Building Immunity

Live Right Now - Episode 019 – Building Immunity

Make your body an inhospitable host for the Flu season

• The sugar season is here! It’s also the Flu Season!
• From Halloween to news year day…we binge.
• Dehydration, stress, less sleep, more alcohol, less sunlight, less exercise, eating more crappy, sugary food than usual.
• No wonder we get sick!!
• Your department of defense (DOD) needs you to provide weapons.
• Your immune system is your body’s version of the military: sworn to defend against all who threaten it, both foreign and domestic. 
• Truth-Natural forces within are the true healers.
• Your immune system works hard to protect you every day, but there are things you can do to help it out:
• Your immune system protects against disease, infection.

 Sugar Is A Real Immune System Destroyer

• Sugar sucks and is a Human toxin-1960’s Bribed physicians reported that fat not sugar cased disease. Liar, liar pant on fire!
• Foods high in sugar tend to be devoid of nutrients, further hampering immune function which depends on vitamins, minerals and enzymes to function
• Princeton University- sugar can be physically addictive.
• Hits your brain like crack. 
• Sends a message to the brain, activating the its reward system. 
• Sugar has a similar effect on your brain to hanging out with friends, sex, and even drugs.
• Sugar reduces your white blood cells’ ability to kill pathogens in the body. In fact, 100 grams of sugar – about the equivalent found in 1 medium-sized soda bottle – can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill microorganisms by 40%.  
• Other diseases:
• Sugar promotes obesity. 
• Sugar promotes heart disease. too much sugar tends to have higher blood triglycerides, and this increases the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Sugar promotes diabetes by increases pancreatic secretion of insulin, 
• The impact on immune function occurs within 30 minutes of ingestion, and lasts up to 10 hours (Sanchez, 1973).
• Sugar competes with vitamin C for absorption into white blood cells.

 Sleep

• If you’re not getting more than 5 hours of sleep a night, your immune system can become depressed, just like you. This leaves you open to colds, flu, and infection.

 Sunshine

• Take a walk. Or D-3. Exposure to sunlight is how your body naturally produces vitamin D. This helps ward off depression, heart disease, and certain cancers. A fair-skinned person only needs about 10 minutes on a sunny day to get all the vitamin D they need. However, too much sun can cause temporary damage to your immune. Remember some sun is good, but you need to protect your skin when you plan to spend time outside.

 Stress, Fear, Anger

• Your immune system is ready for anything you can throw at it. But it can only handle so much. During stress, a series of events release cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones from the adrenal gland. Together they help your body cope with stress.

 Deep breathing exercises

• Focus on the breath.

Excessive Alcohol

• Excessive alcohol can damage the immune system because the alcohol will prevent nutrients from feeding your immune system. Alcohol will reduce the white blood cell count in the body. The lower the number of white blood cells, the more difficult it is to fight off disease. 

 

 The “Plant-based” solutions.

• Elderberry syrup or tincture
• Probiotics, alkaline ACV, D-3, hydration, sleep.
• Hydrate with water, not diet coke or sports drinks
• Eating more fresh RAW fruits and vegetables is a great way to get immune boosting benefits from Vitamin C and other phytonutrients found in fresh raw foods. 
• Dark greens like kale and spinach contain beta carotene and Vitamin E that help your body fend off cold and flu infections.
• Fresh red and pink produce like tomatoes, strawberries and pink grapefruit are especially high in Vitamin C.
• Citrus Fruits: However, it is common knowledge vitamin C provided by citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, and clementine’s contain antioxidants that can help prevent a cold before it happens. 
• Get a good night’s sleep. Your body can’t function correctly if you aren’t sleeping well.
• Deep breathing techniques to relax and chill
• Practice good hygiene. Washing your hands regularly can prevent infections.
• Eat a balanced diet and get plenty of exercise. Eating nutritious food and staying active will help your earth suit fight off infections.

 

Kitchari - A vitamin pill on a plate

• 1 cup cooked lentils or garbanzo
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
• 3 tbsp. unrefined virgin coconut oil
• 2 tbs. coconut milk
• 1-inch fresh ginger root, grated ot fry
• 1 tsp. fennel s
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch of cayenne
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• 1 cup assorted, peas, carrots, cauliflower, red peppers, zucchini (cut into small pieces)
• Cilantro, chopped leaves
• 2 bu. chopped green onions
• 1 tbs. ground flax or chia seed
• Juice of one lemon

 

1. Thoroughly drain lentils. In sauce pan, cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. In another pan, heat the oil on medium and add the ginger, fennel, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon. Sauté 2 minutes.
3. Add veggies; let cook for a minute and then gently mix in coconut milk.
4. Plate the quinoa first then top with the veggies / spice mix.
5. Squeeze lemon juice over the top,
6. Garnish with nuts, green onions and cilantro and serve.

 

Make your own Elderberry Syrup!

You will need:

• 5 cups of cold water
• 2 cups of elderberries, dried
• A tsp of cinnamon powder
• A tbsp of ginger root, fresh or dried
• A cup of honey, raw

Preparation: In a saucepan, place all of the ingredients, except the honey. Bring the content to boil and leave it to simmer for 40 minutes on medium heat. Then, turn off the stove and set the saucepan aside. Mash the berries and then strain the content into a jar. Add the honey and mix everything together. Close the jar and keep it in a cold and dark area or in the fridge.

 

For more from Chef Wendell including the “Eat Right Now” books and info on how to book Chef Wendell to speak to your group go to http://www.chefwendell.com.

To connect with the Live Right Now Podcast “like” our Facebook page or email us at LiveRightNowRadio@gmail.com.  

The Live Right Now theme music is “future soundtrack II” by Adam Henry Garcia from the Free Music Archive licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0