Have you been ailing for days and want to sip something other than soup to strengthen your immune system? We tell you which food is really good for you if you have a cold
Vitamins for the immune system: Eat yourself healthy
J ow it’s official! Men really suffer from a cold more than women. Genes and hormones are to blame, as researchers at Stanford University of California found
In the experiment, the defense reaction after flu vaccinations was measured in women and men. It turned out that men produce fewer antibodies – and are therefore more blown away. So that it doesn’t get that far this year, it is all the more important to counter this with healthy vegetables. Bake, grill or cook green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach or Swiss chard, so the many positive effects can be ideally combined with a warm winter meal. While fresh food is limited in winter, there are plenty of green leafy vegetables. To keep the immune system ready and colds at bay, the body needs sufficient vitamins and minerals.
Another important ingredient makes the greens a real health booster: chlorophyll. With the help of photosynthesis, the plant pigment converts light into carbohydrates and thus provides the necessary energy for the plant. The power substance unfolds even further in people. It neutralizes acids in the body, which means that the tissue is better supplied with blood and the cells receive more oxygen. Viruses and bacteria don’t like that at all.
So: better to bite into the green than into the grass! Here come the best recipes with the green fodder!
Swiss chard pan with egg, onions and tomatoes
Even the ancient Romans valued leafy vegetables. Chard contains a lot of fiber, which improves digestion and helps to bind and eliminate toxins in the body.
Ingredients for 2 serving (s)
- 250 g cherry tomato (s)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 kg of Swiss chard
- 2 medium onion (s)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 4 medium-sized egg (s)
preparation
- Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes, mix with the red wine vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cut out the chard stalks, place the leaves in a bowl with cold water, wash thoroughly, pour into a colander to drain and then roughly chop. Then wash and dry the stems and cut them into narrow strips. Peel the onions and garlic, dice both finely.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan with a lid on medium heat. Add the stalks of the chard together with the onion cubes and sauté for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the garlic and sauté everything for one minute while stirring. Then add the chard leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the hotplate on high and wait, stirring constantly, until the leaves have collapsed.
- Reduce to medium heat and use the back of a spoon to make 4 hollows in the vegetables. Slide in 1 egg each. Cover the pan and let the eggs set for about 4 minutes.
- Pour vinegar tomatoes on top and serve immediately.
- Calories (kcal): 420
- Fat: 26g
- Protein: 29g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
Nutty kale
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Wash the kale, remove the hard stalks, and spread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, then sprinkle the other ingredients on the leaves. Massage the whole thing well into the leaves, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes on the top rack (after 10 minutes, slide the tray onto the middle rack).
Ingredients for 1 tray (s)
- 200 g kale
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tsp sesame (toasted)
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
preparation
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
- Wash the kale, remove the hard stalks, and spread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, then sprinkle the other ingredients on the leaves.
- Massage the whole thing well into the leaves, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes on the top rack (after 10 minutes, slide the tray onto the middle rack).
- Calories (kcal): 147
- Fat: 10g
- Protein: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 7g
Baked kale with lemon
4 ingredients, 25 minutes and 100 percent taste: try this delicious clean eating recipe
Ingredients for 1 tray (s)
- 200 g kale
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
preparation
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
- Wash the kale, remove the hard stalks, and spread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, then sprinkle the other ingredients on the leaves.
- Massage the whole thing well into the leaves, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes on the top rack (after 10 minutes, slide the tray onto the middle rack).
- Calories (kcal): 152
- Fat: 11g
- Protein: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
Orange and kale smoothie with ginger
Green leafy vegetables are great to combine in a smoothie
Ingredients for 2 serving (s)
- 1/4 l water
- 1 bunch of radishes
- 40 g kale
- 1 piece (s) of ginger (approx. 1 cm)
- 2 medium orange (s)
preparation
- Coarsely chop the ingredients. Also use the green for the radishes, so buy organic.
- Put everything in a blender, fill up with water and mix finely.
- Calories (kcal): 95
- Fat: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 17g