Winter is officially here and so are the blankets, heaters and the dreaded winter sniffles. To give your health a boost this chilly season, Califia Farms together with dietitians Alicia and Bree from Wellness in Real Life, provide their top five tips help keep your immune system firing and to keep you feeling energised and in top shape throughout the colder months.
It’s all about variety.
One of the best ways to meet your daily macro- and micronutrient requirements and to support your immune system is to increase the variety of foods you eat across the day. And a good place to start is to increase your intake of veggies each day – your plant-based diversity.
Keep up your fluids.
When it’s cold outside our sense of thirst may not be as effective as it is during the warmer months but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep your fluids up. It’s easy to become dehydrated with the heating on all day, which may leave you feeling tired, fatigued and may even lead to nagging headaches.
It’s important to find fun ways to keep hydrated, which according to Alicia and Bree may include:
- “Adding fruit or herbs to your water bottle for that extra zing.
- “Herbal tea, with lemon and ginger being our go-to.
- “Fruit juice can be a refreshing addition, especially if we add a touch of fruit juice in our “sparkling water to spice things up.
- “Coffee can also count in the hydration game. We sometimes swap our daily latte for XX Espresso Cold Brew Coffee, which is refreshing, dairy free and made with 100% arabica coffee beans.”
That gut feeling.
According to Alicia and Bree “around 70% of our immune system stems from the gut”. So, it’s important to keep your gut health by including plenty of pre- and probiotic food options in your diet, including:
- “Dried dates and figs. We love stuffing dates with peanut butter as an afternoon snack.
- “Garlic and onion. Pretty much a staple in every meal in our homes.
- “Red kidney beans and chickpeas. These make great additions to your winter soups.
- “Oats. Such a great way to start your day with a warming bowl of porridge. We often add Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend to our breakfast as a way to up the fibre intake with 2g in every serve!”
Don’t go passed vitamin C!
Alicia and Bree explain that “vitamin C is a key nutrient in supporting a healthy immune system”. “It acts as an antioxidant, fighting free radical damage in our bodies caused from those nasty invading buys”, they say.
One of the best ways to increase your intake of vitamin C is by upping your intake of fresh veggies and fruit, including:
- “Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and grapefruits.
- “Veggies like capsicum, cabbage, spinach and broccoli.”
Think zinc.
Another important nutrient for a healthy immune system is zinc. Alicia and Bree say that “for those following a plant-based diet, you can enhance absorption through soaking, heating and fermenting your plant-based sources of zinc, such as:
- “Nuts: cashews and almonds.
- “Seeds: pumpkin seeds.
- “Legumes: chickpeas and baked beans.
- “Whole grains: wheat germ and oats.”
“Food is way more than nutrition. Food is emotional, so we would never shy away from eating the foods that bring us comfort including the classic Friday night takeaway! But sometimes there’s nothing more comforting than a home cooked meal,” add Alicia and Bree.
“So, check out some of our fave ‘fakeaway’ options you can make at home. We’ve upped the ante making them plant-based like our loaded sweet potato fries with ‘cheesy’ Califia sauce and our nice-cream sundaes with plant-based iced magic!”
For delicious plant-based, winter recipe inspiration and info head to: califiafarms.com.au or @califiafarmsau.
