4 Immune-Boosting Food Recipes + Supplements for Immune Support TLC

This post is sponsored by NOW. All opinions are my own.

Feeling under the weather often goes hand-in-hand with cooler temperatures and long, dark days. Even though I’ve hardly left the house in months, there are still days when I’m sure I must be coming down with something—even if I don’t know where I possibly could have gotten it. Whether it be a scratchy throat or a runny nose, my immune system never fails to tell me when it could use a little TLC.

Immune-Boosting Herbs

That’s when I turn to herbal solutions. Herbs like echinacea, elderberry, and garlic can provide extra immune support when you need it most. Plus, they’re gentle enough to care for your body’s ecosystem and help it perform optimally all season long.

Like many body systems, the immune system can become less efficient for various reasons: stress, a poor diet, lifestyle choices, environmental pollutants, and more. To continue operating at peak efficiency, your body needs a variety of nutrients and healthy compounds. While your everyday diet is a great starting point, herbs help fill in the gaps and give your body a boost when you start feeling down.

How to Get Immune-Boosting Herbs in Your Diet

We’ve said it a million times, but whole foods and food-based supplements are way better when it comes to nourishing your body. That’s because your body has a much easier time breaking down the nutrients—the way it was meant to—and using them to support bodily functions, including supporting the immune system.

Supplements

Since there are not enough hours in the day to focus on diet 24/7, supplements are a great way to get the good stuff on autopilot. We teamed up with our friends at NOW Foods to bring you the best herbs for immune system support.

NOW® has been a pioneer in the wellness community for generations, with a focus on high-quality supplements and sustainably sourced wellness products. The company understands that healthy immune function is critical to overall health, which is why it offers a great selection of natural immune-supporting products in a variety of forms.

Food Recipes

Once you’ve covered your bases with targeted supplements, it’s a great time to nourish your body with juices, smoothies, and lattes that provide extra immune-supporting benefits.

Some of our favorite seasonal herbs and fruits, like ginger and lemon, may already be in your pantry. Others might require you to visit a health food store or an online retailer to find (check out our discount below!). But the benefits are more than worth it!

4 Immune-Boosting Food Recipes + Supplements for Immune Support TLC*

Here are a few of our favorite wellness herbs to keep you humming all season long and how to incorporate them into your diet for maximum benefit.

1. Echinacea

Echinacea (also known as purple coneflower) was once widely used by Native Americans and is now used by millions of consumers worldwide to support a healthy immune system.

Food recipe: Lemon Ginger Echinacea Juice

• ¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2–3 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup water
• 1–2 tablespoons Manuka honey (add more or less to taste)
• Echinacea tincture (refer to instructions on the bottle for accurate dosage)
• Cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer

Combine ginger, lemon juice, water, and honey in the base of a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any leftover bits of ginger. Add echinacea and stir well. Can be served warm or over ice.

Note: I love the taste of ginger with hardly any added sweetness, but not everyone does. Feel free to add more water and honey until the flavor is to your liking.

Supplement to try: Air Defense®

If you’re looking for all-season immune support, NOW® Air Defense® is a blend of Elderberry, Echinacea, and Astragalus botanical extracts to support normal immune system function.* Air Defense® features PARACTIN®, a patented extract of Andrographis paniculata, which is a naturally occurring herb [source], shown in scientific studies to support a healthy and balanced immune response [source].*

2. Elderberry

Elderberry is a fruit used throughout Europe and the U.S. to maintain health and wellbeing. Studies have shown its virus-fighting effects [source]. More recently, elderberry has been recognized for its high nutritive value, especially its free radical scavenging vitamins and anthocyanins [source].*

Food recipe: Elderberry Citrus Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 frozen banana
• ½ grapefruit
• 2 teaspoons elderberry syrup or powder
• 1 cup dairy-free nut milk (add more or less to reach desired consistency)

Place all ingredients in the base of a high-speed blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

Supplement to try: ElderMune™

ElderMune™ is an elderberry juice + vitamin C blend in capsule form. The unique process used to make the juice concentrate in ElderMune™ helps to preserve the bioactive polyphenols and anthocyanins native to elderberry.* Plus, a prebiotic fiber is included to replace the fiber lost during the juicing process.

3. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are immune-boosting wonders! Reishi, also known as the “the mushroom of immortality,” [source] is often used for its ability to support the immune system and help keep the body in balance, among its many other beneficial properties [source].

Food recipe: Reishi-Chai Latte

• 1 black tea bag
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon reishi mushroom powder (or an immune-boosting mushroom blend would also work)
• Large pinch ground cloves
• 1 cup dairy-free nut milk
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• Optional: frothed dairy-free milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon to garnish

Heat up the nut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When it just starts to simmer, turn off the heat, and add the tea bag to the hot milk.

Let sit for 3–5 minutes, then remove the tea bag and add the spices, mushroom powder, and maple syrup. Whisk well to combine. Garnish with frothed nut milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Supplement to try: Immune Renew™

A blend of standardized astragalus extract and eight different types of mushrooms, NOW® Immune Renew™ has been specifically formulated to support the immune system.* Mushroom beta-glucans, a type of polysaccharide, have been long respected and scientifically studied for their immune system supporting properties.* 

Meanwhile, astragalus complements our mushroom blend due to its ability to support a healthy immune system response.* Well known for its adaptogenic and tonifying properties, astragalus has been a favorite among Chinese herbalists for over 2000 years [source].* More recently, astragalus has been found to support healthy immune function through numerous mechanisms [source].*

4. Garlic

Garlic abounds with naturally occurring sulfur compounds, amino acids, and trace minerals, which nourish the body. If you’re not a big fan of garlic-breath (um, who is?), supplements are a great way to enjoy the benefits of garlic without eating it by the clove.

Food recipe: Garlic Immunity Boosting Shot

Supplement to try: AlliBiotic CF™

This botanical formula has garlic extract, which has been used for centuries to promote overall wellness.* In addition, it’s chock full of elderberry, olive leaf extract, and oregano oil to complete this comprehensive formula. ImmunEnhancer™, a non-digestible soluble fiber from larch, has also been included as a prebiotic supplement to support healthy intestinal flora—a key component of normal immune function [source].*

Stock up and save

Ready to give your immune system a boost? Use code HELLOGLOW for 20% off at nowfoods.com through 12/31/21.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

4 Immune-Boosting Recipes

These super simple immune-boosting recipes will keep your body humming all season long

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Course: Wellness

Cuisine: Drinks

Keyword: immunity

Servings: 1

Author: Stephanie Pollard

Cost: $7

Equipment

• Cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer
• Blender

Ingredients

Lemon Ginger Echinacea Juice

• ¼ cup fresh ginger peeled and chopped
• 2-3 lemons juiced
• 1 cup water
• 1-2 tablespoons honey add more or less to taste
• Echinacea tincture refer to serving instructions on the bottle for accurate dosage

Elderberry Citrus Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 frozen banana
• ½ grapefruit
• 2 teaspoons elderberry syrup or powder
• 1 cup dairy-free nut milk add more or less to reach desired consistency

Reishi-Chai Latte

• 1 black tea bag
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon reishi mushroom powder or an immune-boosting mushroom blend would also work!
• Large pinch ground cloves
• 1 cup dairy-free nut milk
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• Optional: frothed dairy-free milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon to garnish

Garlic Shot

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove juiced or minced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp ginger juiced or minced
• Pinch of cayenne

Instructions

Lemon Ginger Echinacea Juice

• Combine ginger, lemon juice, water and honey in the base of a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any leftover bits of ginger. Add Echinacea and stir well. Can be served warm or over ice.
  

Elderberry Citrus Smoothie

• Place all ingredients in the base of a high-speed blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.
  

Reishi-Chai Latte

• Heat up the nut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When it just start to simmer, turn off the heat and add the tea bag to the hot milk. Let sit for 3-5 minutes, then remove the tea bag and add the spices, mushroom powder and maple syrup. Whisk well to combine. Garnish with frothed nut milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
  

Garlic Shot

• Mix all the ingredients and drink immediately.
  

Notes

For the lemon-ginger juice, I love the taste of ginger with hardly any added sweetness, but not everyone does. Feel free to add more water and honey until the flavor is to your liking.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.