5 Easy Healthy Recipes to Boost your fitness [Article]

Easy Healthy Recipes to Boost Immunity

This is an article which has been originally published at BookCulinaryVacations.com. The foods you find here are great when you are on a very strict diet. These are my go-to helpers when I want to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ―Hippocrates

Did you know that the immune system’s army is in the stomach? And to keep the army healthy, you need to feed it.

Sometimes you cannot prevent getting sick. Your immune system is great at keeping invaders out. When we get weak and exposed at the same time it usually happens. We get the flu or some other little virus or infection. There is no reason to panic. You can help your body by eating the right foods.

Here are some examples to fight germs and colds.

Ginger-spiced banana smoothie

Ginger is a well known antibacterial food. It has anti-inflammatory properties, eases gut problems and even kills cancer cells. If you want to boost these properties even further combine ginger with spinach and cinnamon for a nice breakfast.

For this smoothie you will need:

3 bananas
2 cups spinach
2 cups unsweetened plant-based milk
1 piece (½ inch) of ginger peeled (and grated)
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom (optional)

These are the ingredients for two servings. Scale accordingly for more to have a smoothie snack during the day. Start by blending the spinach with milk. When it is smooth add the rest of the ingredients and repeat.

The spices are not for everyone. If you are not used to them add ginger and cardamom gradually. You can also use yogurt instead of milk to make the smoothie thicker.

This is a good alternative to protein drinks during the day as snacks. The protein drinks make your insulin spike. The banana does the same, but at least it is a plant-based rather than processed sugar,

Red Cabbage healing smoothie

Red cabbage has a high concentration of flavonoids and antioxidants compared to other cabbages. You can combine it with blackberries to add vitamin C and taste to fight your cold. For the expert smoothie makers among you try some elderberries on top of that for a bigger vitamin C punch.

To make this smoothie, you need:

2 cups red cabbage, chopped
1 cup blackberries
1 tsp elderberry extract (or ¼ cup of fruits)
1 medium orange
1 banana
1 cup of water

Start by blending the red cabbage, water, and orange until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.

This is a nice alternative to other smoothies. If you are sick of having the same tasting smoothies, all the same, this is worth a try. If you do not have any elderberry start without it. You can also swap the banana for other ingredients.

Pineapple parfait

Pineapples have a lot of benefits. My family sneers at me when I order Hawaiian pizza at the local Italian restaurant. The little chunks help cure colds, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, protect against cancer and help to keep your immune system intact. Combined with yogurt you get a tasty breakfast.

To make the parfait, you need:

1 cup pineapple chunks
¾ cup yogurt

Put the ingredients in a cup or bowl. Mix the pineapple chunks with the yogurt. Based on your personal tastes you can swap the yogurt for cottage cheese. Sprinkle the base with berries and seeds of your choice and munch away.

This is a quick and easy breakfast for the ones who want to have one. I also made great progress with intermittent fasting and bulletproof coffee. I like to use parfait mainly for snacks and healthy desserts when I am on a very strict regime.

Beans soup

Beans are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They are a powerful tool to keep us healthy in the long run. Mix them with onions for a nice soup which will help your digestive system. Be careful with the people around you. Your backside might turn into a lethal weapon after eating this.

To make the beans soup, you need:

1/3 cup each of black beans, kidney beans, and great northern beans, dried
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 cups (homemade) vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp oregano
½ cup barley
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
9 cups water
salt to taste

Boil the water in a kettle. Start by heating the oil. Then add the onions, celery, and carrot. Cook until smooth (about 5 minutes). Then add all the other ingredients. The cooking time depends on the beans and may take up to 2 ½ hours. Make sure to add water as needed.

Soups are great to do preparation for the week. If you have a freezer sups are one of the easiest foods to store and defrost. If you want a bit of protein with this soup boil a chicken with all of the ingredients. This turns this bean sup into a chicken soup. Just warn your surroundings that you will enter a day of winds of change.

Beets hummus

Beets are known to lower blood pressure, improve stamina, fight inflammation, protect against cancer, and are a good source of vitamin C, too. Hummus is great to have with bread and as a snack.

To make beet hummus, you need:

1 medium beet (boiled or raw)
1 small can chickpeas
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of ½ lemon (or to taste)
1 or 2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp tahini (optional)
1 tsp paprika (optional)

You can boil the beets beforehand if you prefer. Once cooled, use a food processor to grate them. After the beets add the chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. When done. Put the paprika in last.

The hummus can be stored in the fridge as a paste. This comes in handy for any hunger pangs you might have during the week. It might not some getting used to the flavor, but its definitely worth it.

Conclusion

Whenever you want to drop significant weight get out of your comfort zone. These foods might not be the most appealing at first read, but they do the trick. After a period of adjustment, you will be fine. Anyone who has tried cod liver oil knows exactly what I am talking about.

Cris Puscas is a contributing writer at BookCulinaryVacations.com, the best place to book a culinary vacation. She is a hopeless romantic, equally passionate about discovering new places to explore and new foods to try.