Building Immunity With Food
Hey everybody. My name is Amy Baragar and I'm a nutritional therapy practitioner. And today I want to talk to you about health. I get questions all the time from people asking what they can do to stay healthy. How can they improve their health? And especially now it's more relevant than ever because everybody is concerned and looking at what they can do to improve their lives. So I want to take you through two different theories. One is the germ theory and the germ theory would argue that germs are responsible for all of the disease and illness, and that we need to do our best in order to kill all the germs. And we can do this by washing our hands sterilizing, using hand sanitizers, taking antibiotics when necessary and generally avoiding all germs. However, although this is very valid, it's kind of impossible to go through your life avoiding germs. And another thing to consider is that the immune system is built by exposure to germs throughout our lifetime.
Now, another side is a terrain theory and the premise behind the terrain theory is that an unhealthy terrain, meaning your body is going to be more receptive to illnesses and diseases. And when you do get them, they're going to be more likely to inflict damage on the body. So this could explain why some people are more vulnerable to sickness. Why do some people have horrible symptoms, which linger and other people's symptoms are more mild and they recover quickly. So both of these theories are valid, both the germ theory and the terrain theory, but I think in order to better manage illnesses and diseases, we must first create health. People who have more balance in their bodies are going to be better equipped to deal with these challenges.
Our bodies are designed to come back in balance, but they just need the proper tools in order to do so. I think one of the most important tools in your tool chest is to eat healthy food. I think that the food that you put in your mouth has a direct impact on your overall health. So I'm going to help you with that in addition to providing a lot of other ideas and suggestions to help you on your path to wellness. I'm going to be posting videos with recipes, nutrition, tips, and some lifestyle ideas. So stay tuned
And remember until the next time make every bite count.
Amy’s Mixing Bowl Salad
Hey everybody. My name is Amy Baragar. And today I want to talk to you about salads. It's so easy to get stuck in the same routine when it comes to making our salads. Generally we'll throw in some lettuce, maybe some cherry tomatoes, top it with some grilled chicken and then slather it with some salad dressing. So my goal for today is to give you some ideas on things to put in your salad that you may not have thought about.
Generally, foods can either contribute to your overall health, or they can take away from your health. And what I want to do through this series of videos that I'm doing for you is to just give you an idea of things that you can do to boost your immune system, to build that terrain so that you're able to deal with any illnesses that might come your way.
So today we're going to talk about salads, and generally I refer to this as my mixing bowl salad, because what happens with me a lot of times is that I start making a salad in a normal sized bowl. And then I think, oh gosh, I should put some of this in, or maybe I'll add an egg in, or maybe I'll add some of this in. And then by the end, it's like overflowing. So, I started making all of the salads in a mixing bowl because it just makes it easy. And that's what I'll do is, I'll just make a huge salad and then I'll sit there and chomp on it for the rest of the day or for the couple of days. So, let's get started.
First off, let's talk about the base of your salad.
Greens are a great source of a lot of different antioxidants, a lot of nutrients, and the more variety that you can get in your greens, the better. Another great thing about adding a mix to your greens is that some of the bitter greens like arugula and radicchio can help to stimulate the stomach acid. You know, any of that chewing that we do when we eat a salad is going to help with our digestion because it's going to get those digestive juices flowing. So, you have a couple of choices for your base.
Something different that you may not have thought about is adding cabbage. Cabbage is a great source of antioxidants. It's high in sulfur, which is good for detoxification. In fact, one very well-known health expert swears by eating cabbage, she munches on cabbage leaves when she's flying on airplanes to help mitigate some of the effects of the air and the chemicals that are found within air travel.
So, start your salad with some cabbage. Often, it’s the only base that I use. So cabbage…you can also do some radicchio. Radicchio is usually this little ball and it's got brightly colored purple and orange to it. And any of your brightly colored vegetables are going to be filled with antioxidants. Another thing that you may not have thought about is bok choy. There are a couple of different parts of the bok choy. You can either eat the raw greens, chop up and just sprinkle those on your salad, or you could eat the white part of it. And the white roots are really crunchy and they have a flavor that's very similar and also a texture that's very similar to celery.
