you may be inclined to illness. Adding in eggs , such as in egg cups or one pan skillets will add in more vitamin D. Eggs also include a number of other immune-boosting nutrients, such as B vitamins. Making veggie egg cups with spinach will also give you a boost.
These Immune Boosting Recipes are the perfect way to keep healthy all season long.
Mediterranean Egg Cups Roasted red peppers, mushrooms, goat cheese and basil.
Cheesy Spinach, Ham & Egg Cups Runny, cheesy eggs with smoky ham and spinach!
Healthy Starbucks Egg Bites Save some cash and calories when you make your very own copy cat version of these tasty treats!
Garden Vegetable Frittata Eggs paired with healthy veggies; tomatoes, zucchini,onions and basil .
Chili has many beneficial ingredients that offer immunity support. Rich tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers and so many spices make chili an awesome immune boosting fiber packed healthy option.
Crock Pot Turkey Chili– Full of robust spices, fresh vegetables and a rich assortment of dried beans making this chili as fresh as can be!
Sweet potato and black bean chili – Whether you make this in your Instant Pot or Crock Pot
Immune Boosting Recipes – Soups and Stews
When you can’t afford to be sick, and cough, cold and flu season is banging down your door. Be sure to wash your hands and strengthen your immune system with a natural and healthy soup or stew. Nose is stuffy, scratchy throat, pajamas calling your name…this can only mean one thing – a big batch of comforting stew, only one ladle away.
Italian wedding soup - Cold and damp days made us crave warm and filling soup. Adding in spinach, hearty meatballs and spices make this simple ingredient soup come together quickly .
Spicy White Bean and Chicken Soup Leftover chicken or turkey is used to whip up a deliciously spicy chicken soup even on you busiest of days.
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup Double up on your veggies and cut back on your peas to reduce the number of yellow containers you are using with instant pot recipe.
Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Soup Open up your stuffy nose and sinuses with this chili seasoning spiced soup!
Instant Pot Ramen Noodle Bring back your college memories by having a big mug of ramen noodle soup! Unlike those years, this healthy option is gluten free and filled with healthy good for you ingredients !
Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Made with immune boosting black beans, garlic, tomatoes and onions this quick soup will become a fast favorite throughout the winter months.
Immune Boosting Recipes – Breakfast options
Oatmeal. It can be an immune booster! The beta-glucan found in oats helps boost our infection-fighting blood cells. Oats also contain selenium and zinc, two important nutrients for warding off infection and helping you stay in fighting shape.
Cranberry Apple-Pie Overnight Oats Warm apples and cranberries create a winter combo that is heavenly.
Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups Wake up to the scent of apples and cinnamon! This grab and go breakfast is perfect for your busy mornings rushing to the bus stop.
Blueberry Overnight Oats Berries are excellent to eat when sick because they have strong anti-inflammatory, antiviral and immune-boosting effects.
Smoothies can be a great way to start your day, when you utilize all of the right ingredients that will help you to stay fuller longer by including fiber, protein, fruits, vegetables, and chia seeds. For example, spinach is known for their metabolism boosting properties and Greek yogurt is filled with B12, high in potassium and low in sodium, rich in calcium. Many of these recipes below include in season vegetables and fruits.
Carrot Cake Smoothie– Healthy carrot cake smoothie is rich in vitamin C and contain a number of antiseptic and antibacterial abilities that make them ideal for boosting the immune system! I call this a breakfast time win!
Beet and Blueberry Smoothie – Sneak a few extra fruits and veggies into your smoothie ( or your child’s)
Apple Cinnamon Smoothie– Whether you add a protein powder or greek yogurt this protein packed smoothie will have you felling all the fall vibes!
Stock up on immune supporting supplements and include a diet of nutrient-dense foods. It’s something you need to be doing consistently to help your immune systems be as strong as possible. Be sure to include several of these delicious and healthy Immune Boosting recipes that will keep you in tip top shape all winter long.
Our wellness group has a phenomenal Winter Wellness Guide that is given to new members of our Essential Oils with VH+Co. It includes healthy habits for the cold season!
This E-book includes some wellness basics, immune boosters, superfoods, SAD tips, additional self-care and recipes that will allow you to put into practice so many tip and tricks for prevention. Tis the season for fighting the cold and flu!
Here are some other topics and recipes that you might want to check out for later: