Balance the cold with these soul-warming soup
With the outrage of coronavirus, it is essential to look after ourselves and maintain our health. This includes boosting your immune system with pick-me-up spices and herbs to kick up your wellbeing!
The soup below is packed with anti-inflammatory foods that are known to increase the immune system.
Mushrooms have the ability to boost the immune system and combat many diseases by providing important vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Shiitake mushrooms are one of the most popular mushrooms worldwide; they are prized for their rich, savoury taste and diverse health benefits. Compounds in shiitake may help fight cancer, boost immunity, and support heart health. A study gave people two dried shiitake daily. After one month, their immune markers improved and their inflammation levels dropped. This immune effect might be partly due to one of the polysaccharides in shiitake mushrooms. Another study found that consuming mushrooms improved cell effector function and improved gut immunity. There was also a reduction of inflammation due to mushroom consumption (Dai et al., 2015).
Ginger is a strong antioxidant that has been shown to naturally boost the immune system. It contains tons of vitamins, some of which are magnesium, iron, zinc, and calcium. Ginger helps kill cold viruses and has been said to combat chills and fever. It is also a great detox as ginger root helps relax the intestinal tract and eliminate intestinal gas.
Japanese soba noodle soup with shiitake mushrooms
Recipe - 2 people Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
100 g soba noodles
700 ml water
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 heaping tsp grated ginger
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
100 g shiitake mushrooms
1 tbs olive oil
pepper and salt
two small handfuls of bean sprouts
1 to 2 heads of little gem lettuce in thin slices, cut lengthwise
A small handful of fresh coriander, just the leaves
Preparation:
Prepare the soba noodles as instructed on the package. Rinse them thoroughly with cold water and let them rest for a while.
Heat the water, add the bouillon, grated ginger, the soy sauce and the Chinese 5 spice and bring it to a gentle boil.
Meanwhile, slice the shiitake mushrooms into slices and cook them in the olive oil until they start to colour nicely. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the noodles, shiitake mushrooms, the little gem lettuce and the bean sprouts into a nest in the dish and pour the boiling bouillon over it. Garnish with the coriander and serve immediately.
Don’t get bunged down with a cold, flus and viruses, speak to one of our Nutritionists or Functional Medicine Practitioners to find out what foods you can eat more of and what lifestyle changes you can make to boost your immune system this season!