Regardless of health scares in the larger world, keeping healthy should always be high on your priority list. This immunity broth recipe is backed with health-promoting seaweed, fresh vegetables and savory seasonings to keep you healthy.
Of course, I recommend following the CDC's advice when it comes to proper hand washing and other helpful ways to stay healthy.
Understanding the Immune System
The immune system has always been one of my favorite topics, since high school biology class. This system is necessary for fighting off illness and disease. Your organs function together to form a defense mechanism against infections, viruses and toxins.
The immune system's primary function is to protect the body from foreign matter that disrupts regular functioning. It's never been more important to support your immune system with a healthy diet.
For older people, or those with underlying medical conditions, the risk of disease and infection is higher. These individuals have an overtaxed immune system, as their bodies are already working hard to keep them healthy. Therefore, it takes more energy and time to combat common threats.
For relatively healthy people, the immune response is quicker and more robust. But the absence of illness doesn't mean that you don't need to take care of your immune system to keep it in tip-top shape.
How Does Immunity Broth Protect Your Immune System?
The term immune competence relates to nutritional intake. This means that in order for your immune systems to be strong, your body needs certain nutrients to boost its functions. These immune-boosting vitamins and minerals are found in many natural foods that have been used in the plant-based community time and again. And even better, they can easily be integrated into your meals, whether you are vegan or not.
Other immune boosters can come from nutritional supplements that are made specifically to boost your immune system. This immunity broth is a natural, homemade and sustainable way to increase your immune response every day. This is one of my favorite broth recipes, and I’m happy to share it during a time when we all need to help each other out.
Do Mushrooms Help Boost Immunity?
Mushrooms are a very important ingredient in this homemade immunity broth recipe. And the short answer is yes, mushrooms are great for your immune system. Like many edible plants, mushrooms are not only delicious but also highly medicinal.
One of the healthiest mushrooms varieties are shiitake mushrooms. That's why I stuffed this recipe with fresh shiitake mushrooms. Shiitakes are an excellent source of many vital nutrients that our bodies need, such as B vitamins, vitamin D, a majority of the essential amino acids and even minerals such as selenium and niacin.
They are also known for helping the body fight off cancer by directly attacking tumor and cancer cells, making them a great addition to your diet, so are you ready to make your immunity broth?
How to Make Immunity Broth At Home
To make this flavorful immunity broth, you'll need a slew of vitamin-packed vegetables. The rest of the recipe really couldn't be simpler.
Add all of the ingredients to a large stock pot. This recipe makes roughly 12 cups of stock, so the bigger the better when it comes to choosing your pot.
Add enough water to cover all of the broth ingredients and bring the pot to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and let the immunity stock simmer for about an hour. That's it! You now have a generous supply of healthy, vitamin-packed immunity broth to enjoy all week long.
One of my favorite things about this immunity broth is how simple it is to make, while still being potent and beneficial to our bodies. All the ingredients listed below contain essential nutrients that help to improve immune response after having just one cup, and it can easily be added to other meals.
How to Use and Store Immunity Broth
You can use this rich and flavorful immunity broth in dozens of different ways. It makes a wonderful a soup base for warm and comforting soups and stews. Or, the homemade broth is an excellent way to season perfectly cooked rice. here's a great recipe for rice pilaf flavored with broth (if you want, simply sub the chicken stock in the recipe for your homemade veggie broth).
You can even just drink a cup of this plant-based immunity broth as a warm drink. If you start your day with immunity broth on an empty stomach, it's even easier to digest, so the benefits go straight to supporting your immune system.
Looking for more immune-boosting recipes? Check out these recipes!
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Immunity Broth
- Yield: Makes about 12 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 2 6-inch pieces of kombu seaweed
- 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 - 2 teaspoons dried astragalus root
- 3 cloves garlic
- A few sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 onion (red or yellow), chopped into 4 pieces
- 1 burdock root, cut into a few pieces
- 4 small carrots, chopped in half
- 3 stalks celery, chopped in half
- 1 bunch parsley
- Optional: fresh ginger (about 3 inches)
- Sea salt
- Water to cover everything
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, place all ingredients.
- Add enough water to cover everything. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower heat to simmer for one hour, covered. Strain the broth through a strainer. Use in soups, cooking rice or as a warm drink on its own!
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