According to the latest CDC Influenza Surveillance Report, flu is widespread in 25 states so far this season. As for the common cold, the CDC estimates that more a than 1 billion of us will suffer from it in 2015.
Raw fruit and vegetable juices are great immune system fortifiers, especially during an active infection with a cold or flu. This time of year, it’s critical to get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and bolster the immune system with freshly made juices rich in vitamins, minerals, and important phytochemicals such as flavonoids, which are known to be powerful antiviral agents.
Here are three recipes to make in a juicer. Drink these when you feel a cold or flu coming on.
Immune Power Veggie
Rich in carotenes and the immune-enhancing benefits of garlic and ginger, this drink gives your immune system a real shot in the arm. With their high content of the food fiber inulin, the Jerusalem artichokes, if you can find them, provide additional health benefits–particularly for supporting infection-fighting bacteria in your gut.
2 garlic cloves
1/4-inch slice of ginger
Handful of parsley
3 carrots
1 apple, cut into wedges
1 cup of Jerusalem artichokes (optional)
Place the garlic and ginger in the center of the parsley, and feed into the juicer with the aid of a carrot. Alternate feeding the remaining carrots, apple, and Jerusalem artichokes (if using) into the juicer.
Immune Power Fruit
This drink is rich in many nutrients vital to the immune system, and it also abounds in flavonoids and other phytochemicals with demonstrated antiviral and antioxidant effects.
1 orange, peeled
1 cup strawberries
1/4 pineapple with skin, sliced
Juice the orange, followed by the strawberries and pineapple.
Immune Power Veggie Extreme
This formula is a great weapon against an active upper respiratory tract infection. The daikon radish really helps clear the sinuses and nasal passages.
2 cloves garlic
1/4 inch slice of ginger
Handful of parsley
3 carrots
1/2 daikon radish, cut into lengthwise pieces, or 4 radishes with leafy greens
Place the garlic and ginger in the center of the parsley, and feed into the juicer with the aid of a carrot. Juice the radish and the remaining carrots.
Michael T. Murray ND is a naturopathic physician regarded as one of the world’s top authorities on natural medicine. An educator, lecturer, researcher, and health food industry consultant, he is the author of more than 30 books, including his new book, The Complete Book of Juicing, Revised and Updated: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality (Clarkson Potter, 2014). Learn more at www.DrMurray.com.
Find more information on juicing for healing, detoxing, and weight loss, including more than 150 recipes, in his latest book, The Complete Book of Juicing, Revised and Updated: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality (Clarkson Potter, January 2014).
Reprinted from 3/8/14.