If you’re interested in eating healthy, here’s a collection of well-balanced and immunity boosting recipes. Why not pick a few favourites and add them to your meal plan for the week?
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Roasted Cauliflower, Grape and Wensleydale Salad
Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C which plays a key role in maintaining a healthy immune system. If you don’t have Wensleydale, it can be swapped for another type of cheese, such as feta or Lancashire.
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Baked Black Beans and Kidney Beans with Sweet Potato Wedges
This easy recipe is full of beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A by your body. This helps your immune system fight illness and infection. If you're struggling to find beans in the main aisles of the supermarket, they can often also be found in the American, Mexican and World Food sections.
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Warm Lentils with Mozzarella and Homemade Pesto
Lentils are a source of zinc, which helps to maintain a strong immune system. For this dish, shop-bought pesto works just as well as making your own. If you're struggling to find fennel, you can leave this out and use extra thyme instead. Any soft cream cheese or goat's cheese is a good replacement for mozzarella.
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Supergreen Stir-fry with Marinated Tofu
This delicious Supergreen Stir-fry with Marinated Tofu is made using wholegrain rice – a source of vitamin B6, which helps the body's immune system. Wholegrain rice will also help to increase your daily fibre intake, which is important for a healthy digestive system. Canned or frozen peas can be used in this recipe, instead of soya beans.
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Pea, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Frittata
This dish provides two of your five-a-day and contains B12, which is essential for a healthy immune system. If you don't have goat's cheese, any white cheese would work well as a replacement.
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Portobello Mushrooms with Halloumi
Vitamin D is usually obtained from sunlight, but that may be difficult with hours limited outdoors. If you can find wild mushrooms in your supermarket then snap them up and substitute them in this delicious recipe – wild mushrooms grown in daylight can provide some vitamin D.
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Hearty Vegetable Curry with Raita and Brown Rice
Iron is important in helping to boost your body’s immune response and this delicious dish contains plenty of it. This hearty recipe is filled with nutritious root veg, providing 40% of your recommended daily iron intake. If you can’t get hold of fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes instead– just add them at the start of step 3.
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Carrot, Beetroot and Harissa Houmous Flatbread
This quick and easy dish is packed with chickpeas and spinach, meaning it contains plenty of folate. This is needed to help keep immune cells active and healthy. If you’re feeling creative, you can even have a go at making your own houmous!
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Shakshuka
Shakshuka is a warming, tomato-based dish that contains generous amounts of selenium. Selenium is a potent antioxidant that helps optimise your immune system. Best served with toasted bread, this Shakshuka is the perfect dish to spice up breakfast or brunch.
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Vegetable and Chickpea Korma with Spicy Rice
This delicious korma is full of copper, which plays in important part in keeping your immune system healthy. This vibrant and versatile recipe tastes delicious with whatever vegetables you have available and is perfect for using up short-dated veg and popping in the freezer.