Four Spices to Stoke Digestion

Dear friends,

Welcome to my weekly blog!

I just celebrated my 64th birthday Aug 4th. And yes, celebrated!
Who knows how many lifetimes it took to feel my inner light and let it shine more brightly. I will say the last thirty-one years of learning, mothering, discovering, yoga, meditation, living holistically has come to fruition. Don’t let society dictate where you should be and at what age, don’t let magazines that only promote youth dissuade you, or anyone tell you what your life “should” look like. It’s often our inner critics that play the worse havoc on the “shoulds” by comparing and measuring everything.
 My advice ” Be” who you are, celebrate your uniqueness, “you are enough” and you are “worthy” of magnificence in every dimension of your life. By meditating just a little bit each day, you will come to know the voice of the ego and the voice of the heart… healing and integrating the heart is a sweet attainment. I feel like it’s just the beginning!

Happy Birthday, Leos!!

There’s so much focus on what to eat and what not to eat in the media. It gets overwhelming. Adding more fat, more protein, plant-based, meat-based on and on.
But Ayurveda places importance not only on the foods we eat but the “spices” that help stoke our digestive fire. Adding spices and herbs contain micronutrients that you just can’t get from food.

Spices are packed with healing power! Think of how much spice is used in cooking compared to the quantity of foods that we eat; this is because they are so powerful. 

One of the most important uses for spices is to kindle our Agni (digestive fire) – which is imperative for proper digestion.  And proper digestion is critical for optimal health since everything we eat will either become the tissues of the body or toxins called “ama” – and the determining factor is the strength of our Agni.
Spices help to regulate agni and thus help to ensure that we properly digest the foods that we eat. So use them liberally in your cooking! Food should never be bland because bland food is hard to digest. Enjoy delicious spices and know that you’re giving your digestive fire an important boost!

For ex. Parsley
Did you know that Parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C, which is a key nutrient in the processes that neutralize the free radicals that play a key role in the development of disease. Parsley is a good source of one of the most important B vitamins: folic acid. Over the years parsley has been used to treat inflammatory conditions and allergies.

The Mediterranean diet uses quite a bit of parsley in their food. For example ” Tabbouli”. If you don’t eat wheat you can substitute any recipe with quinoa. ( click the blue for the recipe).

Here are three more spices and herbs to add to your summer diet:

1. Fresh mint. If you are already in the habit of drinking lemon water then adding a sprig of fresh mint is pretty easy. Mint may improve digestion, prevent IBS, reduce stress and ease bloating and gas. Besides, it smells good. Mint leaves can be eaten before dinner as a digestive aid. Simply put them on a plate with some fresh lime slices, feta cheese, and walnuts for a healthy appetizer or light meal. I like fresh mint with watermelon.

2. Fresh Basil– it’s time for heirloom tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. If you’re not eating cheese simply omit. I prefer goat cheese or sheep feta as they are easier to digest.
Drizzle with a little olive oil,  and Himalayan salt.
 Did you know that basil is high in magnesium? And it can be as effective as aspirin or ibuprofen for pain?

3. Fresh Ginger- can be made into a tea or used in cooking.
Sliced fresh ginger with lime juice before a meal kindles digestive fire, a key componenet of Ayurvedic health. It can be kept in the refrigerator ina small container and used for travel as well. i often boil fresh peeled ginger for about ten minutes in water then strain and drink as tea.

Benefits

1. Digestion. The phenolic compounds in ginger are known to help relieve gastrointestinal (GI) irritation, stimulate saliva and bile production, and suppress gastric contractions as food and fluids move through the GI tract. …
2. Nausea. 
3. Cold and flu relief. 
4. Pain reduction. 
5. Inflammation. 
6. Cardiovascular health.

 A great back to school snack is ” crystalized ginger”- it does have some sugar but the health benefits are there.

I hope I’ve inspired you to spice up your life a bit with natures’ healing herbs.

Follow me on Instagram Gedalia Healing Arts for more recipes

warmly,
Gedalia

Long Distance Marma sessions available. All you have to do is lie down on your couch and I’ll do Marma on myself with you getting the benefits.

here’s one recent testimonial from LA:
”I had the most rejuvenating distant healing session with Gedalia today. After a brief conversation about where I was at, and a description of how she would perform the session, we hung up and she went to work. It was so safe and warm and effective. I came out of it so alert, balanced and rested.