Autumn / Winter for some of us can mean a cold, sneezes, sore throats or even flu. Is there something we can do that may help boost our immunity? Well, perhaps there is! Reading various articles recently these foods may just help.
There are many citrus fruits which provide a good source of Vitamin C, which is thought to increase the production of white blood cells, which are key to fighting infections. Oranges were historically used for their high content of Vitamin C.
Ounce for ounce, red bell peppers have twice as much Vitamin C than citrus fruits, as well as being a rich source of beta-carotine.
Broccoli is super charged with vitamins and minerals. It has almost 5 times as much vitamin C, 8 times as much Calcium, and almost 2.5 times as much Fibre as Potato. For many low carbers it is a favourite vegetable.
Garlic has a long history of use as an infection fighter - against viruses, bacteria and fungi.Garlic's immune-boosting properties seem to come from a heavy concentration of sulpher containing compounds such as allicin.
Like Vitamin C , ginger may also help prevent a cold from taking hold in the first place. Ginger tea is great to drink when you feel a cold coming on. It is a diaphoretic tea, meaning that it will warm you from the inside and promote perspiration. It is also good when you don't have a cold and just want to warm up!
Spinach is believed to be of Persian origin. By the 12th century, it spread across Europe and became a desirable leafy green known for good health; a reputation that stands firm to this day. Spinach is rich in Vitamin C and packed with numerous antioxidants and beta-carotene, which may well increase the infection fighting capability of our immune systems.
Almonds are the ultimate crunchy treat. They contain heart-healthy fats, are very nutritious and require no preparation. Almonds are packed with antioxidants. They also provide large amounts of fiber, protein and several vitamins and minerals such as vitamin E, manganese and magnesium. Eating a handful of almonds a day is a great way to get the vitamin E your body needs to stay healthy.
I hope you've found this article of interest, and may consider some of these, but if you have any underlying health issues or allergies, care should always be given to which foods you choose to use.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates c460 - 370BC
All the best Jan
26 comments:
I definitely believe that a good diet helps ward off colds and flu, we need to be fighting fit at this time of year when all the germs are doing the rounds.
I always give my children a little extra fruit during the winter months.
Will have to try red pepper sticks too.
Thanks
Jane:)
Hello Jo, many thanks for your comment.
Yes, a good diet can certainly assist our bodies in fighting the 'nasties' as my dear mum used to call them ... that are often around ... perhaps more so at this time of year.
All the best Jan
Hi Jane, many thanks for your comment.
I think it's great for children to have a variety of fruit and also things like red pepper sticks, carrot sticks, celery sticks etc ... far better than sweets!
All the best Jan
Great post and information! It is nice to know there are so many natural food items that help keep us from getting sick. Thanks for sharing!
I just cooked a dish rich in spinach, red pepper and garlic, so that should do the trick!
I do enjoy all these vegetables. It's good to know I'm eating something good for me, too.
Thanks for visiting and enjoying my trees and geology. I am forever fascinated with Nature.
Well, I must be doing something right then. I have at least six of these vegetables in the kitchen right now :)
Thanks for letting us know about the foods that boost our immunity, Jan. I didn't realize that garlic and almonds are on the list. I love almonds and eat them often.
Are you enjoying these Autumn days? I am lovin' the days, and taking it all in while it lasts.
~Sheri
Hello Eileen, many thanks for your comment.
Glad you liked this post, we are fortunate to be able to enjoy such good food.
All the best Jan
Hi 'CGP', many thanks for your comment.
A meal with spinach, red pepper and garlic sounds great!
All the best Jan
Hello Gail, many thanks for your comments.
Great to read you enjoy all these vegetables, we are so fortunate to have a good variety available to us.
Loved your recent posts about geology and the trees, nature is to be enjoyed and cherished.
All the best Jan
Hi Denise, many thanks for your comment.
Now six of these in your kitchen at the moment ... sounds good to me. Enjoy them in your cooking!
All the best Jan
Hello Sheri, many thanks for your comment.
So pleased you enjoyed finding out about these foods.
Yes, I am enjoying this season, thank you. The colours are so wonderful.
All the best Jan
i'm short on all of the above except for almonds. i eat a lot of them. :)
Hi Theresa, many thanks for your comment.
Good to eat almonds ... perhaps include some of the others in your menu plans too?
All the best Jan
some of my favorites and garlic, YuM!!!!!! i incorporate most of these into my daily meals but more because they are things i love. the medication i take suppresses my immune system!!!!
Yummy too :-)
Hello Debbie, many thanks for your comments.
It's nice to be able to enjoy these foods ... the tastes and flavours ... 'YuM!!!!!!'
All the best Jan
Hi Ivy, many thanks for your comment.
I'm still getting used to the flying bat LOL!
'Yummy' ... definitely.
All the best Jan
All of these are in my cupboard or my fridge except for the citrus which spikes my BG too much, but I do have some blueberries and strawberries. Sadly the Co-Op seems to have stopped selling frozen spinach, I must get some more from one of the farm shops but I found the Co-Op version to be superior, just for once.
I literally can't remember when I last had the flu, or a proper cold. Since going LCHF I occasionally snuffle a bit then it goes away. Likewise the only time I had the squits was when I weakened and ate a baguette. Even diluting the wheat with bacon didn't help.
I think I'm overdue to see the dentist too, I almost certainly won't have any work needing doing and I may not even need my teeth scraped of plaque which used to be routine.
Chris - thank you for your comments.
Yes, citrus can often spike BG too much, so diabetics do need to take care. For this reason the fruits in our house do tend to be the lower carb fruits such as raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries.
In winter months a segment or two of a satsuma is often OK for Eddie ... but as I said in the article if you have any underlying health issues or allergies, care should always be given to which foods you choose to eat / use.
Shame about the Co-op not having any spinach - hope you can find an alternative supply soon!
... For the past seven years now Eddie and I have been living the LCHF lifestyle and our daily carb intake is no more than 50 per day. Our bodies do get so used to this and if too many carbs are eaten it can invariably cause our bodies to see this almost as a poison and re-act in a nasty way. This reaction can vary from person to person ...some get bad heads, other upset tums.
I do think that by choosing to live this lifestyle it helps all of our body, including our teeth. We are not eating the highly processed foods - cakes, sweets etc that can cause tooth decay.
The LCHF lifestyle has many advantages and the choice of foods is very varied.
Hope you have a good weekend ... perhaps another good walk if the weather permits.
All the best Jan
"I do think that by choosing to live this lifestyle it helps all of our body, including our teeth. We are not eating the highly processed foods - cakes, sweets etc that can cause tooth decay.
"
In my case my fetish was mostly for savoury carbs. All that brown rice (man!) muesli, home baked bread etc. was as much to blame for my poor dental health as sweets which I was never so fond of. Wheat was far and away my biggest problem though I only realised that after I gave it up.
I have been quite astonished how many seemingly unrelated things improved over the last ten years of low carbing, and also just how commonplace this is.
Chris - I do think that the majority of us who do now live the LCHF lifestyle have seen many health, feeling of well-being improvements.
Of course eating whole fresh foods and not the processed helps all of us whether diabetic or not.
Many thanks for your comments - hope the new week ahead is a good one for you.
All the best Jan
Yeah, I love citrus fruits. It does a lot on my body. It keeps me healthy. Plus these foods on your article, this is what I call healthy living.
PS: You got a tweet from me!
Jim
Many thanks for your comment.
Glad you enjoyed the article.
All the best Jan
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