#084 Build Bulletproof Immunity
Practices that move the needle
You don’t realize how important a pinky is until you sprain it. Health is only treasured when it’s lost. It’s truly the most important thing in this life. Nothing else matters if you aren’t healthy. All your dreams will only be possible with a capable machine powering it. So today I thought I’d share with you some of favorite compounds / practices that have actually moved the needle when it comes to developing a strong, robust immune system. Of course, nothing will ever replace a good diet and that should be your base, but the right cherries on top will make a world of a difference.
#1 Black Seed Oil
Black seed oil is one of the most underrated oils in the world. It’s been used for thousands of years as natural medicine. While it’s incredibly effective for the everyday cold, I find it’s best used as a natural prophylaxis — something you take to try prevent disease, minimizing your chances of falling sick. It contains compounds like thymoquinone (makes up a majority), dithymquinone, thymohydroquinone and thymol that contributes to its incredible anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
But isn’t it a seed oil?
Yes, but not all “seed oils” are the same. The ones you want to avoid (canola oil, rapeseed oil, etc) are put through a multi-stage process where various chemical solvents are used just to extract oil from seeds. Such a process just wasn’t possible in the past. Whereas with black seed oil, it’s simply cold-pressed from the seeds of the Nigella Sativa. Squeeze seeds = get oil. That simple. I’ve been consuming 1/2 a tablespoon daily for sometime now and increase the dosage when I’m feeling under the weather, even using it topically for any skin irritation when the need arises.
#2 Darker Honey Variants
While most people view honey as a natural sweetener, it’s actually so much more than that. Darker honey variants like Manuka & Jarrah are known to have a richer nutritional profile, offering incredible health benefits. It’s wise to keep different kinds of honey on hand and to occasionally use these more ‘medicinal’ honeys throughout the week. They also taste different, and is one easy way to add variety to your meals. If you’ve never heard of Jarrah you should try it, it’s one of my favorite honeys. Not incredibly sweet, and almost caramel-like. Heavenly.
If you want to take things further, you could make fermented garlic honey to keep at home. It combines all the benefits of raw honey with the anti-fungal properties of garlic. Would incorporate in the diet when feeling under the weather. Also great to take a few times per week as a prophlyaxis.
#3 Broth on an Empty Stomach
Bone broth is one of the most nourishing things you can consume. You just feel how nutritious it is and it helps with maintaining a strong, healthy gut microbiome. It’s a good practice to consume quality broth on an empty stomach, and just doing it a few times per week will make a tangible difference. However, broth is one of those things that you’d be better off making yourself, since a lot of store-bought broths are really just watered down bone soup.
#4 Sauna-Maxxing
Using the sauna regularly is one of the best things you can do for your body. It helps reduce inflammation, and is one of the best ways to effectively remove toxins from your body. I could go on, but Constanze did a better job explaining the ins and outs in an article she wrote for us in WARKITCHEN:
What else do you do that helps keep your immune system strong? Share it in the comments below 👇
Orange & Green
Terracotta orange. British racing green. Some of my favorite colors in the world. Just inspires you like nothing else.
Italian Espresso
A late afternoon cup of piping hot Italian espresso is sometimes all you need to turn your day around
Menus Are First Impressions
A menu sets the tone of your experience in a restaurant. These digital menu abominations are honestly going a bit too far. Why would you ever need to create an account just to have a meal? No, I don’t want to log in. I don’t want to scan your ugly QR code. Just give me a beautiful menu to peruse in hand.
❋ Victorian Cookbooks Were Stuffed with Costumed Roosters and Sphinx Cakes
Old cookbooks are fascinating.
It also contains recipes that would be rare for today’s home cook. Black pudding, a type of blood sausage, makes up a detailed half a page of the book; step one is “obtain a supply of large pig’s entrails.” It’s also an insight into the storage of fresh produce at the time: because of the two quarts of pig’s blood required, the Encyclopedia states it is essential to make blood sausage only on the same day that the animal is slaughtered.
❋ Bialetti x Dolce & Gabbana Moka Express
They really outdid themselves here… Both colorways are out of this world. Which one would you get?
Use any combination of fresh herbs for this pasta — for example, basil, chives, marjoram, dill, parsley. I can’t wait until spring when fresh chive blossoms and edible flowers are in season and I can just walk into the backyard and snip some herbs. That will make for some visually striking pasta sheets.
❋ Pistachio and Spinach Anolini Recipe (Anolini di Pistacchi e Spinaci)
A pasta like this can be paired with just about anything, but we dropped them into some bone broth stock that we had hanging around in the freezer, for a meal of subtle but complex flavor. Jump back a few months to find our bone broth recipe here!
P.S. Food & film submissions for Issue 26 are still open! To get featured, all you have to do is fire an email to rocky@warkitchen.net by July 3rd:
1. Your picture
2. Location it was shot (for film) OR a few words describing your meal
3. Your name
Looking forward to seeing all the Art you guys create. Thank you for joining us on this beautiful Sunday ladies & gents 🥂
❋ Read our latest WARKITCHEN magazines (new issue out next week!):
❋ Get your copy of Optimal Fuel: Your Nutrition Playbook here. It's a cookbook and nutrition guide — all in one. All proceeds goes towards an outrageous amount of hearty ribeyes and raw honey!
❋ If you'd like to contribute an article or sponsor a future issue, simply reply to this email or send us a DM @TheWarKitchen 🤝
Adding us (rocky@warkitchen.net) to your contacts, or moving us to primary will make sure you continue receiving these emails. Connect with us on all our socials.
I made the fermented garlic honey last year to get ready for winter and it’s delicious and works a charm. Also, I’m dying to try out a sauna but I guess living in the countryside also has its limitations 😂
Such an interesting article - following now!