Here are some ideas for immune-boosting, influenza-soothing, anthocyanin-rich recipes.
Warming Red Shot For Cool Winter Nights
- 2 tsp manuka honey
- 1 Red Shot
- whole organic lemon, cut into quarters
- ½ tsp ginger
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3-4 cloves or ½ tsp clove powder
Add all ingredients except Red Shot and active manuka honey to boiling water in a mug and stir. Allow to cool to taste then add Red Shot and honey.
If you are already sick or have been around those with colds/flu, use active manuka 10+ UMF or 200+ MGO. This functional ingredient is not vegan. If using another sweetener, use only enough to taste, or omit completely.
Blackcurrant yoghurt
Probiotics, as found in active yoghurt cultures, are also powerful immune modulators. Probiotics have been shown in multiple studies to ease the severity of colds and flus and speed recovery.
- 3 tbsp coconut yoghurt – Doctor’s Best, Cathedral Cove and CoYo are all good brands
- 1-2 Red Shots
- 2 tsp pumpkin seeds – a good source of zinc, which benefits immunity
- 5-7 brazil nuts, crushed – an excellent source of selenium, needed for immune response
- Optional: 1-2 tsp manuka honey – if you are sick or have been around those with colds/flu, use active manuka 10+ UMF or 200+ MGO
- Optional: 1 tsp licorice powder – licorice is also a potent and naturally sweet antiviral agent. It is available at healthfood stores. Use with caution if you have high blood pressure
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix.
REFERENCES
1) http://www.ewg.org/release/apples-top-dirty-dozen-list-fifth-year-row
2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878739/
3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12601672
4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24660461
5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17572513
6) http://www.nzblackcurrants.com/assets/images/Health-Benefits-review-updated-9-November-2012.pdf
7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17634269
8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20229526
9) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18241960
You can find the Red Shots mentioned in the recipes, as well as Green Shots, at Nutrient Rescue. Nutrient Rescue products give easy access to delicious, nutritious, plant-based, clean wholefoods. All their products are 100% free of meat, dairy, gluten, added salt or alcohol, and contain only naturally occurring sugars. Their Green and Red Shots are a convenient and cost-effective way of getting green veges and red berries into your daily diet. These products earned them a place as a finalist in the 2016 NZ Food Awards. They also now have handy Double Shot sachets which combine the two into one shot.
