Healing Foods to Build the Immune System

With sick season upon us, I am taking proactive steps to keep my family healthy and prevent us from catching simply everything there is to catch! I’ve created a sort of ritual around our healing foods, certain times to have certain things, which is comforting in its own way as a rhythm of our day, but is also useful for establishing consistency with my children. They know what to expect, when, and readily accept what I place in front of them.

Before Breakfast

Before breakfast, I serve my children a bowl of herbal tea. (Yes, a bowl. As of this writing, the vast majority of our belongings are still in storage from our move cross country back to north Idaho. We’re making do with what we have…. But! I hear from Jennifer L. Scott’s book Lessons from Madame Chic that the Parisians drink their morning beverage from a bowl. So we’re in good company.)

The current teas I have available as options are:

Lavender/Chamomile/Lemon balm

Rooibos Chai

Rosehip Hibiscus

Peppermint

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.”

Psalm 104:14

Before Lunch & Dinner

Before handing my children their plate of food for lunch or dinner, I serve about a fourth to a half cup of bone broth. Sometimes it’s beef bone broth. Sometimes, chicken. A few days, it was turkey. And I have lamb bones in the refrigerator waiting to become broth, too.

The basic bone broth is very simple. Cover roasted carcasses and bones with water (in a ratio similar to ice in a drink, the carcasses being the ice, and the water being the drink), and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface (being careful to not stir the broth, which will produce a cloudy broth). Simmer all day, 8-12 hours, if on a stove top, or pressure cook for 90 minutes in the instant pot.

For more details about the nourishing effects of bone broth, or for ideas of how to level up your bone broth, check out Nourishing Broth by Sally Fallon. Although not all of her recipes are Biblically clean, the information is excellent, and there are certainly many broth recipes which are Biblically clean.

With Lunch & Dinner

With our lunch and dinner, I provide about a tablespoon of fermented food to be eaten as a garnish. (And although I say I do this with lunch and dinner, I do sometimes provide a fermented food at breakfast, too, especially yogurt or sauerkraut with eggs for the kids, or fermented jalapeños on a breakfast taco for me.) Fermented foods are teeming with probiotics, ready to inhabit our guts and fight the good fight of health for us. Some options:

Cultured Dairy

Yogurt (I prefer Nancy’s brand)

Kefir (here’s kefir grains to make your own!)

Fermented Vegetables

Sauerkraut— Set aside two large outer leaves of cabbage. Core and shred/chop cabbage into slices. Massage 3 Tbsp of salt per 5lbs of cabbage in a large bowl. Let sit about 20 minutes for the salt to draw out liquid from the cabbage. Push the salted cabbage into a mason jar, tamping down firmly with fist or wooden tamper so that the brine (salty liquid) covers the cabbage. Leave about 2 inches of headspace. Use the outer leaves initially set aside to cover the cabbage and act as a weight, keeping the shredded cabbage submerged under the brine. Place on a lid. Set on the counter top 3-7 days, burping lid regularly. Once you no longer hear or feel the jar release pressure when burped, store or eat.

Beet Kvass— Dissolve 2 Tbsp of honey into 2 cups water. (If using lukewarm water, must allow to cool.) Scrub 3 medium beets well. Chop into medium/large-ish size chunks, about 1 inch square. Place in a jar with about 1 inch of headspace. Pour the honey water over. Place on a lid. Set on the counter top 3-7 days, burping lid regularly. Once you no longer hear or feel the jar release pressure when burped, strain out the beets (which can be eaten) and serve the beet kvass over ice.

Fermented Jalapeños— Dissolve 3 Tbsp of salt into 4 cups water. (If using lukewarm water, must allow to cool). Chop jalapeños into circular discs, but reserve one jalapeño to be cut lengthwise. Fill quart jar with jalapeños. Pour over salt water, leaving about 2 inches of headspace. Use the jalapeño cut lengthwise to cover the jalapeño discs and act as a weight, keeping the jalapeño discs submerged under the brine. Place on a lid. Set on the counter top 3-7 days, burping lid regularly. Once you no longer hear of feel the jar release pressure when burped, store or eat.

In Between Meals

In between meals, I will offer my children warming drinks, such as:

Hot Chocolate— Add cinnamon and ginger and sweeten with honey for healthful benefits! Process: Measure milk or water into pot according to how many cups you plan to make. Add cocoa powder and honey, about 1 Tbsp each per cup. (I generally use equal parts cocoa powder and honey. You can increase or decrease each component depending on your taste preferences— more chocolate, less sweet, etc.) Add a pinch of cinnamon and ginger. Warm over the stove until desired temperature, stirring frequently to prevent scalding.

Golden Milk— A dash of turmeric, a pinch of pepper, and a teaspoon of honey make this beverage a delightful cup of health! Process: Measure milk into pot according to how many cups you plan to make. Stir in a teaspoon or two (according to taste) of honey. Add a very small dash of turmeric and a pinch of pepper. Warm over the stove until desired temperature, stirring frequently to prevent scalding.

Shalom!

Raquel

Comment below! What are your favorite healing foods or home remedies to make for your family?