Immune Boosting Foods

Germs! You don't stand a chance! 

http://ndhealth.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/immune-system.jpg

Last week, I administered finals at my high school.  Half my students were sick- they were coughing during the entire final and kept blowing their nose.  Plus, my roommate was also sick!!! I thought to myself, time to eat immune boosting foods!

Here are some of my top favorite immune boosting foods.  I've tried to keep this as less science-y as possible!

This week, I will be posting recipes that contain the following food to help you from getting sick!

My Favorites:

http://healthy4u.org/foods4u/foodfights4u

Kale & Spinach: high in vitamin C, helps fight off infection and regenerates other antioxidants.

http://gardening.sheknows.com/2011/
10/05/broccoli-vs-cauliflower/

Broccoli and Cauliflower:  They contain high antioxidants and choline.  Choline keeps cells functioning properly and promotes a healthy gastrointestinal barrier meaning that it keeps bacteria safely in the gut.     

Cauliflower contains a powerful antioxidant called glutathione which helps fight off infection.

http://www.wishfulchef.com/2011/10/
carrot-sweet-potato-fries/

Carrots and Sweet Potatoes: They contain beta carotene which gives it its color.  Beta Carotene supports the body's mucus membrane (lines the respiratory and intestinal tracts) which makes it difficult for bacteria to enter the bloodstream.  Plus, it also increases the percentage of immune defending cells in the body.

http://blogs.kcrw.com/goodfood/
2012/10/recipe-stuffed-mushrooms/

Mushrooms:  Mushrooms contain zinc which is an immune boosting mineral.

http://thehealthyapron.com/2013/01/06/garlic-5-reasons-why-you-need-it-in-your-diet/

Garlic: Garlic has allicin which is a powerful antibiotic and potent agent that helps the body stop germs from reproducing.

http://jeacline.blogspot.com/2010/07/egg-yolk-uses.html

Egg Yolks: The yolk in the egg contains zinc and selenium which two of the most important nutrients for strengthening the immune system.  The reasons are science-y so I'm just going to leave it at that!
 ;-)

http://www.meyerlemontree.com/
lemontree/ruby-red-grapefruit-tree.html

Grapefruit: High in Vitamin C- 'nuff said!

http://www.organicauthority.com/health/
11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

Cinnamon: It has antiviral, anti fungal and antibacterial properties which helps fights the pathogens that cause illness.

Sprinkle some on your grapefruit today!

Eat healthy and stay tuned for immune boosting recipes!

Sweet Potato Waffles with Apple Butter (Whole30 Friendly)

Yummy Waffles without Sugar or Flour!! 

I'm on Day 21 of the Whole 30 detox program! I'm feeling great! :) It sure has been fun looking for healthy and different things to cook that fit with this program- a bit of a challenge that's for sure!

This morning, I made Sweet Potato Waffles with Apple Butter.  It sure was good!  I did double the spice for the waffles, but next time I will triple it! I like cinnamon. ;-)

When you open the waffle maker it looks kind of weird, but if you flip over the waffles it actually does look like a waffle! :)  My roomies wolfed them down! 

Instead of using just plain applesauce, I used apple butter which fit PERFECT with this recipe!  I made the apple butter a couple days ago and thought it would go well with this and it did!

I'm thinking about adding blueberries to the waffles next time! If you do something different, please let me know! :)

Waffles

Yummy Apple Butter! 

    

Throw out your pasta!!!!!

Spaghetti Squash

I remember last year someone telling me that they made spaghetti squash for dinner instead of pasta. At the time, I was like ew! I can't imagine eating that instead of my beloved pasta!!

Well, since I've jumped on the Paleo bandwagon, I can't eat pasta anymore.  I LOVE spaghetti and meatballs! I've been seeing a lot of recipes lately for spaghetti squash during my hunt for yummy paleo friendly recipes.

Last night, I decided to muster up the courage to make it.  To my surprise, it was DELISH! I'm now fine with throwing out my pasta and eating my now beloved spaghetti squash! It's EASY to make!

Basically, chop the squash in half (length wise).  Put both facedown in a pyrex dish and add water halfway to the top.  Bake it on 350 for about an hour.  Dump the water out and flip the squash over to let it cool for 5-10 minutes.  Take a fork and shred it from the sides.  Voila! You got "pasta"! :) 

Share some of your squash pasta recipes!! :) 

Whole30 Approved Recipes

Whole30 Approved Recipes!

Here's a great website for Whole30 recipes: click here.

Avocado- Healthy Fat

Eat healthy fat!

As I'm diving in the Paleo world, I'm eating more healthy fats.  I LOVE avocado and I used to limit my avocados because of the fat content.  Now that I'm doing the Paleo diet, I'm enjoying my daily avocado intake! With Paleo, your energy comes from fat.  Basically, I'm eating a diet of meat, veggies, fruit and healthy fat.  Avocado is a good source of fat. 

Here are some nutritional benefits of avocados:

Now, if you don't like avocados or can't eat them, here are other sources of good fats: coconut oil, animal fats, butter/ghee, olive oil, nuts and olives.  Click here for more information on good fats and bad fats.

Whole30- How I'm Feeling Today!

Day #3! 

I'm definitely feeling changes to my body as it is adapting to using fat as a new source of energy.  I'm feeling slow and a bit tired, but my body does feel good. My workout for today definitely won't be as intense and those that know me, I can have a high amount of energy so I need to learn to pace that energy to last throughout the day! I can do this! If you are in this program, you can do it too!!

For those of you that are doing the Whole 30 program, here's a timeline of what you can expect for the next 30 days: Whole30 Timeline.

Sweet Potato Lasagna (Paleo)

Hey all!

It's day two of my Whole30 regimen.  So far I'm doing great! Last night, I cooked a sweet potato lasagna.  It was delicious! I follow MyHealthyDish on Instagram and got her recipe.  See pictures below.  One thing though, I would roast the sweet potatoes in the oven while making the sauce to cook the potatoes halfway since the potatoes weren't completely cooked.

Let me know if you make adjustments to the recipe or if you have any paleo recipes to share! :)