It’s that time of year when everyone is getting sick; colds and viruses a plenty. Yesterday I saw at least 20 people with seasonal infections in the clinic. A common question I get asked is how I don’t get sick more often, since I am so closely exposed to these illnesses on a daily basis. I often respond with “I eat for immunity”. I believe the basis of building up the immune system is nutrition. About a decade ago, I read a book called Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman. It was a game changer. I still reference it frequently. He is a family doctor who specializes in preventing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He opened my eyes to the fact that food is a powerful tool to ward off all diseases.
In this blog, I want to highlight some of the key points shared in the book. Ideally, these tips improve your daily intake of disease fighting micronutrients. Dr. Furhman reminds us that the key component to obtaining incredible health is to eat “more vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, beans and other nutrient rich foods”.
Dr. Furhman gives us Five Simples & Practical Rules for a Powerful Immune System:
- Eat a large salad every day
- Eat ½ cup beans or legumes once daily
- Eat at least 3 fresh fruits a day. Especially berries, pomegranate seeds, cherries, plums and oranges.
- Eat at least 2 tablespoons of raw nuts and seeds a day. Personally, I add chia, flax, sesame and pumpkin seeds to anything that makes sense – salads, oats, atop toast and nut butter.
- Eat at least 2-4 cups of greens daily either raw, steamed or in soups, stews or salads.
Sounds simple enough, right? What’s holding you back? To make it even easier for us to achieve Super Immunity, Dr. Fruhman lists his Top 25 Super Foods. These foods are teh most nutritionally dense and associated with protection against cancer. They also significantly boost the body’s ability to fight illness and disease of any kind. Include as many of these foods into your diet as you can:
Collard, mustard or turnip greens
Cauliflower
Kale
Bok Choy
Watercress
Cabbage
Swiss
Chard
Spinach
Arugula
Lettuce
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Broccoli
Bell Red and Green Peppers
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Tomatoes
Berries
Pomegranates
Grapes
Cantaloupe
Onions
Seeds (flax/sunflower/hemp/chia)
Beans
Nuts
I like to think of making super food incorporation a challenge. I try to see how many super foods I am able to put into a meal at a time. I believe salads, soups, stir-frys and stews allow for the most. See how much better you can fuel your health by adding a sprinkle of nuts or seeds to a meal or incorporating a side of sea salted steamed veggies. Let me know how it goes!
Dr. Furhman shares a variety of recipes in the book as well. Many are both simple and nutrient dense. I’ll share a couple here to get you started.
Marinated Kale Salad
Serves: 4
6 cups shredded/torn kale
¼ cup currants
2 TBSP goji berries
⅓ cup sundried tomatoes (unsulfured unsalted if possible); finely chopped
½ cup of sliced scallions or thinly sliced onions
1 TBSP lemon juice
2-3 TBSP orange juice ( freshly squeezed preferred)
2 TBSP pine nuts
Combine all ingredients except pine nuts in mixing bowl. Mix in salad and crush kale with your hands. Place the salad in a covered container in the fridge and let sit overnight. Toss before serving. Sprinkle w pine nuts.
Super Food Stuffed Peppers
Serves: 3
½ cup dry quinoa
1 large bell peppers cut in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 ½ cups no low- sodium tomato sauce or 1 can crushed diced no salt tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano or italian seasoning ( or to taste)
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil, optional
Add quinoa to 1 ¼ cups water in covered pot and simmer on low for ~ 20 minutes. Saute garlic and onion in pan with some water. Add all veggies until soften. Add the cooked quinoa, tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Spoon vegetable and quinoa mixture into peppers and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350F.
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I hope this has got you thinking about how you might boost your defenses and stay illness-free this winter. Take the unofficial Defy Super Food Challenge and reap the rewards. Please send your progress, recipes and feedback to me: michelle@crossfitdefy.com.
Happy Fueling!
Dr. Michelle