Disclosure: This post sharing 7 Healthy Recipes to Bopst Your Vitamins and Minerals to Fight the Flu has been sponsored by Loblaws. As always, all opinions are my own.
We’ve talked about ways to avoid the Flu Spike this Fall in my posts: Dietitian Tips to Avoid the Flu Spike and 8 Tips to Avoid the Flu Spike This Fall. Hopefully, you’ve managed to avoid the dreaded flu so far. In both of my posts, I talked about the top nutrients to look for to help maintain good overall and immune health. These include:
–Vitamin C and E have antioxidants important for the maintenance of good health and are found in citrus fruits and seeds/nuts, respectively.
–Zinc, which can be found in nuts and seeds, helps maintain immune function.
–Vitamin A, found as beta carotene in orange vegetables like sweet potato and butternut squash, has also been shown to help maintain immune function.
–Probiotic foods, like kefir or probiotic yogurt contain probiotic bacteria, may modulate immune function. Eating foods that contain probiotics is preferred to taking probiotic supplements because then you also get the other nutrients in the food, like protein and calcium.
–Protein, found in meats, eggs, seafood (e.g. salmon, tuna and trout), milk products, legumes, and nuts and seeds, helps build and repair body tissues and antibodies.
–The B vitamins, which help to maintain good health, are found in abundance in leafy greens, whole grains, and winter squashes, to name a few.
Getting these nutrients in your diet is ALWAYS the better way to do it. But how? I know that getting your family onboard can sometimes be a struggle.
The first thing to remember is that when you introduce new foods, vary ingredients of different colours and textures. Some will be a hit and others won’t. Also remember that you often have to offer new foods more than once before your family will like them. Consider adding them to multiple meals so your family has lots of opportunity to try them.
Next, have fun finding great recipes to try. Here are a few that I can’t wait to try that will help keep your immune system in tip top shape since they are full of nutrients.
Vitamin & Mineral Packed Healthy Recipes
Raspberry Orange Protein Smoothie -Breakfast is a great time to get a head start on your vitamins and minerals. I love that this smoothie also packs a protein punch.
Spinach and Meatball Soup with Outerspace Pasta – This is a great recipe for kids! They will love the outerspace pasta and the meatballs!
Winter Squash and Wheatberry Salad – This salad looks delicious and hearty. Perfect for winter even though it is a salad.
Middle Eastern Mezze Platter – In our house, dinners that are lots of finger foods are much more popular than the same ingredients in a casserole or stirfry. I find that kids love finger foods. I can’t wait to try this. Yum!
Baked Greek Chicken on Ribbon Salad – I love how this salad is made from veggie ribbons instead of lettuce.
Rotini and Roasted Pepper Salad – Pasta is always a popular dish in my house for the whole family. Red peppers gives this a punch of Vitamin C!
Za’atar Chickpeas and Butternut Squash with Halloom – A great option for a meatless main. This has a mix of sweet, salty and tangy that will please your palate with meat.
Check out more great healthy recipes at the President’s Choice website Recipe section and make an appointment with the in-store Registered Dietitian at your local Loblaws. While you’re there, don’t forget to get your flu shot from the in-store pharmacist. A few minutes could save you 14 days of misery.
Jenny
Thursday 28th of December 2017
It is amazing how much healthy food can make to our immune system!! Love this collection of recipes, so many good ones to pick from!