Bok choy is a great source of calcium. You know, if you're on a plant-based diet, then it's a really good bioavailable source of calcium too. So, add some bok choy to it. Arugula is another thing that you can do and, you know, mix it up your greens and baby Arugula is another one of those bitter greens that can help. Anytime you pucker, with that bitterness, it kind of sends a message to your stomach to start the digestive juices flowing. And so Arugula is a great way to do this.
There's a lot of really interesting, easy greens that are out there. I discourage you from getting a salad in a bag where you've got your grated carrot and veggies and you just like dumped the bag in for an instant salad, because sometimes there's chemicals to make them stay fresh and green. So this is a better choice if you're going to go that route is to get some of these that are in this plastic container. And this one is called super greens, and then there's maybe arugula. And then I also had one that was just a spring salad mix. So you can go with one of those too. And another thing that you can use to top off your salad are these micro greens, and the micro greens are going to have very, very nutrient dense properties to them. This one just happens to be a mix of kale and arugula, broccoli, beet tops and parsley. And so, you know, a couple of tablespoons of this, sprinkle it on. They really don't taste like much. So, it's a really good way to get some concentrated antioxidants in now.
So we've got basically our base here. Now let's talk about some vegetables that you can add, we’ve got some radishes, we've got those gorgeous watermelon radishes right now, and the watermelon radishes aren't going to be as bitter as your normal radishes. Sometimes the radishes can have a little bit of a bite to them. These are great. These are some purple and red and white radishes.
Here's some celery that I've chopped up; just throw a handful of celery and carrots in. And the good thing about carrots is that you can either grate them or you can chop them into tiny bits. One of the interesting things about carrots is that the nutrient profile of carrots is increased when you steam them or boil them. So cooked carrots are a lot more nutritious than raw carrots.
The other thing is your variety of bell peppers. I have red bell peppers here, and as far as bell peppers are concerned, red bell peppers, orange and yellow bell peppers have the highest amount of vitamin C of any vegetable out there. Pretty cool, huh? I've got some cherry tomatoes here and again, what would be complete without my favorite, which is an avocado; the avocado is going to add a dose of healthy fats and the healthy fats can help break down some of the nutrients and make them more bioavailable than what’s found in your other vegetables in your green. Make sure you add fat to your salads, whether it's in the form of olive oil or an avocado or nuts and seeds or eggs, or your protein. So, another thing would be artichoke hearts. I like these canned artichoke hearts just because they're really easy.
Now let's talk about proteins. I like chopping up a couple of hard boiled eggs and just sprinkling those in. Plus it adds a little bit of creaminess to it. I had some leftover chicken that I diced up that I'm going to add to my salad. If you don't have that, you can add tuna fish. I like this Wild Planet brand, and this is the skipjack tuna. And they also make a wild pink salmon. So, you can do either one of these or if you want, you can add sardines to your salad because that's always great because you can add your omega-threes and get a little bit calcium if you have the bone-in sardines. And then here's some wild anchovies for those of you who are really adventurous. These are good to use if you want to make a salad dressing like some sort of Caesar salad dressing, you can add these. Any of your smaller fish, like anchovies, sardines, and baby mackerel, aren't going to have a lot more omega3s in them. So that's a good choice.
So now we're into some toppings - pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hemp hearts are great toppings. You can just sprinkle over it, the sunflower and pumpkin seeds. In fact, all three of these have a lot of the minerals. They've got a great variety of minerals and they're high in zinc. And some other minerals that you might not find in your everyday diet for those of you who are vegetarian or vegan.
Hemp hearts are a great source of protein. They're just a great, plant-based protein in addition to having that nutrient profile, and it's only three tablespoons can add 10 grams of protein to your meal. Finally, I think one of the secrets to a really good salad is to sprinkle it at the very end, with a little bit of sea salt before you mix it up.
