“The sun sets every day and still rises again in the morning” – Fuarian
Hi Lovelies, a quick update about me. Sorry I have had to take a break from this space over the past while. I have been working full time in the health/wellness space (hopefully learning a lot!) any time that I am not working I tend to spend with kids/family as they are my most important job which sadly hasn’t left much time for blogging. My country is currently in full lockdown which means that I currently have more time to devote to this space. Sending love to you and yours xx
I strongly believe that the events that have transpired so quickly all over the world is a call to slow down, consider the environment, figure out new ways of working and connecting and more than ever to adopt a predominately plant-based lifestyle.
Rather than focusing on things that which we can’t control outside of our homes we really need to be mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and the home environment that we are creating for ourselves and our families. Will it be a space filled with anxiety and fear or filled with self-responsibility, love and loads of colourful plant based food?
1. Vitamin C + Vitamin A:
Vitamin C is a given – we all know that vitamin C is amazing at fighting off viruses! A lesser known vitamin often found in the same brightly coloured foods is vitamin A. These two vitamins are simply amazing at boosting natural immune response and strengthening your overall immune system.
Vitamin C is found in all of those yellow coloured fruits like oranges, grapefruit, mandarins, mango, papaya, pineapple, along with kiwifruit, watermelons and all types of berries! Make yourself a yummy fruit salad for breakfast or slice a grapefruit in half and sprinkle some organic maple syrup (my favourite sweetener) on it then eat it with a teaspoon. Vitamin A is also found in many yellow fruits and yellow veggies like capsicum, squash and pumpkin .
To get a double hit of vitamin C and A add some more kumara (sweet potatoes) to your diet. You can cube them and then bake them in a little bit of olive oil/rice bran oil with a sprinkle of sea salt. Once cooked you can store them in the fridge and add them to stir fries and salads when needed. Very easy to prepare and add a nutritious hit to almost any meal! Sweet potatoes will also store in a cool, dark place in your kitchen for a long time.
Dark green leafy vegetables are also very high in vitamin C and A, like kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts. Making a big colourful smoothie each morning is a great way to include all types of greens and a rainbow of fruit and berries! A smoothie is also a great way to include frozen fruit and powdered green veggies/sea veggies if you don’t have a lot of fresh fruit/veggies currently on hand.
2. Vitamin D/Sunlight:
We all know that vitamin D is really important for bone health but it also has strong links with immune function and respiratory health. If you are plant based it can sometimes be difficult to get adequate amounts of vitamin D as it is mainly found in foods derived from animals.
Plant based sources of vitamin D are mainly found in certain types of mushrooms. Of course you can get it from sunlight but it can still be challenging to get enough especially as many of us spend large parts of our day indoors.
Also as we age our skin naturally thins making it harder for our bodies to synthesise the vitamin D from the sun. Getting outside each day is really important, particularly as the days get shorter and we go into Winter. Try and take a walk each day in your local area if you are still able too.
Failing that set up some comfy areas in your backyard/balcony where you can catch up on work, read, relax, eat meals or work out all the while getting a good amount of daily vitamin D intake – it really is so important! Vitamin D is also really beneficial in boosting your mood and promoting happy brain chemicals.
3. Zinc:
Zinc is amazing for cell growth and helps to speed up skin healing (which is why it is so fantastic for our skin, hair and nails!). A lesser known fact about zinc is that it also helps with immunity by fighting off nasty bad bacteria and viruses. Plant based diets are abundant in zinc! Load up on plenty of legumes like lentils, beans and chickpeas. Tofu is amazing!
Nuts and seeds are also a rich source of zinc, particularly nuts like walnuts and cashews, plus seeds including flax, chia, hemp and pumpkin. Make some zinc rich flax seed crackers to store for snacks and have them with some yummy home made hummus. Quinoa is also a very nutritious versatile seed which is high in zinc. You can make your morning porridge with it or simply toast it and sprinkle it on top of a salad.
The fantastic thing about beans, nuts and seeds is that they are highly nutritious and will keep a long time in a glass or air tight container in the cupboard. We buy our peanut butter in large glass jars and have gathered quite a collection to store dried legumes in.
Unfortunately some supermarkets are putting limits on canned food, particularly beans so it is great to stock up your kitchen cupboards with the dried variety and then cook and prepare them yourself (plus often cheaper!). Once cooked you can even then freeze them in portion sizes easily able to be loaded in to soups, salads and stir fries when needed.
4. Selenium:
Selenium works as a powerful antioxidant helping to lower oxidative stress within the body, this dramatically reduces inflammation and works to increase the immune response. Selenium also boosts natural killer cells essential for fighting viruses. Unfortunately NZ soils are low in selenium which is why it is good to get some good selenium rich foods in. Brazil nuts are a fantastic source of selenium!
Garlic is also an amazing source of selenium. You can roast it with veggies or chop it up raw and easily add it to any herbal tea for an immune boost. Some fantastic herbal teas which are also anti-viral are elderberry, echinacea, ginger, licorice root, calendula and astragalas.
Oats are also very selenium rich, you can make home made oat milk to store in your fridge fairly easily, have an oat porridge or make some home made muesli or simply bake some oat muffins to snack on during the day.
5. Prebiotics + Probiotics:
A large percentage of your immune system resides in your gut. So any food that helps to promote good gut bacteria is also going to be a win-win for your immune function! Prebiotics are a type of fibre that your body can’t digest on it’s own and the good bacteria in your gut feeds off.
Some examples of prebiotic rich foods include kimchi or sauerkraut, apple cider vinegar, banana’s, artichokes (or fartichokes as they are known amongst my family!), garlic, onions, leeks as well as chicory root (great as a coffee alternative). Dandelion greens are also a wonderful prebiotic! Pick them when they are young (otherwise they can taste a bit too strong) and add them into salads and green smoothies.
I have talked a lot about probiotic foods in past posts so I will just cover it lightly here! Think fermented foods. If you are vegan you can make your own coconut yoghurt. Brew or buy kombucha, tempeh is very probiotic rich along with miso (just check that it is vegan/veggie). We have a big tub of miso paste which we keep in our fridge and you only need to add a teaspoon to hot water to make it. Pickles are also a fantastic probiotic, plus jars will also keep in your cupboard for a long time!
My personal thoughts on supplementation, if in doubt please contact your health professional:
I think first of all it is important to try and get everything that we need from eating a variety of different foods. Our bodies cannot make vitamin C and we need to make sure we are getting some each day so I believe that vitamin C supplementation is a good thing to do especially at this point of time.
I think vitamin D supplementation can be great especially in Winter or when there is less light available. Vitamin D2 is Vegan along with D3 derived from lichen (you will need to check). If you are Veggie or Veggan egg yolk can be a good source of vitamin D plus it also contains a small amount of zinc. The country that I live in does not fortify huge amounts of foods with vitamin D, many countries do so you may not need to consider any supplementation if that is the case.
I would get tested and get expert guidance from a health professional before supplementing vitamin A, zinc or selenium. Even if you eat a lot of probiotic rich foods I still think supplementing with a back up probiotic supplement can be a great thing to do as our guts are not the healthiest these days due to a whole host of different reasons!
Interesting Research:
Study on vitamin D treatment and prevention of infectious diseases
Study on the influence of selenium on immune response