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Down Home Dietitian - Healthy doesn't have to be hard.
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Food
Recipes Wellness Tips

Recipe: Immune Boosting Winter Smoothie

 

Boy, is it cold outside! Cold outside often coincides with colds inside – winter has long been regarded as cold and flu season and with recent events, boosting your immunity can be a top priority! No one wants to be out sick from celebrations and responsibilities all winter long. Strengthening your immune system and fighting bacteria and viruses can be aided with certain important nutrients included in this cinnamon orange smoothie recipe:

 

Probiotics

Probiotic foods contain the friendly, helpful bacteria that can colonize our intestines to help digest our food, keep us regular, and defend us against harmful bacterial infections. In the case of this smoothie, the yogurt will provide a dose of probiotics.

 

Prebiotics

While probiotics are the foods that contain the helpful bacteria, prebiotics are the foods the bacteria love to eat! Orange juice, especially including pulp, contains these prebiotic fibers that can make our helpful gut bacteria thrive.

 

Vitamin C

Long recognized as one of the key nutrients supporting immunity, vitamin C provides antioxidant benefits and helps to promote the production of your body’s own natural antibodies.

 

Zinc & Vitamin D

Both of these powerful nutrients are associated with lower infection rates, and shorter infections that are less severe. The also can slow viral growth and

 

Lactoferrin

Found in milk and yogurt, this compound boosts your immunity by preventing viral entry into your cells.

 

Propolis

This compound, found in honey, has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, as well as promoting antibody immune cell production.

 

The foods in this immune-boosting winter smoothie bring all these nutrients together to support your immune system’s function throughout the cold and flu season. The smoothie tastes like chai-spiced oranges and is the perfect complement to your breakfast or as a snack during the day. To make this smoothie a meal, add a frozen banana and a scoop of your favorite plain or vanilla protein powder.

 

References

  1. Immune-boosting functional foods and their mechanisms: a critical evaluation of probiotics and prebiotics https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332220308180
  2. Network pharmacology of AYUSH recommended immune-boosting medicinal plants against COVID-19 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0975947620301078
  3. Immune-Boosting, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Food Supplements Targeting Pathogenesis of COVID-19 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7575721/
  4. Immune-boosting role of vitamins D, C, E, zinc, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids: Could they help against COVID-19? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512220303467

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Recipes

Strawberry Rhubarb Cookies

 

What’s a better pairing than strawberry and rhubarb? Sweet and tangy, and both ready at the same hopeful time of year – Spring! This seasonal recipe helps you celebrate the return to sun and fresh produce in delightful, high-fiber cookies. An extra bonus? They’re egg-free and very easy to modify to vegan with your favorite plant-based milk!

 

Here I place my pledge to never make you scroll through 24 paragraphs about what I did the day I first made this recipe, 14 variations on the recipe, and how this was my grandmother’s sister’s favorite food. You will find the recipe directly below. Happy cooking!

 

 

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Chimichurri Salmon

 

This delicious chimichurri salmon recipe could hardly be easier to make, and the herby, aromatic sauce takes plain ol’ salmon several notches up the flavor scale. Celebrate the fresh leafy green herbs of Spring with this powerfully anti-inflammatory dish. Follow it up with some Strawberry Rhubarb Cookies to harness the delicious flavors of the season!

 

Here I place my pledge to never make you scroll through 24 paragraphs about what I did the day I first made this recipe, 14 variations on the recipe, and how this was my grandmother’s sister’s favorite food. You will find the recipe directly below. Happy cooking!

 

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Twice-Baked Cheddar Broccoli Potatoes

 

 

Twice-baked potatoes are one of the epitomes of comfort food in my mind. These fluffy potatoes could be a meal in themselves – they’re loaded with protein, potassium, fiber, and of course, cheese and bacon. You’ll make use of seasonal broccoli and be wrapped up in cheddar broccoli goodness in this hearty, filling Spring recipe. Follow it up with Strawberry Rhubarb cookies! Mmmm…

 

Here I place my pledge to never make you scroll through 24 paragraphs about what I did the day I first made this recipe, 14 variations on the recipe, and how this was my grandmother’s sister’s favorite food. You will find the recipe directly below. Happy cooking!

 

 

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Recipe: 6-Ingredient Strawberry Shortcake Parfait

 

Whether you’re longing for summer or simply searching for a refreshing sweet treat, strawberry shortcake never disappoints. This 6-ingredient make-ahead recipe is perfect to tuck in the refrigerator for a tasty Valentine’s Day dessert!

 

 

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Recipe: Dark Chocolate Raspberry Mudslides

 

If you’ve got a chocolate lover in your life (that includes yourself) this is absolutely the dessert for you! Smooth, creamy, fudgy chocolate mousse with a chocolate wafer cookie and some juicy raspberries. Oh, and there’s only 5 ingredients! What’s not to absolutely love? This make-ahead Valentine’s Day dessert will thrill your inner chocolate lover any time of year.

 

 

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Recipe: Berry Almond Crisp

Healthy dessert

 

This crisp is so easy to make and so delicious. With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of prep time, you can put a warm dessert that will thaw even the frostiest of hearts. I absolutely love frozen berries – this recipe is made using marionberries frozen from our local berry farm, but you can use any frozen berries you like. Mix it up with several different kinds of berries if your heart desires!

