Equinox Health Advisory Board member Deanna Minich, Ph.D. shares her insights.
Because gut tissue connects the intestinal cells and the immune system, digestive health is essential to increase your body's defense mechanisms, explains Deanna Minich, Ph.D., Seattle-based author of The Rainbow Diet and member of the Equinox Health Advisory Board. Not only can certain foods help to boost immunity, but adhering to a nutritious, vitamin-rich diet is important in moments of stress and confinement.
Here, Dr. Minich shares her guide to stocking the ideal immune-supporting pantry:
FOODS
Protein-rich ingredients, preferably frozen over canned:
• Bean burgers
• Dry legumes and beans like lentils and black beans
• Eggs
• Grass-fed meats
• Nuts and seeds (especially Brazil nuts, which are rich in selenium)
• Frozen shrimp
• White fish of various types (like sole and cod)
• Wild salmon fillets
Cooking oils and aromatics:
• Extra-virgin coconut oil
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Onions
• Spices in glass containers over plastic, where possible
• Raw honey (an immune-booster)
Adequate produce, fresh and organic when possible
• Avocados, apples, bananas, lemons, limes, mandarins, pears
• Frozen fruits like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, sweet potatoes, yams, leeks, potatoes (smaller variety)
• Frozen vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, chopped spinach
Whole grains
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
LIQUIDS
Filtered water (preferably from a portable filter instead of plastic bottles)
Alternate milks
• Choose unsweetened varieties of coconut, almond, hemp, and flaxseed milks.
Juices rich in polyphenols
• 100 percent pomegranate juice
• 100 percent Concord grape juice
• 100 percent pear juice
• 100 percent tart cherry juice
Herbal teas and coffee (also rich in polyphenols)
• Oolong
• Green
• Black coffee