Immunity boosting foods are a trending topic right now. Nutritionists say there are several foods in Goan cuisine that are great to build immunity. “in Goa, some of the traditional foods to boost immunity include nachni, Goa red rice, kuleeth, alsande beans, local berries like kandam, chunam, jambul, jackfruit and mango,” says nutritionist Rohini Diniz.Clinical Nutritionist Sheryl Afonso e D’Souza, says that local fruit and vegetables have several benefits. “Vitamin C can be found in papaya, lime and lemons, while Vitamin A is found in kokum, egg yolk, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrot and watermelon. Vitamin B, a much-needed vitamin for more than 200 biochemical reactions taking place in your body, and critical to how your immune system works can be found in bananas, fish and beans, chickpeas, okra and curd. Selenium, chromium and zinc are found in garlic, fish, nuts, seeds. Iron is found in tambdi bhaji (amaranth), shepu, drumstick and fenugreek (methi) leaves, sprouts, and lean meats and fish. Dried fish (bombil, sukhi sungta, kismur) are also iron-dense. Fatty acids like lauric acid and caprylic acid abound in coconut; these are known immune system boosters,” she explains.We spoke to some Goans who love to cook and believe in the benefits of local food. Photographer Assavri Kulkarni, has been posting on social media about how she believes in local food. “I use things that you can easily get around, and they are easy to make, with not more than five or six ingredients,” she says, adding that we have superfoods in our cuisine already and don’t need to depend on items like quinoa, “I don’t use anything that is preserved or brought from outside, I don’t even get bread at home. We eat rice, nachni or bajra, and only use wheat for cakes,” she adds. She believes that the fish curry rice is the best thing you can eat, because it has turmeric, coconut, tamarind, onions, pepper. “We have everything in the curry, we can use fish that is available or dry fish (which was considered to be a poor man’s food, but is very high in nutrients), or even mango or drumsticks,” she adds.Sapna Sardesai adds that Goan food has a lot more to offer in terms of immunity boosters “Taakachi Kadi – buttermilk curry with turmeric; cashewfruit chutney; aatwal – rice gruel with fenugreek seeds and coconut milk; kassey – concoction of tulsi leaves, ajwain leaves, flaxseeds, onion, ginger and lemongrass, all have immunity boosting properties,” she says. In summer cashew fruit chutney is the best immunity booster as it has cashew, coconut and peanuts. “You have to roast the cashew fruits till they blacken, and once cool, remove the blackened skin. Next, you grind the fruit with grated coconut, peanuts (or cashewnuts), tamarind, chillies, salt and jaggery to a fine chutney. Then give it a tempering of sesame seeds, hing and curry leaves in pure ghee,” says Sapna.