A sense of fear and panic filled the air. The parking lot was full. No shopping carts to be found. As I made my way into my local grocery store to pick up a few needed items, I was struck by the atmosphere within the store. Where canned goods once were, the shelves had become nearly bare. I was surrounded by people whose carts were chalk full of food and supplies. The word Apocalypse entered my mind. The media-driven fear surrounding an impending epidemic has driven people to fear the absolute worst. I sensed feelings of uncertainty and fear in each person that I passed.
While we may not be able to control the situation around us, we do have control over our own state of health. We have the power to make better food choices that will enhance our immune system. A most powerful quote stood out in my mind “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” —Hippocrates.
What can you do?
Remove refined sugar from your diet. It has been proven to lower the immune system.
Ditch those processed foods and replace them with whole foods. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients on the label, your body doesn’t know what to do with them.
Chew your food thoroughly to maximize digestion of those vital immune-enhancing nutrients.
Make sure that you are consuming enough water – the general rule of thumb is to consume half your body weight in ounces each day.
Spend 5 minutes a day in meditation. This small amount of time spent each day helps to re-balance your sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) portions of your nervous system. A body that is in parasympathetic mode has a much greater ability to ward off unfriendly invaders.
While toilet paper certainly has its purpose, it won’t keep you healthy and strong, so why not stock up on immune enhancing foods?
Commonly found whole foods—your immune heroes:
Probiotics – These are the good guys that are vital to immune health. Think fermented foods such as: Sauerkraut and Kefir.
Vitamin A – Carrots and spinach
Vitamin D – Organic butter and wild-caught salmon
Vitamin C – Bell peppers, broccoli, papaya, strawberries, kiwi, and oranges
Vitamin E – Sunflower seeds, almonds, Swiss chard, asparagus, and bell peppers
Check out this easy recipe below. I rate this recipe at 4 out of 5 on the immune heroes scale. Pair it with small side of sauerkraut or Kefir and it becomes a 5!
Spring Scramble
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon ghee (Source of A, D, E, K, Omega 3 and Omega 9)
Small handful of spinach (Source of A and E)
3 asparagus stalks, chopped into 1/4 inch coins (Source of A and E)
2 eggs, beaten (Source of vitamin D)
½ avocado (Source of A and C)
Sea salt and pepper
Heat ghee in a skillet; add spinach, asparagus and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Stir in eggs and cook for 3 more minutes until cooked through. Top with avocado and season with salt and pepper.
