COVID-19: Immune-Boosting with Flavonoids
Flavonoids are strong anti-inflammatory agents that balance your immune system. Found in red onions & more.
-Byte x Black Oaks: Lower the Load Campaign
Day 4 of 14
Immune Support with Flavonoids
Today’s recipe is: Chocolate Berry Smoothie
This chocolate/berry combo helps you pack in a few different types of antioxidant flavonoids in a tasty way. This recipe calls for 1 banana and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup as sweeteners. One way to cut down on free sugars is to replace the maple syrup with an extra banana.
What are Flavonoids?
Flavonoids are a large group of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant chemicals. They can balance the immune system by lowering unnecessary inflammation that can interfere with our ability to fight viruses. They might even improve the immune barrier in your intestines.
Eating more of a specific type of flavonoid (proanthocyanidins) is also linked to better lung function (possibly by lowering inflammation in the lungs).
That’s not a bad weapon to have in the fight against a viral syndrome (COVID-19) that promotes massive inflammation in your lungs as well as other organs.
One group of studies even links eating more of a certain type of flavonoid (quercetin) to less severe common cold symptoms. Unsweetened cocoa powder is one of the foods that has the MOST quercetin.
Where Can You Find Flavonoids?
These foods have the highest concentration of flavonoids of all types: Cocoa, cloves, star anise, mexican oregano, flaxseed meal. Red and purple-colored veggies and fruits also tend to have lots of flavonoids. Those include: Red onions, red bell peppers, eggplant, grapes, plums blueberries and more.
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