 

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Down Home Dietitian

Diet culture is determined to tell you that you have to be miserable to be healthy.

That couldn’t be more wrong.

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downhomedietitian

Healthy doesn't have to be hard.
Dietitian | Exercise Physiologist | Speaker | Youtuber
Building a small permaculture homestead in WA state

Becki Parsons
Choosing to work with a dietitian is NOT "turning Choosing to work with a dietitian is NOT "turning yourself in" to the food police! It's finding a teammate to help you find the eating plan that works for you. I frequently joke with my clients that they are dating healthy changes and I am their matchmaker - it's not about forcing your life to fit a plan, it's about finding the plan that complements your life AND helps you meet your goals and feel your best without being miserable or deprived!
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Ready to give it a go? Click the link in my bio to schedule an in-person or video appointment!
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#diet #dietitian #nutrition #nutritionist #wellness #health #healthy #eathealthy #loseweight #weightloss #fitness #lifestylechange #exercise #eatwell #fuel #fuelyourbody #food
Our perennial garden is expanding with a low-maint Our perennial garden is expanding with a low-maintenance veggie you plant once and harvest year after year! Click the link in my bio to visit my YouTube channel and watch the full video.
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#garden #gardening #perennial #veggie #veggiegardening #veggies #asparagus #growingasparagus #health #healthy #homegrown #gardener #homestead #homesteading #wellness #nutrition #easy #eatlocal #growityourself #fiber #diet #dietitian #weightloss #healthyeating
Happy meets healthy: prioritizing your favorite fo Happy meets healthy: prioritizing your favorite foods!

At a restaurant, you are presented with so many options: appetizer, drinks, sides, entrees, extras, dessert...

An all-or-nothing "diet mindset" would say turn it all down - eat a grilled chicken salad with a water. Deprive, deprive, deprive.

An all-or-nothing "not dieting right now" mindset would say to get it all - absolutely anything and everything that sounds good to you. Then feel guilty for having done it. Promise yourself you'll start your "diet mindset" again Monday.

I'm here to say that all-or-nothing thinking stinks. It isn't healthy OR happy. It's miserable. Your healthy life SHOULD include your favorite foods. AND healthy foods that make your body happy.

It was a busy, restaurant-filled weekend as we celebrated our son's birthday as well as Mothers' Day. I prioritized the options at each restaurant and meal that make me the happiest - sourdough toast, two servings of sweet potato fries...HAPPY. I made changes somewhere else to get plenty of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals...HEALTHY. You CAN have both.

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#healthy #happy #nutrition #fitness #wellness #weightloss #eatingout #restaurant #diet #dietitian #nutrition #dietitianlife #loseweight #eatingwell #veggies #protein #fruit #carbohydrates
#wildflower #nocaptionneeded #wildflower #nocaptionneeded
What a great horse blessing day! Thank you to my p What a great horse blessing day! Thank you to my parents for this gorgeous new saddle pad for my birthday. A gift for my horse is a gift for me!
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If you're a horse person, you'll know the great joy it is to share your horse with a currently horse-less horse lover. For 17 years I was that horse-less person and I would have gladly cleaned stalls for hours just to be in a barn again...my aunt Mary has the horse bug too and hasn't had a horse since her sweet boy Pal in high school. This weekend she came to visit for the first time since I got Blue Belle and it was such a joy to watch Blue Belle light up Mary's face as she got to groom and ride. ♥️ Plus my mom got to ride for the first time in years, and we talked about their memories of riding their Grandma's horse Sugar. Horses are such a gift!
We just added a few hundred new members to the hom We just added a few hundred new members to the homestead! Click the link in my bio to watch my latest video on our new hive of honeybees!
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#honey #honeybees #garden #pollinators #gardening #hive #homestead #beekeeping
We recently got back from a Hawaiian vacation with We recently got back from a Hawaiian vacation with our family that's been 3 years in the making...we are so grateful to have gotten to go and enjoy all kinds of Hawaiian foods! Click the link in my bio to watch my recent video with tips for eating well - like really, really deliciously well- on vacation.
Tulips are starting to bloom! The patience bulbs r Tulips are starting to bloom! The patience bulbs require is such an effective teacher that good and beautiful things are worth the wait.
Just got back from an amazing and much-needed Hawa Just got back from an amazing and much-needed Hawaiian vacation...looking forward to taking all that restful peace back to work in the garden!

#hawaii #kauai #poipu #beach #sunset #vacation #beautiful #restful #peaceful #happy
We planted an orchard!!! Click the link in my des We planted an orchard!!!

Click the link in my description to watch my latest video on planting a small permaculture orchard on our homestead! I'm so excited about this investment into our food production - now to wait 2-4 years for a decent harvest... #patience
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  • Planting a Small Permaculture Orchard on our Homestead
  • How Much to Plant in Your Vegetable Garden
  • Recipe: Immune Boosting Winter Smoothie
  • Choosing an Exercise Plan you can Stick To
  • Working Toward Your Health Goals When Life is Busy or Stressful

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