Book review: Eat to Boost Your Immunity

Eat to Boost Your  Immunity by Kirsten Hartvig

I'm really interested in learning more about the immune system, what we can do to strengthen it, and the role that it plays in illness. There are so many things that we can do to strengthen our health, and I believe that what we choose to eat can make or break our health. I know that in my experience that proves to be true, anyway.

I've been flicking through this book and though it's specific focus on CFS is minimal, it does state the following:

"The best way to prevent or manage CFS is through detoxification, and following a diet rich in foods that enhance resistance to disease and support immunity." 

Author, Hartvig advises eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking plenty of pure water to boost immunity. She suggests eating foods with high levels of vitamin B5 and C, calcium, zinc, magnesium and essential fatty acids for CFS, while vitamin C and zinc (as well as vitamin A and selenium) are also good for combating stress.

Hartvig includes a list of superfoods for CFS: avocado, banana, beans, beetroot, blackcurrant, borage, chamomile, cleavers, echinacea, grapefruit, green leaves, liquorice root, muesli, nuts, okra, papaya, peas, red pepper, rice, tempeh, tofu and wheatgrass. 

Her list of superfoods for stress is the same as for CFS, with the additions of cabbage, carrot, lavender, lemon balm, lentils, mango, oats, oranges and strawberries. 

An easy, understandable tread, the book delves into the relationships between the immune system and health, and food and the immune system. It also contains profiles on multiple superfoods, recipes for immune boosting foods, and which foods can aid in certain ailments. 

The following recipes are recommended for those wanting to prevent and treat CFS, though they'd benefit anyone's immune system!

Grapefruit salad

1 grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments
1 avocado, peeled, stoned, sliced
1 endive, thinly sliced (leaf vegetable from chicory family, could replace with kale)
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
100g bean sprouts
1 bunch watercress
1 lime, to dress salad

Combine all the ingredients in a salad bowl. Add some lime dressing, garnish with watercress and serve immediately.

Immuni-tea

2 parts nettles

1 part borage

1 part cleavers

1 part echinacea

1 part liquorice

1 part thyme

Mix the herbs well. Use 1 teaspoon or herb mixture per cup of boiling water. Place the herbs in a warmed teapot, add the boiling water, cover, and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!