The
Good Life
Diet helps immune Holy crepe, Batman ƆƷƆƐĕŔ Ǖ īIJƐ ǖ Ɩ By Vivienne Pearson
By S Haslam One of the most effective ways to survive the coming flu season, including COVID-19, is to suspend yourself from the ceiling for four months in a cocoon of toilet paper (hint: you’ll need to buy heaps and heaps – right now). However, according to The Scientist magazine, if you do still get sick, based on research on other respiratory viruses, experts theorize that whether a coronavirus infection takes a turn for the worse depends on a person’s immune response. ‘The virus matters, but the host-response matters at least as much, and probably more,’ says Stanley Perlman, a virologist and pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Iowa. Once the virus gets inside the human respiratory tract, it’s thought to infect and multiply in cells lining the airway, causing damage that kicks the immune system into action. In most people, it should trigger a wave of local inflammation, recruiting immune cells in the vicinity to eradicate the pathogen. The immune response then recedes, and patients recover. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, some people – especially the elderly and sick – may have dysfunctional immune systems that fail to keep the response to particular pathogens in check. This could cause an uncontrolled immune response, triggering an overproduction of immune cells, and their signalling molecules, and leading to a cytokine storm often associated with a flood of immune cells into the lungs. ‘That’s when you end up with a lot of these really severe inflammatory disease conditions like pneumonia, shortness of breath, and inflammation of the airway’, The Scientist says. So, to boost a healthy immune response you should eat a range of foods, such as those high in vitamin C (citrus, capsicum), and foods that boost your immunity, like broccoli, ginger, garlic, spinach, yoghurt and other foods that support your gut biome, such as those high in fibre, pulses and fermented foods. It is also recommended, to help your gut health, that you cut down on foods high in fats and sugar, and processed foods. You can take probiotics too, but make sure you adjust your diet for optimum gut health. Moderate exercise also helps to boost the immune system (if you’re old, just do as much as you can). Cut down on alcohol as it hampers immune response, and get outside into the sun when you can (but don’t get sunburnt of course). To reduced the chance of spread through droplet transmission, the most important thing is hygiene; so wash your hands and sneeze or cough into tissues – or your elbow, if tissues (or a handkerchief) aren’t available.
The Batman reference is mine (as is the cape I’m wearing as I write this, inspired by the meme that encourages me to head into my day with the confidence of a four-year old). I find I can’t say the name of the new creperie in Byron without adding the superhero reference. Owner, Vincent Thomas, says his choice of the name was inspired by another popular phrase, perhaps more in keeping with our country’s current obsession with toilet paper.
are creative, delicious and definitely nontraditional. Try the ‘Bene’ for a galette twist on eggs benedict, go for the ‘Burger’ for a mix of beef, bacon, cheddar and caramelised onion, or the ‘Norway’ for a delicious combo of smoked salmon, lemon and chive cream cheese. I went for ‘Mr Seguin’, named after a French children’s story with a
Vincent behind the bar at Holy Crepe.
‘Choosing a name is hard,’ he says, eliciting furious nods of agreement from business owners everywhere. ‘Once I found Holy Crepe, I couldn’t think of anything else.’ The lighthearted fun of the name fits Byron well and helps signal the change in this eatery location from traditional to quirky Mr Sanguin galette; goats cheese, leek fondu and French cuisine. After honey. Yum! making the decision to sell, the owner of The Petit Snail approached Vincent, know- puzzling moral; a delightful mix of ing he was keen to start a creperie. goat’s cheese, honey and leek fondu. Vincent has renovated, bringing in Always made with buckwheat flour, light and a sense of space. Holy Crepe galettes are naturally gluten free. is flipping traditional French eating Some options are naturally vegetaron its head, but has kept a small ian (such as La Ratatouille and Mr classic section on the menu for those Seguin). Vegan options require a needing their fix of snails, duck leg different recipe, so come with a small confit or a good Scotch fillet and fries. additional expense, but all still come in under $20. When I think of crepes, my mouth waters for sweet fillings, and Holy Holy Crepe offers excellent coffee, Crepe doesn’t disappoint. There’s courtesy of Vincent’s barista skills and the classic butter and sugar, or your Old Quarter coffee, roasted in Ballina. choice of lemon, cinnamon, maple A cocktail menu, along with beer and syrup, jam, nutella or salted caramel. wine, are available to anyone eating – There are also the more complex check out the Happy Hour afternoons, flavours of an apple crumble, or offering a spritz and classic crepe for ricotta and homemade mixed-berry only $15. coulis crepe, or the traditional ‘Crepe Holy Crepe, official address 5/103 Suzette’; with caramel and orange Jonson Street but actual address sauce topped with Grand Marnier. around the corner into Carlyle Yum. Street – diagonally opposite the YHA. If you’re in more of a savoury mood, the word of the day is ‘galette’; the name for a savoury crepe. Options
Open 7 days 7am–late | 6694 3394 holycrepebyron.com FB/IG: @holycrepebyron
Creperie, Cafe & Bistro
JUST OPENED Shop 5/103 Jonson St, Byron Bay | 6694 3394
real farmers, real food Byron’s freshest produce direct from our local growers
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BLOODY MARY
lëſĈIJ ǨǨǽ ǩǧǩǧ The Byron Shire 19 9/3/20 9/3/20 9/3/20 Echo 4:47 4:47 4:47p. p. p.m. m. m.