Today I want to talk about the importance of keeping a well balanced and healthy diet during this Covid-19 quarantine. While we are all trying to figure out what our new normal is looking like, one of the most important is to maintain the best health that we can. I was listening to a Podcast from Trim Healthy Mama, I feel they have some valuable information to share regarding our immune systems, what sugars and fear can do to it. I will link it at the bottom of the page for you all. The title of the Podcast, “Fear, Sugar & Your Immune System”. Worth the listen.
“The concern is that when you consume refined sugar and starches it pushes your levels of blood sugar high and this has an adverse affect on how the body responds to keep your immune system boosted and up”
Our immune system is what fights infection, now more than ever we all need to take control of what we can to boost our immune systems. Ditch the sugar and don’t stress eat. I experienced the same thing that they were talking about in the Podcast, that the recent trip to the grocery store you will see that most of the fruits and vegetables are still sitting on the shelves and the simple carb sugar items and processed foods are completely gone. The concern is that when you consume refined sugar and starches it pushes your levels of blood sugar high and this has an adverse affect on how the body responds to keep your immune system boosted and up. I hope I have said enough to tweak your interest in why it is so important to reduce sugars in your diet.
Sugar and stress put a tremendous burden and impact on our systems. While we can’t control some things that are happening right now, we can control what we eat and what we do to assist the stressors on our body. Diet, exercise and adequate rest are the most impactful!
I was looking through my fridge which contains a host of vegetables and fruits I was craving something fresh and wanted to use up one of my lemons that was just begging to be put in a salad. Well, it wasn’t just that, that got the mind rolling. That morning I had wanted to jazz up my water glass a bit by putting some cucumber slices and a few blackberries in it. Great way to flavor water and help get liquid consumption in without being so boring.
This then turned into the beginning of concocting a fresh cucumber salad where I could use up that lemon. Back to the fridge to see what else I could potentially throw into a salad. The items I had on hand were perfect to make this salad pop with fresh flavors. Simple, fresh and immunity boosting.
A little breakdown of what kind of boost these foods have in them for this recipe:
- Cucumbers contain antioxidants, promote hydration, vitamin K and anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Lemons contain vitamin C, soluble fiber, aids digestion and improves skin.
- Onions are rich in antioxidants and inulin (inulin helps boost nutrient absorption, improve blood sugar levels, prevents constipation and supports healthy bone density).
- Cilantro is a good source of antioxidants and contains vitamin C, provitamin A and K, and trace amounts of folate, potassium, manganese and a few others.
- Garbanzo Beans boast fiber, potassium, B vitamins, iron, magnesium and selenium.
- Dill is an excellent source of vitamin A and C.
- Olive Oil Contains large amount of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and is rich in healthy monosaturated fat.
Below is the recipe and below that will be the link for the Podcast that I hope you will give a listen to, it’s a great way to further educate the importance of healthy eating and ditching the refined sugars. I wish you all the best during this Covid-19 outbreak. We are all in this together and I want to encourage you the best way that I can to promote healthy habits for eating and keep those immune systems up.
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1- English Cucumber
- 14 – cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 onion chopped
- 15 oz can garbanzo beans
- 3 TBLS chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 lemon juice from half lemon
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the English Cucumber
- Halve the cherry tomatoes
- Chop a 1/4 of an onion
- Chop Cilantro until you have 3 TBLS or more depending on your liking
- Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans
- Put all above items in bowl
- Squeeze the lemon over the ingredients (I use a fine strainer to avoid seeds)
- Drizzle the 3 TBLS of olive oil over the ingredients
- Add the dill
- Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
Notes
Link for the Podcast for Trim Healthy Mama Podcast: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/trimhealthypodcast?selected=ADL6437869271
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