An Immune-Boosting Self-Care Routine for When You're Feeling Under the Weather
When you’re feeling under the weather, nothing sounds as comforting as sipping on a bowl of warm soup or a cup of tea while snuggling under a pile of blankets and getting as much rest as possible. You’ll want to consume things that can relieve some of your symptoms and boost your immune system, so we’ve rounded up a powerful trio of recipes to get you through those days when you’re just not feeling like yourself. While these sick-day recipes by our Alo Moves instructor Kayla Nielsen can’t promise to heal you, they’re full of nourishing ingredients and taste so incredible, you’ll want to reach for them on your good days, too.
Veggie Noodle Soup
If you grew up being served a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup each time you got sick, chances are you’ll crave something similar now to help you feel better. The good news? Chicken noodle soup’s cold-fighting powers have been studied, and research shows it actually does help fight colds by thinning mucus and helping to ease nasal congestion. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, the good news is you can take advantage of some of those benefits with this delicious veggie noodle soup.
Ingredients
Veggie stock or broth
1 large white onion, chopped
7 cloves of fresh garlic
White mushrooms
2-3 fresh red chilies, chopped (optional for spice)
Chunks of fresh ginger + ⅛ cup shredded ginger
Chunks of fresh turmeric + ⅛ cup shredded turmeric
Fresh coriander
Fresh parsley
1 cup nutritional yeast
Spices
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
Black mustard seeds
Black pepper
Cumin
Sea salt
Soup Add-ins
Carrot
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Noodles
Organic chickpea noodles, or you can substitute with quinoa
Toppings
Hemp seeds
Micro-greens, like broccoli sprouts
Directions
Add chunks of fresh ginger and turmeric to a pot of boiling water. Keep it on low heat for the duration of other food prep.
In a separate large pot, boil 2 cups of water and add veggie stock. Bring to a simmer.
In a separate pan, add a dash of olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, red chilies, paprika, cumin, black pepper, sea salt, and mustard seeds.
Once onion and garlic are soft and spices have a robust aroma, set mixture aside and return the pan to low heat.
In that same pan, lightly cook white mushrooms with just a little water and sea salt for about 3 minutes.
Add spice mixture and lightly cooked white mushrooms to a food processor. Include heaps of fresh parsley and coriander. Add about ½ cup of the turmeric and ginger-infused hot water and blend until fully liquid. Add more of the infused hot water as needed to get to this liquid consistency.
Combine blended mixture to veggie broth and add more sea salt. Include ½ cup to 1 cup nutritional yeast.
Add veggies to broth and bring mixture to a boil until the veggies are soft.
Once boiled, bring to low heat and let simmer. The longer you allow the spices, herbs, and veggies to soak, the more flavorful it will be.
When you’re about 15 minutes away from serving the meal, cook the noodles or quinoa separately.
Add more spice and salt to taste. When the noodles and soup are ready, mix together and top with fresh coriander, parsley, and other additional toppings.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Tips
Don’t worry about chopping up onion or garlic too much, as the whole mixture is going to be blended anyways.
The nutritional yeast is great for a B vitamin boost, and adds a cheesy flavor.
Keep the noodles separate from the soup so they don’t get over-cooked and bloated. You can then add the noodles to the broth once you’re ready to serve.
HERBAL TEA
Staying hydrated is really important while you’re sick, and the more delicious drinks you have on hand, the easier it is to stay on top of your fluid intake. We love this easy and invigorating herbal tea to help soothe a sore throat and give an extra dose of vitamins and immunity-boosters like ginger and turmeric.
Ingredients
Fresh ginger
Fresh turmeric
Lemon
Optional
Mushroom blend
Schisandra
Soluble fiber
Directions
Add chunks of ginger and turmeric to a teapot (or a regular pot) with boiling water, lower the heat and let steep for at least 30 minutes.
Once the ginger and turmeric have steeped to your liking, add to a mug with juice from ½ a lemon. If you don't like the tangy flavor as much, add less lemon juice.
If you’re including any of the optional ingredients from above, stir in about ¼ tsp of each with hot water.
Drink hot and enjoy!
IMMUNITY TONIC
If you’ve got a juicer on hand, you can quickly whip together this immunity tonic to give yourself a surge of anti-inflammatory ingredients and wake up your palate.
Ginger adds spice and warmth to dishes, is anti-inflammatory, great for digestion, and can help treat nausea.
Turmeric is milder than ginger and great for reducing inflammation.
Lemon is zesty and citrusy, helping to reduce spiciness in dishes if you’re sensitive. It also can help boost immunity and is rich in Vitamin C.
Black pepper activates turmeric so that it can actually help with inflammation.
Ingredients:
Organic ginger root
Organic turmeric root
Organic lemon
Black pepper
Filtered water
Directions:
Wash the ginger and turmeric.
Run the ginger, turmeric, and lemon through a juicer with filtered water.
The more water you use, the more diluted the flavor will be.
Taste test as you go. Remember that you can always add more, so start with small quantities and build rather than the other way around.
Once you have it to your liking, add fresh grated black pepper and shake to blend everything together.
Feeling under the weather, but still wanting to move your body? Try our gentle Yoga for Sick Days playlist. Start your free 14-day trial to Alo Moves to get started.