I happen to love this brand of salt. It's called Redmond’s Real salt. And one of the first things that I encourage my clients to do is to switch from Morton’s iodized salt to Redmond's Real salt. And that's the name of this it's mined from salt mines in Utah. And so, you don't have to worry about any of the heavy metals or the toxins that can be found in some of the sea salts. Himalayan sea salt is also really good, but I just love this brand. I think it just tastes so clean and fresh, and this is an easy swap to make. It's one of the first things that I recommend to my clients. So that's it. No. I forgot, what salad isn't complete without a little bit of crumbled bacon on the top. In fact, one of the salads that you could make, if you wanted to, was to take some of your super greens, maybe chop up some Arugula, add your tomatoes, sprinkled some bacon on it, some avocado, you can add in your chicken and make a bacon, lettuce, and tomato and chicken salad.
That's all I have for today. And remember until next time make every bite count!
Hey everybody. My name is Amy Baragar. And today I want to talk to you about salads. It's so easy to get stuck in the same routine when it comes to making our salads. Generally we'll throw in some lettuce, maybe some cherry tomatoes, top it with some grilled chicken and then slather it with some salad dressing. So my goal for today is to give you some ideas on things to put in your salad that you may not have thought about.
Generally, foods can either contribute to your overall health, or they can take away from your health. And what I want to do through this series of videos that I'm doing for you is to just give you an idea of things that you can do to boost your immune system, to build that terrain so that you're able to deal with any illnesses that might come your way.
So today we're going to talk about salads, and generally I refer to this as my mixing bowl salad, because what happens with me a lot of times is that I start making a salad in a normal sized bowl. And then I think, oh gosh, I should put some of this in, or maybe I'll add an egg in, or maybe I'll add some of this in. And then by the end, it's like overflowing. So, I started making all of the salads in a mixing bowl because it just makes it easy. And that's what I'll do is, I'll just make a huge salad and then I'll sit there and chomp on it for the rest of the day or for the couple of days. So, let's get started.
First off, let's talk about the base of your salad.
Greens are a great source of a lot of different antioxidants, a lot of nutrients, and the more variety that you can get in your greens, the better. Another great thing about adding a mix to your greens is that some of the bitter greens like arugula and radicchio can help to stimulate the stomach acid. You know, any of that chewing that we do when we eat a salad is going to help with our digestion because it's going to get those digestive juices flowing. So, you have a couple of choices for your base.
Something different that you may not have thought about is adding cabbage. Cabbage is a great source of antioxidants. It's high in sulfur, which is good for detoxification. In fact, one very well-known health expert swears by eating cabbage, she munches on cabbage leaves when she's flying on airplanes to help mitigate some of the effects of the air and the chemicals that are found within air travel.
So, start your salad with some cabbage. Often, it’s the only base that I use. So cabbage…you can also do some radicchio. Radicchio is usually this little ball and it's got brightly colored purple and orange to it. And any of your brightly colored vegetables are going to be filled with antioxidants. Another thing that you may not have thought about is bok choy. There are a couple of different parts of the bok choy. You can either eat the raw greens, chop up and just sprinkle those on your salad, or you could eat the white part of it. And the white roots are really crunchy and they have a flavor that's very similar and also a texture that's very similar to celery.
Bok choy is a great source of calcium. You know, if you're on a plant-based diet, then it's a really good bioavailable source of calcium too. So, add some bok choy to it. Arugula is another thing that you can do and, you know, mix it up your greens and baby Arugula is another one of those bitter greens that can help. Anytime you pucker, with that bitterness, it kind of sends a message to your stomach to start the digestive juices flowing. And so Arugula is a great way to do this.
