You’re probably used to thinking about immune health this time of year, but we all know this isn’t a typical year. We hope this finds you tending to yourself and your family, including managing stress, drinking your share of water and getting some extra sleep – all important when fending off winter illnesses. Now more than ever, it’s critical to bolster your body’s defenses by eating beneficial foods that offer clinically documented strains of live probiotics to help balance digestion and support immune health.
Nourished by a well-balanced diet, your body functions better holistically as it relies on a strong immune system to prevent illness. Beyond avoiding sugary treats and processed convenience foods, maintaining immune health involves cultivating an environment that naturally resists pathogens. Regularly eating nutritious foods, including those with high counts of live beneficial probiotics can help restore balance to your gut, where most of your immune cells live.
These days, forming new eating habits may seem idealistic as you manage work, family and other realities of life while navigating the challenges around us. More than likely, several preventive medicines are already hanging out in your kitchen. If your fridge and pantry aren’t fully stocked, start by picking up Nancy’s yogurts, cottage cheese and sour cream to use in simple recipes for comfort and wellness throughout the winter months. We’ve listed a few of our family favorites here.
OUR TOP 5 WINTER RECIPES:
Immunity boosting Smoothie with Carrot, Ginger and Turmeric
In complex times, a simple treat is everything. For the most nutritious carrot cake you’ve ever sipped, combine carrot, ginger and turmeric with Nancy’s Organic Whole Milk Yogurt to make an antioxidant-rich smoothie. Together, these ingredients can help support immunity by calming inflammation, boosting vitamin C levels and providing billions of live beneficial probiotics to increase microbial density in the gut.
Fall Lettuces with Cottage Cheese
The autumn leaves have fallen and we’re already longing for shades of green. A vibrant and nutritious salad is so satisfying with spinach, avocado and a heaping spoonful of Nancy’s Organic Cottage Cheese, which has about 14 grams of protein to help restore tissues in the body and build healthy bones. Fun fact: the grapes in this recipe are more than a refreshing burst of flavor. They have an abundance of vitamins K and C, and they’re a natural source of resveratrol.
Baked Golden Beets with Sour Cream and Fresh Herbs
Vitamin C, fiber and essential minerals are all found in golden beets, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Did you know that their leafy tops are also high in nutritional value and packed with antioxidants? Sauté them in a little olive oil and serve them alongside naturally sweet beets that are simply foil-baked and served with Nancy’s Organic Sour Cream. Bonus: this nutritious recipe dishes up deep flavor with basic cooking techniques.
Curried Lentil Stew with Yogurt
In addition to eating high counts of beneficial probiotics for your gut, you might be thinking of ways to encourage them to stick around. Lentils are an excellent prebiotic that feeds healthy bacteria and allows them to cultivate. You’ll love them too! With hearty potatoes and fragrant curry spices, lentils are a warm and comforting element in a tomato-based stew. Top your bowl with a dollop of Nancy’s Organic Plain Yogurt for a cool, creamy probiotic boost.
Yogurt Parfait with Sparkling Raspberry Sauce
Lots of foods are delicious in their purest form, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t layer them on top of each other. Enter, the quintessential immunity boosting treat: Yogurt Parfait. True to form, ours has an antioxidant-rich raspberry sauce made with champagne. What better way to ring in the new year than with a spoonful of Nancy’s Whole Milk Yogurt and a little something sparkly?
Almost anything we could say about 2020 would be an understatement. This has been an unprecedented year with challenges beyond any we’ve met before. In good health and solidarity with our community, we’re pressing on. The other side of winter offers hope and renewal. In the meantime, we look forward to meeting you in the kitchen for some truly comforting and beneficial food.
Stay healthy, be well, and keep warm.
❤️ – The Kesey Family & all the folks at Springfield Creamery