{"id":6959,"date":"2020-04-30T07:29:02","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T11:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dinnertime.com\/content\/?p=6959"},"modified":"2020-04-30T07:29:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T11:29:02","slug":"raise-your-hand-for-a-strong-immune-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/2020\/04\/30\/raise-your-hand-for-a-strong-immune-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Raise Your Hand…For A Strong Immune System"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Raise your hand if you want to be healthy. I don\u2019t know anyone who would say Nah, I love feeling sick and vulnerable to illnesses!<\/em> And yet, many of us don\u2019t take the steps to make sure we are doing what we can to stay healthy. What can we do to help our own immune systems fight infection?<\/p>\n

Most of us know that to ensure our bodies are empowered to fight illness, and in particular Covid-19, we should be engaging in moderate exercise, getting enough sleep, practicing social distancing, washing our hands with soap regularly, staying hydrated and maintaining a healthy diet.<\/p>\n

I often feel overloaded with the nutritional info available. One group says I should eat asparagus every day… and another wants me to take supplements the size of horse pills… and yet another claims their tea will solve all my problems (including weight loss\u2026stronger nails\u2026better skin etc.!) What all this information tells me is that we’re looking for guidance. The common denominator is understanding that those foods that help our hair be shiny and our energy levels stay high, are the same ones that help our immune systems fight infection.\"\"<\/p>\n

There’s a reason the USDA<\/a>, the American Heart Association<\/a> and so many other health organizations recommend a balanced and varied diet. What vitamins and minerals are key for our bodies to function optimally? Where do we find the best source of these vitamins and minerals? What is our best strategy to maintain an immune boosting diet?<\/p>\n

Our bodies are amazing<\/em> and if we give them the right resources they will work hard to keep us healthy.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with understanding the vitamins and minerals most beneficial to strengthening the immune system.<\/h3>\n

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Click to learn more about antibodies<\/a>, pathogens<\/a>, Natural Killer Cells<\/a>, macrophages<\/a> and neutrophils<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6 Tips to Stick with Immune Boosting Foods:<\/h3>\n
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  1. Whenever possible choose “whole foods”<\/span> which are foods that are closest to their natural state and free from additives.<\/li>\n
  2. Go for color<\/span>! The brighter and more varied the colors, the better for you. Bright leafy greens and legumes, crisp red peppers, juicy peaches and crunchy orange carrots are some of my faves to keep on hand for snacking. If you can’t get fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen are great too.<\/li>\n
  3. When you’re craving sugary treats your blood sugar might be low. Choose a low glycemic<\/span> pear or a plate of veggies with a healthy dip for a snack.<\/li>\n
  4. If you’re craving salty snacks, you may be thirsty. Salty cravings often indicate our bodies are trying to hold onto fluids since we are getting low. Try drinking a full glass of water<\/span>. Add a squeeze of lemon or lime for a delicious boost of Vitamin C.<\/li>\n
  5. Eat at least 2-3 fruits per day<\/span>. I’ve never met anyone who became overweight by eating too many fruits. Be honest, it was the cake!<\/li>\n
  6. Make salads with 3 or more<\/span> ingredients, plus throw on some nuts or seeds for added benefits.
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    Immune System Supporting Recipes!<\/h3>\n

    Find more tasty and healthy recipes in your\u00a0DinnerTime Recipe Box<\/a>.<\/h5>\n
    You can search for an ingredient (e.g. eggplant, etc) the name or part of the name of a recipe (lasagna), a cuisine (Italian), type of dish (e.g. soup), an occasion (Thanksgiving, breakfast, tailgating, etc).\u00a0 in your\u00a0\u00a0DinnerTime Recipe Box<\/a>.<\/h5>\n
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    Stuffed Quinoa Peppers with Eggs<\/span><\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
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    Spring Vegetable Salad<\/span><\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
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    Creamy Mango Avocado and Lime Smoothie<\/span><\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    The kids will love this healthy all-in-one recipe!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Elegant, easy and filled with immune-boosting vitamins and minerals.<\/p>\n

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    Yum! Fill up on delicious nutrient-dense smoothies like this one.<\/p>\n

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    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Raise your hand if you want to be healthy. I don\u2019t know anyone who would say Nah, I love feeling sick and vulnerable to illnesses! And yet, many of us don\u2019t take the steps to make sure we are doing… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6959"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}