With non-communicable diseases the major cause of premature deaths in Fiji, Chef Seeto wonders why more people don’t understand the link between diet and your body’s health. In this exclusive new food series, he sets out to change the mind-set of a new generation
THIS week’s stormy weather has challenged many with weaker immunities this week. Colds, coughs, headaches and body pains abound.
If you eat an orange every time you start sniffling, your grandmother has probably passed down an old family remedy. But it’s not just one vitamin you will need to boost your body’s defences; it’s a small alphabet of vitamins. Though studies show that consuming vitamin A, B, C, D, E and K can’t actually prevent colds or body weakness, loading up on these nutrients may help shorten the length of time you’re sick and reduce the severity of your symptoms. Eating the immunity vitamins helps boost and strengthen your body’s own immune system, naturally.
Lessons from mum
Antibodies and multi-vitamins in mother’s breast milk helps give a baby temporary immunity to diseases the mother has been exposed to. This can help protect the baby against infection during the early years of childhood, but it’s something many of us have either forgotten or were never taught.
Our body needs medicine to fight viral infections and in addition to a doctor’s recommended medication, eating certain foods gives your body an enormous natural boost.
What is the
immune system?
Everyone’s immune system is different. Some people never seem to get infections, while others seem to be always.
As people get older, they usually become immune to more germs, especially if they’ve been eating more of the foods that boost immunity.
The immune system, which is made up of special cells, proteins, tissues, and organs, defends people against germs and microorganisms every day. In most cases, the immune system does a great job of keeping people healthy and preventing infections. But sometimes problems or pressure on the immune system can lead to illness and infection.
The immune system is the body’s defence against infectious organisms and other invaders. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks organisms and substances that invade body systems and cause disease, and when they’re supercharged with medicine foods rich in vitamin C, your body’s defences are at their optimum and ready to fight.
Immunity vitamins
Oranges are renowned for vitamin C but despite their reputation, the 69.7 mg that a medium orange provides is actually less than many other locally grown fruits and vegetables. So if you or your family is sniffling or feeling the effects of the weather this week, pack the ultimate vitamin C punch and fill up on the immunity superfoods that should get you back on your feet faster.
Eating them as raw as possible will ensure you get the maximum nutrition, just as Mother Nature intended.
Vitamin A, like vitamin C plays a key role in immunity and additionally keeps your eyes healthy. Vitamin B2 assists in the formation of antibodies which help fight invading microbes or infections. Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defences and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin, our T cells, the killer cells of the immune system, will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body. While Vitamin K is considered a key vitamin to help us live longer and is a potent immune system vitamin.
Luckily for us, local foods that are rich in the immunity vitamins can be found at your neighbourhood outdoor market, or if you have bit of a green thumb, in your own garden.
Red and green capsicum
A cup of chopped red capsicum contains nearly three times more vitamin C than an orange-190 mg. Red capsicums, or peppers as they’re known in the US, are also a great source of vitamin A, which promotes eye health. A cup of chopped green capsicum contains less vitamin C than its sweeter red sister, but at 120 mg, it’s still 200 per cent of your recommended daily allowance.
Many local farmers are growing capsicum so go to the market and add this colourful vegetable to your next salad or kokoda.
Fresh chilli
Most people may think of chilli as just a way to add a spicy hit, but many of Fiji’s birds might hold the answer to why we humans should have a healthy diet of fresh chilli.
A visit to Kula Eco World in Sigatoka a few years back revealed the diet of our native birds. I asked the dietician how they knew the birds loved chilli. “It’s in their poo!” was the answer. And they are right. Birds have helped spread the chilli seeds through their droppings but they must also instinctively know their medicinal value.
The local bird’s eye chilli ranks the third hottest chilli in the world, behind the habanero (twice more hot) and the hottest chilli, the Trinidad scorpion T butch pepper (more than 15 times hotter than the bird’s eye). But you’ll have to eat a lot of fresh chilli to get the maximum benefit as it takes half a cup of chopped or diced chili to get 107.8 mg of vitamin C.
Kale
What used to be an expensive imported vegetable, some farmers in Suva are now growing this world-popular superfood. Of all the super healthy greens, kale is the king. It is one of the healthiest and most nutritious plant foods in existence.
Kale is loaded with all sorts of beneficial compound, some of which have powerful medicinal properties.
In addition to twice your recommended daily intake of vitamin A (plays a vital role in bone growth, reproduction and immune system health) and seven times the recommended amount of vitamin K (promoting longevity), a one-cup serving of kale provides 80.4 mg of vitamin C. The nutrition powerhouse also delivers a sizeable dose of minerals and healthy fatty acids. Kale is much higher in vitamin C than most other vegetables, containing about 4.5 times much as spinach.
The truth is, kale is actually among the world’s best sources of Vitamin C. Eat it raw in salads or quickly stir fried, kale should be on your list when you next visit the markets.
Tropical Fiji fruits
When was the last time you ate a piece of raw fruit?
Fiji’s volcanic soil provides us with some of the most nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. That is why organically grown Fijian produce (not sprayed with pesticides or artificial chemicals in the soil) is our medicine food in the South Pacific.
Research shows that eating papaya can help clear your sinuses, brighten your skin, and strengthen your bones delivering 88.3 mg of vitamin C. But pawpaw is not the only fruit that can help strengthen our immunity. A one-cup serving of pineapple will provide 78.9 mg of vitamin C, as well as the digestive enzyme, bromelain, which acts as a natural anti-inflammatory that can help you recover faster.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston has put a halt to our mango season but when you start seeing the mango flowers, eat as many as you can! Mangos contain a whopping 122.3 mg boost of vitamin C.
So if you’re feeling a bit sick after a week of more rain and floods, go see your local doctor and feed yourself the foods that contain the immunity vitamins.
Your body and immune system will love you!
* This article is intended as information only and should not be considered as medical advice. Please consult your doctor to learn more about your own personal needs as everyone is different. Lance Seeto is the multi award winning chef at Mana Island Resort and Spa, culinary ambassador for Fiji Airways, and host of Fiji TV’s “Taste of Paradise”.
