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Boost your immune system

Written by Staff Reporter

Thursday, 16 December 2010

The last run up to Christmas is a typical time for getting sick. We sleep less, get stressed with shopping, drink more and tend to eat out and eat on the run. All of this generally means that by Christmas day we are either exhausted or a bit under the weather. So what can we do over the festive season to keep ourselves going?

The foods we eat and the way we live our lives has an impact greatly on our health. So over the Christmas period, incorporate a few simple habits to keep your immune system going. Firstly, eating regular meals and enjoying outdoor exercise can help – Vitamin D from the sun is a great immune booster.

The main nutrients involved in boosting your immune system are Vitamins A, C, E and the minerals zinc and selenium. What is interesting is that taking only one of these nutrients will help marginally; keeping yourself healthy is really about eating a variety of all of these nutrients as they work together .

Examples of Vitamin A rich foods include parsley, carrots, mango, broccoli, sweet potato; Vitamin C rich foods include parsley, red cabbage, sweet peppers, watercress, strawberries; and Vitamin E rich foods include ground nuts & seeds, sprouts, eggs and green leafy vegetables.

When it comes to Zinc, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, oysters and ginger root are great sources and for selenium, try green beans, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, chicken and mushrooms.

As you can see, there are plenty of fruits, vegetables and other foods to choose from over the Christmas period. The key is to keep your diet varied, eating as much fresh food as possible.

Lastly, do keep up your porridge or muesli for breakfast as this is a rich source of fibre – another great immune boosting food. Try this recipe as a dip on Christmas or Stephen’s day. It’s a perfect starter with some chopped crudités of carrot and peppers or have as a snack between meals.

Parsley dip

1 large bunch of parsley
1 clove of garlic
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablepoon of white wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Slowly pour in the oil and vinegar, while mixing. Season with salt and pepper.

The colour is fantastic!

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