Dr.-Michelle-Jorgensen-Living-Well-with-Dr.-Michelle

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen
Topics:
Holistic Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Real Food, Recipes
30 Minute Meal Formula

15 Everyday Foods That Support Your Immune System
A spread of whole foods including citrus, peppers, broccoli, garlic, ginger and nuts

Have you ever thought about just starting with food?

I get asked constantly about the newest supplement, the powder everyone is posting about, the superfood flown in from somewhere far away. My honest answer is usually simpler than people expect. Start with what is already in your kitchen.

Your body is built and maintained out of raw materials, and those raw materials are vitamins, minerals, protein and fat. Whole food is where they come from, and your immune system draws on the same pantry as everything else.

So here are 15 common foods you probably already eat, what each one actually contains, and five simple recipes my family uses to work them into an ordinary week.

Top 15 Foods and the Nutrients They Contain

One note before the list. What follows is nutrition, not medicine. These are foods and the nutrients they are known to contain, nothing more. No food treats, prevents or cures any illness, and if you are sick or worried about a symptom, that is a conversation for your doctor.
  1. Citrus fruits. Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes are a well known source of vitamin C.
  2. Red bell peppers. A source of vitamin C and of beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A.
  3. Broccoli. Contains vitamins A, C, E and K along with fiber. A light steam keeps more of those nutrients in the florets than a long boil does.
  4. Garlic. Contains sulfur compounds, including allicin, which is what you smell when you crush a clove. Kitchens all over the world have valued it for centuries.
  5. Ginger. Contains gingerol, the compound behind its heat. A staple of traditional cooking and hot drinks in a lot of cultures.
  6. Spinach. A source of vitamin C, folate and beta carotene. Like broccoli, it holds up better with a quick steam than a long simmer.
  7. Yogurt. Plain live culture yogurt provides protein, calcium and probiotic bacteria. Many brands are also fortified with vitamin D, so it is worth reading the label.
  8. Almonds. A source of vitamin E, which is fat soluble, along with protein and healthy fat.
  9. Sunflower seeds. Contain vitamin E and vitamin B6 plus the minerals magnesium, selenium and phosphorus.
  10. Turmeric. The golden root behind curcumin, and the backbone of a lot of traditional cooking. It shows up in the Golden Milk recipe below.
  11. Green tea. Contains catechins, a family of antioxidant compounds, plus the amino acid L theanine.
  12. Papaya. A source of vitamin C, folate and potassium.
  13. Kiwi. Naturally contains vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium.
  14. Poultry. Chicken and turkey provide protein along with vitamin B6 and some zinc.
  15. Shellfish. Oysters, crab and shrimp are among the richest food sources of zinc, and also supply selenium and vitamin B12.

Why Ordinary Whole Foods Do the Heavy Lifting

That is a snapshot, not an exhaustive list.

Honestly, almost any whole food could earn a spot on a list like this one. I find that reassuring, because it means you do not have to chase an expensive supplement or an imported superfood in order to eat well.

You can buy what grows near you, in season, and cook it. That is cheaper, it is more sustainable, and it is something you can still be doing in February when the January enthusiasm has worn off.

You probably know I am big on preparedness and self reliance. Building your health out of simple, repeatable, local things is exactly what I want for you.

Five Simple Recipes That Use These Foods

A lot of families struggle with dairy, so the first two recipes give you a good alternative and a gentler homemade version.

Sugar and Preservative Free Almond Milk

Three ingredients, about 15 minutes of hands on time, no gums and no added sugar. The almonds do need an overnight soak, so start it the night before.

Ingredients to soak

Ingredients to make the milk

  • 4 cups filtered water
  • A pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Cover the almonds with the 3 cups of water and soak 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Rinse the almonds. Put them in a high powered blender with the 4 cups of fresh water and the pinch of salt.
  3. Blend on high for 1 minute, or until very little almond pulp is left.
  4. Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag, a thin tea towel or a clean cotton t-shirt set over a bowl.
  5. Squeeze the milk out of the pulp. Keep squeezing until no liquid is left in the bag.
  6. Pour the milk into a container and store it in the refrigerator.
  7. Put the almond pulp in your compost, or dry it and make almond crackers with it.

Notes

Keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Stir before using, because the almond solids settle as it sits. Use it anywhere you would use dairy milk. No sugar and no preservatives.

Homemade Yogurt

Making yogurt sounds like a project. With a modern appliance it is closer to 10 minutes of work and a long wait. Here are the basics.

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts whole milk
  • Starter yogurt, either saved from a previous batch or store bought

Instructions

  1. Heat the milk to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Stir in the starter yogurt.
  3. Hold the mixture at 110 degrees for 6 to 12 hours. Longer means tangier.

Three ways to hold the temperature

Method 1. Heat the milk in the inner pot of a thermal cooker. At 110 degrees, add the starter and close it up.

Method 2. Set it in a dehydrator at 110 degrees, or in a barely warm oven with just the oven light on.

Method 3. Pour the mixture into glass jars and close the lids. Set them in a cooler, heat a gallon of water to 120 degrees, and pour it in around the jars.

