Kitchen essentials to boost immunity
This winter has had many of us struggling to stay healthy and maintain strong immunity against the many colds, flus and bugs that are going around. It made me wonder what different cultures worldwide used as traditional home remedies to help them stay healthy during the winter months and beyond.
What I noticed was that many of the remedies are common food items found in kitchens around the world. Here is a sampling of what some cultures use, with ingredients that are easy to find in our grocery stores, and I hope this is a helpful resource to keep you healthy through the winter.
China:
My go-to remedy is a tea using fresh ginger, honey, and lemon. I chop up about 1 inch of fresh ginger and steep it in 2 cups of water. I add 1 teaspoon of honey and juice of a quarter lemon (or a lemon tea bag) to make a really pungent tea. I drink this several times a day when I first start noticing that I might be coming down with something.
Japan:
Use 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions, two teaspoons of miso paste and 1 cup of boiling water for a savory cup of green onion soup.
Spain:
Slice and simmer five cloves of garlic in 3 cups of water and add ½ cup honey and ½ cup lemon juice. Your family and colleagues might not want to be around you much after drinking this concoction but I’m sure it would be tremendously effective.
Vietnam:
Make a broth of chicken stock, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cloves, star anise and sugar. Adding pho noodles and chicken turns this into a delicious immune-boosting meal.
India:
Make ‘golden milk’ with a cup of warm milk and stir in a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of honey.
Mexico:
Make a tea with water, cinnamon (ground on a stick) and honey.
Venezuela:
Sauté onions and garlic until soft and then puree them with milk. This drink doesn’t sound very tasty to me, but apparently, it’s quite effective.
I hope that keeping some of these ingredients in your kitchen will help you and your family stay healthy this winter and beyond.
