Food Fight!

 Happy Friday everyone!

The weekend is finally upon us and as promised I have my good friend, culinary nutrition expert "Alexa Spas" amaaaaazing power muffin recipe for you - the perfect activity for a Sunday afternoon. (see at bottom and ENJOY!) http://stayflexiwithlexi.wordpress.com/

Recently, I have had a lot of people asking me how to fight off the cold bug that's been going around lately. This is an odd time of year. From snow, to rain to sunshine within the same day, the rise and fall of temperature can take a toll on the body.

It can take time for the body to adjust to change and it is extremely important to take extra care in order to help the body fight off any unwelcome invaders. Here are some of the best ways to pump up your immune army to take down that BIG BAD COLD.

GARLIC: Bring on the garlic! An herb often referred to as the "stinky rose" - your immune system loves it! Garlic is one of the best remedies to beat down the "bad bacteria" in the body responsible for causing infection. Garlic contains a sulfuric compound known as "allicin" that is released when garlic is crushed or bruised and is the component that fights "bad bacteria" in the body to help rid of that annoying cold. Unlike antibiotics, garlic only attacks the bad bacteria and has no affect on the good bacteria needed for protection.

Garlic

Tip: Crush up 2 -3 cloves of garlic, mix with extra virgin olive oil and toast on your favorite bread. Warning: You will stink - hence "stinky rose".

GINGER: I'm so hot for ginger! Ginger may look funny but it means serious business when it enters your system. Amongst many many benefits ginger can have on the body, it is one of the best remedies to enhance the immune fighting response. When ingested, ginger heats the body and causes sweating to detoxify and stimulate the effect of fighting off infection.

Ginger Root

Tip: Peel a 2 inch piece of ginger, bruise with the back of a spoon and let steep in hot water. Add a dash of cayenne and cinammon to further stimulate the immune enhancing effects of the ginger.

SHITAKE MUSHROOM: Shitake! Sounds like a form of Karate - fitting as this little mushroom fights off infection in a big way. Shitake mushrooms, historically used in Chinese medicine, are still considered one of the greatest immune enhancers today. They work to stimulate the impact of macrophages - immune cells that identify and eat away bacteria that cause infection.

Shitake Mushroom

Tip: Add shitake mushrooms to your favourite soup broth. Let cook until tender and enjoy.

CITRUS: Grapefruit, lemon and orange - all cleansing to the body and are high in vitamin C responsible for increasing the production of white blood cells that fight off infection.

Citrus

Tip: Add citrus to your water for flavour, on your favorite dish or consume on its own!

Food fight and feel better!

Reference: Worlds Healthiest Foods - http://whfoods.org/recipestoc.php\
Images from: -http://helpingfibromyalgia.com/2011/ginger-irritable-bowel-syndrome/
                             -http://www.pachd.com/free-images/food-images-4.html
                             -http://www.aromaweb.com/essentialoils/citrusessentialoils.asp
                             -http://natural-cure-for-yeast-infection.org/yeast-infection-general/garlic-as-natural-cures-for-yeast-infection

Power Muffins Recipe:

Power Muffins

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup rolled oats

¾ cup ground flax seed

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

¾ cup honey

¾ cup nut milk

2 chia eggs (2 tbsp ground chia + ½ cup hot water, whisked)

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 cups fruit or veg A

2 cups fruit or veg B

½ cup gogi berries

½ cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

-        Preheat oven to 350. Oil muffin pan with coconut oil or use muffin cups.

-        Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl

-        Mix together all of the wet ingredients in a different bowl.

-        Combine the two mixtures

-        Add fruit/veg A, B, gogi berries, and nuts.

-        Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.

-        Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until rich and golden brown in colour.

-        Let cool on cooling rack for about 5 minutes before eating. MMMmmm