FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

"Good chefs, like artists, are visionaries. You have to have a vision of the taste, the look, the smell of your masterpiece; you hold it in your mind and make it materialize."

Onid Jatteri

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Immune boost without the poke


One of the sites that has "fed" me a lot of good info is Nathalie Lussier's Rawfoods Witch - down to earth, with humor, short and sweet, and always pertinant. Here's a recent post:



4 Foods to Boost Your Immune System


I know you've had this topic drummed into your head enough lately, but hey flu season is upon us so it bears repeating. Except my suggestion is not to knock that innocent grand mother out of the way in your haste to get vaccinated.
I would rather see you boosting your immune system naturally, with a more holistic approach. That means giving your body what it needs to do its job when it comes to fighting infections.

Here are 4 foods that help boost your immune system, and why:

1. Citrus: Fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes are high in vitamin C. They also contain antioxidants that support the immune system.

2. Broccoli: This green vegetable is so good for you in general, but is especially great at promoting immune system health. High in Calcium and Selenium.

3. Tomato: Lycopene in tomatoes helps the immune system. One note: you may have heard that tomatoes release more lycopene when they are cooked, but I believe it's all about absorbable lycopene. Breaking down the cell walls of a vegetable with olive oils or blending is also effective.

4. Spinach: Okay, so spinach gets a special mention but honestly increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables (no matter what kind!) is going to have a huge impact on your health and immunity. Spinach is high in Lutein.

Your Cue this week is to eat at least some of these 5 foods once per day. That should go a long way to improving your immunity. It will also take the edge off and get you to stop worrying so much the next time someone sneezes in your vicinity.
In the spirit of keeping the greenies coming, our broccoli is STILL putting out nice crisp shoots - and I have the best helper for harvesting! Max is always ready to help gramma, even on a really nippy day.
Now if I could just get him to EAT it...