There's a lot of really interesting, easy greens that are out there. I discourage you from getting a salad in a bag where you've got your grated carrot and veggies and you just like dumped the bag in for an instant salad, because sometimes there's chemicals to make them stay fresh and green. So this is a better choice if you're going to go that route is to get some of these that are in this plastic container. And this one is called super greens, and then there's maybe arugula. And then I also had one that was just a spring salad mix. So you can go with one of those too. And another thing that you can use to top off your salad are these micro greens, and the micro greens are going to have very, very nutrient dense properties to them. This one just happens to be a mix of kale and arugula, broccoli, beet tops and parsley. And so, you know, a couple of tablespoons of this, sprinkle it on. They really don't taste like much. So, it's a really good way to get some concentrated antioxidants in now.
So we've got basically our base here. Now let's talk about some vegetables that you can add, we’ve got some radishes, we've got those gorgeous watermelon radishes right now, and the watermelon radishes aren't going to be as bitter as your normal radishes. Sometimes the radishes can have a little bit of a bite to them. These are great. These are some purple and red and white radishes.
Here's some celery that I've chopped up; just throw a handful of celery and carrots in. And the good thing about carrots is that you can either grate them or you can chop them into tiny bits. One of the interesting things about carrots is that the nutrient profile of carrots is increased when you steam them or boil them. So cooked carrots are a lot more nutritious than raw carrots.
The other thing is your variety of bell peppers. I have red bell peppers here, and as far as bell peppers are concerned, red bell peppers, orange and yellow bell peppers have the highest amount of vitamin C of any vegetable out there. Pretty cool, huh? I've got some cherry tomatoes here and again, what would be complete without my favorite, which is an avocado; the avocado is going to add a dose of healthy fats and the healthy fats can help break down some of the nutrients and make them more bioavailable than what’s found in your other vegetables in your green. Make sure you add fat to your salads, whether it's in the form of olive oil or an avocado or nuts and seeds or eggs, or your protein. So, another thing would be artichoke hearts. I like these canned artichoke hearts just because they're really easy.
Now let's talk about proteins. I like chopping up a couple of hard boiled eggs and just sprinkling those in. Plus it adds a little bit of creaminess to it. I had some leftover chicken that I diced up that I'm going to add to my salad. If you don't have that, you can add tuna fish. I like this Wild Planet brand, and this is the skipjack tuna. And they also make a wild pink salmon. So, you can do either one of these or if you want, you can add sardines to your salad because that's always great because you can add your omega-threes and get a little bit calcium if you have the bone-in sardines. And then here's some wild anchovies for those of you who are really adventurous. These are good to use if you want to make a salad dressing like some sort of Caesar salad dressing, you can add these. Any of your smaller fish, like anchovies, sardines, and baby mackerel, aren't going to have a lot more omega3s in them. So that's a good choice.
So now we're into some toppings - pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hemp hearts are great toppings. You can just sprinkle over it, the sunflower and pumpkin seeds. In fact, all three of these have a lot of the minerals. They've got a great variety of minerals and they're high in zinc. And some other minerals that you might not find in your everyday diet for those of you who are vegetarian or vegan.
Hemp hearts are a great source of protein. They're just a great, plant-based protein in addition to having that nutrient profile, and it's only three tablespoons can add 10 grams of protein to your meal. Finally, I think one of the secrets to a really good salad is to sprinkle it at the very end, with a little bit of sea salt before you mix it up.
I happen to love this brand of salt. It's called Redmond’s Real salt. And one of the first things that I encourage my clients to do is to switch from Morton’s iodized salt to Redmond's Real salt. And that's the name of this it's mined from salt mines in Utah. And so, you don't have to worry about any of the heavy metals or the toxins that can be found in some of the sea salts. Himalayan sea salt is also really good, but I just love this brand. I think it just tastes so clean and fresh, and this is an easy swap to make. It's one of the first things that I recommend to my clients. So that's it. No. I forgot, what salad isn't complete without a little bit of crumbled bacon on the top. In fact, one of the salads that you could make, if you wanted to, was to take some of your super greens, maybe chop up some Arugula, add your tomatoes, sprinkled some bacon on it, some avocado, you can add in your chicken and make a bacon, lettuce, and tomato and chicken salad.
That's all I have for today. And remember until next time make every bite count!