Let food support your immune system

As we are rolling into fall and spending more time inside. It is important to support your immune system by eating a colorful plate without add sugars.  Those sugars are inflammatory to the immune system and with fall allergies, colds, viruses and COVID going around there is no need to inflame the body more than necessary.

Help support your body by eating the colorful fall fruits and vegetables like:

• Beets
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Collards
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mustard
• Onions
• Peas
• Radishes
• Rutabagas
• Turnips
• Potatoes
• Apples
• Figs
• Cantaloupes
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Watermelon
• Pears
• Nectarines
• Garlic 

Above are just a few ideas. I would love to hear your favorite vegetable or fruit to have in the fall. 

Using the fresh garlic, ginger and horseradish you can make a fire cider to help support your gut which in turns will help support your immune system.  Try out the recipe below. I love a good shot of fire cider in the morning or sometimes in the late afternoon. You can also enjoy it in a variety of recipes, even mocktails. 

Fire Cider 

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium white or yellow onion
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
• 4 TBSP of freshly grated ginger root
• 3-4 TBSp of freshly grated horseradish root
• fermented apple cider vinegar (cloudy with the mother)
• honey
• cayenne pepper

Preparation:

• combine the onion, garlic, ginger and horseradish in a wide mouth glass quart jar.
• fill the jar with warm apple cider vinegar, enough to cover the herbs.
• place jar in a warm spot in your house, 
• strain; then discard the spent herbs. Add honey and cayenne to taste, this is where you can make the recipe more or less kid friendly, The finished product should be spicy, sweet with a bit of a kick. 

​Additional ways to use Fire Cider
​
You can use the Fire Cider to make a vinaigrette, 
Add a tablespoon to your smoothie
Add a couple of tablespoons to soups or curries
a dash to your herbal tea or in a mocktail

Holiday Fire Cider Mocktail

• 1 TBSP fire cider
• 70 ml fresh orange juice
• pinch of sea salt flakes
• pinch ground cinnamon
• chilled sparkling water, plain.
• orange peel for garnish
• 1/2 cup ice cups

Place ice cubes in 400 ml cocktail glass. Arrange orange peel strip along inside of glass. Add fire cider, orange juice, salt and cinnamon. Top with sparkling water. Sir and enjoy. ​