Recipes to boost the immune system during the quarantine period

For many, being at home all day can become very stressful and boring, particularly if you have been used to having an active social life. Butyou can make the most of this time in many ways. Many people are even discovering a love for cooking. And if you combine this passion with the aim of improving the immune system, it becomes a perfect combination.

Which foods strengthen the immune system?

Choosing seasonal foods and keeping to a healthy, balanced diet will help you to strengthen your immune system and to stay strong during these days when we have to remain at home.Squash, chard, spinach, sweet potato, cabbage, mushrooms and beans are some of the seasonal vegetables. As regards fruit, you will find apples, mandarins, oranges, grapes andstrawberries, among others.

In addition, a food that you can find all year round and which is mainly known for being a source of energy, of vitamin B6,which contributes to strengthening the immune system and of niacin, which helps both with the normal functioning of the nervous system and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, is also low in fat, and which contains a vegetable source of carbohydrates, is rice.

In general, all foods containing vitamin E have great antioxidant powers,so they help to protect cells against the oxidation caused by free radicals, which are the compounds that form when the body changes the food you eat into energy. These antioxidant properties help with protecting cells within the immune system against oxidative damage, as well as those of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. This vitamin can be mostly found in vegetable oils, which are even used to naturally moisturise hair, but they are also found indried nuts, such as pistachios, or pumpkin seeds, as well as asparagus, sweet potatoes, avocados and salmon.

Recipes for making the quarantine more enjoyable

You can follow the advice above without the need to be an expert ‘foodie’. Below we provide some easy and affordable recipes for looking after your diet, even more so during these days of confinement.

Aperitif recipes for the quarantine

• Cheese straws
• Aubergine pie
• Vegetable salad
• Toast with peas, mozzarella and egg
• Easy ham and cheese 'Sushi' 
• Courgette hummus, tomatoes, Macadamia nuts and olives
• Legume and vegetable pasty
• Wholemeal toasts with roasted vegetables and cheese
• Crispy breaded vegetables

Main course recipes for the quarantine

• Seafood rice 
• Rice with cuttlefish, leeks and spinach
• Rice with chard: traditional Valencian recipe
• Curried pumpkin soup
• Courgette spaghetti
• Vegetable stew
• Tuna with onions
• Lentils with squash and carrots
• Pork shoulder wok
• Vegetarian stuffed pizza

Dessert recipes for the quarantine

• Rice pudding
• Home-made doughnuts with cinnamon
• Oven-baked sweet potato: how to make roast sweet potatoes
• Pumpkin cake: healthy dessert 
• Pumpkin fritters: how to make authentic Valencian fritters
• Light cocoa cream
• Strawberry fritters
• Creamy rice pudding with pistachios
• Curd cheese squares