Cold and flu season is upon us! How can you support your immune system so it can function at its best? Your immune cells, like all other cells, require good nutrition and lifestyle habits to function properly. A nourishing whole foods diet, strong digestive system, good sleep practices, good hydration, blood sugar control, and the addition of supportive nutritional supplements all work together to promote a strong and functional immune system.

This immunity shot recipe can be easily whipped up in a blender—no juicer required! Ginger contains antiviral and antioxidant compounds that can help fight viruses; the citrus fruits provide vitamin C, which balances the inflammatory response, and bioflavonoids, which have antiviral and antioxidant functions. Curcumin, an active compound in turmeric, can inhibit viral replication, as well as reduce the oxidative stress caused by viruses. Make a double batch of these immunity shots, pour them into small mason jars, cover with a lid, and keep in your fridge for a few days and drink as needed to support your immune system during cold and flu season!

There are three different ways food can create inflammation in the body. The first is eating foods that are inflammatory, such as fried foods, highly processed and packaged foods, foods that contain rancid oils and fats, and highly processed meat products. The second way is by consistently eating too many sugars and carbohydrates for your body. High blood sugar can create a cascade of inflammatory events. The third way food can trigger inflammation in the body is by consuming foods your immune system has been primed to react to, which is called a food sensitivity. A food or food group that may be healthy and anti-inflammatory for one person could be the source of a lot of damaging inflammatory chemicals for another person.

Your grandmother was right…chicken soup is one of the best medicines when you are sick. In fact, you might want to consider gathering ingredients for homemade chicken soup before reaching for that over-the-counter cold medicine.

As soon as school starts back up in the fall my children inevitably get a little sniffle or a slight cough. It's a good thing to be exposed to viruses and bacteria. It makes the immune system stronger.

Stocks or broths can be used in many different ways, well beyond soups. Homemade stock is far more nutritious than store-bought stock, even the organic brands. For one, commercial stocks, whether chicken or vegetable, use many different "natural" flavorings. What is a natural flavoring anyway?

I’ve been making this soup a lot these days. It’s spicy, warming, and deeply nourishing—just the thing to help kick the lingering cold I’ve had. It starts with a simple homemade broth made from bone-in chicken breasts, a generous amount of fresh ginger, a whole head of garlic, fresh lemongrass, and a few cups of chopped shiitake mushrooms. After simmering for a few hours, the broth is strained and returned to the pot with fresh vegetables, the shredded cooked chicken, and some Thai rice noodles. We serve it topped with crisp napa cabbage, basil, and cilantro—and for the grown-ups only, a few slices of fresh Thai chiles.

We have had a lot of snow recently! With all of the cold weather and cloud cover, sunshine is not able to reach our skin to allow for the formation of vitamin D.