The season is about to change. It already feels a bit like spring, but apparently there’s another cold snap to come. Here are a few tips on what you can eat to stay healthy. On a windy wet evening at home, we want to spend time in front of your fireplace on the couch. With a hearty nutritional meal, you can’t go wrong. Let’s see what this means.
Eat plenty of fruits and veg:
Eating vegetables and fruits that contain antioxidants and vitamin C is the way to go. Choose fruits like grapefruit, mandarins, oranges and apples. And vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, capsicum, carrots and potatoes.
Adding extra vitamin C to your diet means it’s reducing tiredness and strengthening your immune system.
Did you know? Red Capsicum nutritional value of vitamin C is 3 times more than those of oranges, this makes it a great add on to the slow cooker.
Make a casserole:
Casseroles (or stews) are making it easy to use more economical cuts of meat like blade steak, chuck steak, chops. Add it to your slow cooker! Red meat is high in zinc and iron, two minerals which boost the immune system.
Legumes (chickpeas, kidney beans, soy beans) are an excellent protein source, low fat, high fibre, low GI and economical.
A casserole with meat, vegetables and a can of beans is a great way to boost your ability to fight disease, as well as being real comfort food.
If you prefer a vegetarian option, add something like potatoes, kale, green beans and your legumes for the zinc replacement. For an iron replacement, you can add vegetables such as kale, broccoli, spinach and green peas and dried apricots to your slow cooker.
Have some soup:
There are so many recipes around soup these days, so having a simple soup base can take you a long way. Adding lots of vegetables, some beans or lentils, and maybe meat means you’ll enjoy all the nutritional values you need. Your soup will definitely help you build your immune system. If it does happen that you find yourself with a cold or flu, there’s always the good ol’ chicken soup for the rescue!
Watch your portion sizes:
It’s so easy to say yes for that second serve, indulging into a bigger plate of food or snacking while it’s miserable outside and you spend most of your time indoors. Try and stay away from that. Rather fill your plate with half vegetables, turn off the tv while you eat, have smaller plates or sit at a table. All of these will help you avoid eating too much or to eat slower.
Drink plenty of water:
Although it is still a bit cooler outside now, it is still very important to stay hydrated, especially if you are still training regularly. So still try and get 6 -8 glasses (2-3 litres) of fluid a day, coffee, tea and water included. Although, try and keep your coffee at bay.
Garlic:
Garlic is one of the best flu fighters out there. Not only does it taste good in your food, but it also helps to boost your immune system.
Did you know: You’ll get the most benefit from your garlic if you chop your garlic and then let it stand for 10-15 min before you add it to the pan.
Adding Vitamin D:
No, not only sunshine but adding vitamin D to your diet could help boost your immune system. In wintertime, it’s been proven that New Zealanders are not getting enough vitamin D through the sun exposure. So, help your body to recover from that. You’ll find that vitamin D through eating more oily fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines. These days you’ll also get it through fortified milk and yogurt.
Stay active:
Find an indoor sport or a class that you can add onto your EMS session to stay active. Keep you accountable, why not do a regular workout with a friend? On a daily basis, go for that walk, some fresh air is always great for your mental health as well.
And keep up good routines. And hey, instead of taking the elevator at work, try taking the stairs at least once a day.
Perfect! Prep a little bit more and when you open the fridge and make better choices by thinking about your immune system.