Notes

Once you pick a method, look up a detailed recipe for it. Most will add steps like scalding the milk first and straining the yogurt once the incubation is done. The thermal cooker method is probably the easiest, but figure out which one fits your kitchen and make it a habit.

Pro tip. Spend a little extra on your starter and buy a plain yogurt with a long list of live cultures on the label. After that first container you only need to buy milk, because you save a few spoonfuls of each batch to start the next one.

Ginger Tea

A warm, sharp, lemony drink for a cold day. About 10 minutes start to finish.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
  • 4 cups filtered water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon raw honey

Instructions

  1. Bring the ginger and water to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the lemon and honey, then let it cool enough to drink.

Golden Milk is the family favorite. For years we drank a green smoothie every single morning, and then we noticed nobody wanted a cold drink in January. Plenty of other cultures figured this out long before we did and start the cold months with something hot instead. This is our take on the traditional Ayurvedic version.

Golden Milk

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups filtered water
  • 2 pieces whole turmeric, about 1/2 inch each, fresh or frozen
  • 2 pieces whole ginger, about 1/2 inch each, fresh or frozen
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • A dash of black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat the water until boiling.
  2. Add the boiling water and the rest of the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.
  3. Pour and enjoy.

Notes

We buy fresh ginger and turmeric in bulk, wash them, chop them into 1/2 inch pieces and freeze them in a bag. Then it is just a couple of pieces into the blender each morning. Ground ginger and ground turmeric work too if fresh is hard to find where you are.
Real Food for Real Families book cover

Real Food for Real Families

Dr. Michelle's cookbook for families who want to eat real food without living in the kitchen. Seasonal menus, practical shortcuts, and the recipes her own family actually eats on a Tuesday night.

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Fresh Orange Julius

My go to when I want something cold and creamy. Five minutes, one blender, serves 4.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, from about 3 oranges
  • 1 banana
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup almond or coconut milk
  • 1 cup filtered water
  • 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice
  • 1 cup ice cubes

Instructions

  1. Blend everything together and serve while it is still frothy.

If You Want to Go Deeper on a Single Nutrient

The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements publishes plain language fact sheets on individual vitamins and minerals, including how much people generally need and which foods supply them. Their pages on vitamin C and zinc are a good place to start.

My goal here was never to hand you a complete catalog of foods. It was to show you that there are simple, natural, self reliant things you can put on the table today, without a special order or a big budget.

Do your own reading. Find the foods that grow near you. Come up with better recipes than mine, and then send them to me so I can make them too.
Healthy Mouth, Healthy You book cover

Healthy Mouth, Healthy You

Dr. Michelle's guide to how what you eat shows up in your mouth, and how what happens in your mouth connects to the rest of your body. Written for families, not for dentists.

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The Bottom Line

You do not need an exotic supplement to eat well. Fifteen ordinary foods, a handful of simple recipes and the habit of cooking at home will carry a family a long way.

Pick two foods off this list you already like. Put them in the cart this week. That is the whole assignment.

And if getting real food on the table on a weeknight is the part that trips you up, grab my free 30 Minute Meal Formula. It is the framework I use to build a meal out of whatever is already in the kitchen.
Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, DDS

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen is a dentist, author, speaker, and the founder of Living Well with Dr. Michelle. After practicing traditional dentistry for 10 years, she became seriously ill and discovered she had mercury poisoning from removing mercury fillings for her patients. That journey led her into biological and holistic dentistry, and into a much bigger interest in how food, soil and whole body health fit together.

She grows a large part of her family's food on the Living Well homestead, writes about real food and self reliance, and formulated the Living Well line of hydroxyapatite oral care.

Can food alone keep me from getting sick?

No, and I would not want you to plan around that. Food supplies the vitamins, minerals, protein and fat your body uses every day, including the ones your immune system draws on. It is not a treatment for any illness and it is not a substitute for medical care. Eat well because it is a good foundation, and call your doctor when you are sick.

Which foods on this list are known for vitamin C?

Citrus is the famous one, but red bell peppers, papaya, kiwi, broccoli and spinach all contain vitamin C as well. Red bell peppers surprise most people, since they are usually thought of as a salad vegetable rather than a vitamin C food.

Do I have to eat all 15 of these foods?

No. Treat it as a menu, not a checklist. Pick the two or three your family already likes, keep them in the house, and let the variety build from there.

Should I eat broccoli and spinach raw or cooked?

Either works. A light steam softens the fiber and makes some nutrients easier for your body to absorb, while a long boil leaves water soluble vitamins like C sitting in the pot. So steam them briefly, or eat them raw, and you keep more of what you paid for.

Do I still need a supplement if I eat this way?

That depends on you, and it is a good question for your doctor or a nutrition professional who knows your history. My general preference is food first, with supplements used to fill a specific gap someone has actually identified.

What does any of this have to do with my teeth?

More than most people expect. Teeth and gums are living tissue built from the same minerals as the rest of you, and they are the first part of the body that food touches. That connection is the reason a dentist ends up writing about groceries.