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Immune Boosting Foods: Health Smoothie

August 31st, 2020 by The Hello Doctor Team

We often start thinking about our health when we fall sick, yet we should take care of this on a daily basis. One way to achieve this is to choose what we eat wisely, in order to boost your immune system. A strong immune system keeps us healthy, protects and fights against infection, and helps our body recover when we fall ill. In their daily diet, one should include foods high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Seasonal fresh fruit, berries and veggies are packed with these vital ingredients and should form an important part of your healthy way of eating. So enjoy a range of colours on your plate and as many fresh ingredients in their raw form as possible.

A great way to enjoy fresh fruit and raw vegetables is in fresh smoothies – try this healthy and delicious smoothie recipe and let us know what you think!

Health Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 100 g blueberries
  • 1 large mango, peeled and cubed
  • 2-3 peaches or nectarines, cubed with the skin on
  • ÂĽ pineapple, peeled and cubed
  • 60 ml (ÂĽ cup) ground almonds
  • Ice cubes to serve
  • A handful of fresh mint leaves and extra blueberries to serve

Method:

  1. Place fruit in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add almonds and blend for a few more minutes.
  2. Place ice in tall glasses and pour smoothie into each glass. Thin down with a little water, if preferred (or see tip). Garnish with mint and a few extra berries.

Tips

  1. Use seasonal fruit like papaya, strawberries or apples. Alternatively make a smoothie with veggies like beetroot, cucumber, baby marrow and carrots. Even fruit and veggies combined are delicious.
  2. If the smoothie is too thick to your taste, thin it down with a little cold rooibos tea, water, yoghurt, ice or fruit juice.

( Serves 4)

Recipe: Food Consultant, Heleen Meyer

Exam-time? Try these brain & body-boosting smoothies

October 8th, 2019 by Content Editor

The best food during exams are those that help you burn the midnight oil and ensure good brain function.

Glucose is the brain’s main energy source. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids also play important roles in optimal brain function.

The last thing you need when trying to concentrate is to feel restless, irritable, anxious and stressed. So limit your caffeine intake and rather have two cups of coffee a day or opt for decaffeinated coffee instead.

Hydrate with these delicious immune-boosting and brain-fueling smoothies.

Immune booster sweet green smoothie

Keep your immune system strong with this green smoothie that’s naturally sweetened with frozen fruit and packed with vitamins and antioxidants to help keep colds at bay.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup roughly chopped spinach and kale.
  • 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk.
  • 1½ cups frozen mix of mango, pineapple and kiwi chunks.
  • ½ tsp freshly grated ginger.
  • ½ lemon juiced.

Method

  • Add the spinach and kale into a blender with the unsweetened almond milk and blend well.
  • Add the frozen fruit, ginger and lemon and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, add more almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  • If using fresh fruit instead of frozen, reduce the almond milk amount to 1 cup and slowly add more to make your preferred thickness. Alternatively, add 3-4 ice cubes before blending.

Wild blueberry brain boosting smoothie

Supercharge your brain with a smoothie packed with antioxidants thanks to all the wild blueberries. With the help of cashews, which soak in milk overnight, they add a creamy richness along with healthy fats and protein.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk, low-fat cow’s milk or preferred plant milk.
  • ÂĽ cup raw cashews.
  • 1 small ripe banana.
  • 1 cup wild blueberries.
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup.
  • 1/3 cup fresh or frozen cauliflower florets (optional).
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract.
  • 2 ice cubes.

Method

  • Get a jump-start on this smoothie by soaking the cashews in milk and freezing the banana overnight.
  • Pour milk over the cashews in a small bowl and store in the fridge overnight. Peel the banana, wrap in plastic, and store in the freezer overnight.
  • Put the cashews and milk in a blender. Cut the banana into several slices and add to the blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until the cashews are crushed and the smoothie is creamy.
  • If you don’t have time for the advanced prep, don’t fret. This will still be tasty without it.

References:

3 tasty recipes to protect you from the flu

May 3rd, 2019 by The Hello Doctor Team

Flu season has arrived so it’s time to give the germs a good fight! The best way to arm yourself is to boost your body with flu-fighting foods. Here are three delicious recipes to send colds and flu packing.

Hearty veggie soup

Ah, nothing beats a warm and hearty bowl of vegetable soup in chilly weather. Packed with eight different vegetables, a bowl of soup offers flu-busting friends like vitamins B, C and K, potassium and antioxidants. The best part is that you can use whichever veggies you have on hand! Pack a punch of protein and an extra dose of vitamins with chicken or beef and bone broth.

You will need

  • 1 tbsp olive oil.
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced.
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped.
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped.
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped.
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced.
  • 2 cups green beans, trimmed and chopped.
  • 1 tin of diced tomatoes.
  • 4 cups vegetable stock.
  • 1½ tsp dried oregano.
  • 1 tsp dried basil.
  • ½ tsp dried thyme.
  • 1 tsp sea salt.
  • ½ tsp black pepper.
  • 4 cups of kale, stemmed and chopped.
  • 2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped.

Method

  1. Heat up a large pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
  2. Throw in onion, carrot and celery and cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
  3. Add garlic and bell pepper and cook for a minute.
  4. Add green beans and cook for another minute.
  5. Top with diced tomatoes, vegetable stock and spices and give it a stir.
  6. Bring to a boil and then allow it to simmer, uncovered over medium-low heat for 25 minutes.
  7. Add the kale and cook for 5 more minutes until wilted.
  8. Top with fresh parsley and serve warm.
  9. Store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze to keep for a few weeks.

Chamomile ginger popsicles with lemon and honey

Who said you can’t have treats when you have the flu? Chamomile ginger popsicles offer an icy alternative to throat lozenges and a dessert swap for ice-cream. Ginger, lemon and honey boast flu-combatting vitamins and minerals like antioxidants and Vitamin C. Chamomile is known for its soothing properties, so this treat makes for a great sore throat remedy, too.

Ingredients

  • 1 large lemon, juiced
  • 5cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced.
  • 2 tbsps honey.
  • 2 teabags of chamomile tea.
  • 2½ cups of boiling water.

Method

  1. In a heat-proof bowl, mix together the lemon juice, ginger, honey, and chamomile tea bags.
  2. Pour boiling water over the top of the tea bags and steep for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove tea bags and strain out the ginger slices. Let it sit until the water has slightly cooled.
  4. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze completely.

Pineapple smoothie

If you’re a fan of tropical flavours, you’re in for a breakfast treat with this smoothie. Not only does it have a refreshing flavour, but as it’s chock-full of pineapple, it offers immune-boosting Vitamin C, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients

  • 250g frozen or fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks.
  • 1 cup of coconut water.
  • 2oranges, peeled, halved and seeds removed.
  • 10gfresh ginger, peeled and chopped.
  • 4 tsp shredded coconut, unsweetened.
  • 2 tsp chia seeds.
  • 4 tsp honey
  • A handful of ice(optional for a thicker smoothie).
  • Fresh pineapple and toasted desiccated coconut to garnish(optional).

Instructions

  1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and whizz for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
  2. Pour between 2 glasses, top with extra pineapple and toasted coconut and enjoy.

References:

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