Ginger is a fabulous spice for digestive health. It has a long history of traditional use for easing nausea, wind, bloating, and indigestion, and promoting the secretion of digestive juices that help breakdown food. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is used to ignite the “digestive fire” to aid sluggish digestion and support healthy metabolism.
This simple recipe for ginger pickle comes form nutritionist and Ayurvedic practitioner Sabine Horner at Asana Nutrition. There’s only 3 ingredients – fresh ginger, lime juice, and salt – and it keeps for up to a week in the fridge. If you’re experiencing bloating, indigestion, wind, or a sluggish digestion, enjoy a slice of this pickle before each meal to give your digestion a helping hand.
Preparation time: 5 minutes Ingredients:
approx.. 2 inch of fresh ginger (peeled)
1/2 lime
2 pinch of mineral salt
Instructions Slice the ginger into long, thin strips and place in a jar. Cover the slices with the juice of half a lime and sprinkle with some salt to marinate. Shake well and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Eat one slice of pickled ginger before lunch and dinner.
Find out more about why and how these ingredients work so well together to support digestion in this short video from Sabine. And to find out more about Sabine’s work, catch her at info@asananutrition.co.uk or 07539347643 or on:
Here’s our next recipe from expert cook and food writer Claire Davies, aka The Greedy Wordsmith.
To discover more about Claire, her workshops, and her food and copy writing services hop on over to www.greedywordsmith.com
Claire says…
Almonds are a common ingredient in medieval cookery. With three days a week
classed as fast days, cooks needed a regular replacement for milk and cream. This
is one recipe where I am thankful for the use of a blender; the traditional process
was of course a longer and more physically demanding task.
All of the spices in this recipe were available to cooks in the medieval era. Within medicinal recipes we can find reference to ginger as an anti-emetic, useful for stomach and gout pains.
Of course many spices were only accessible to the very rich so they were also an excellent way of showing off ones wealth.
Cocoa didn’t arrive in England until the late 1600’s but the addition of raw cacao nibs offers a subtle, malty flavour and a beneficial hit of useful antioxidants. Please note – pure cacao is quite high in caffeine so feel free to leave them out if you are a
sensitive to the effects.
Ingredients
150g whole almonds
50g raw cacao nibs
400 ml of filtered water
1 tbsp of ground ginger
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
A pinch of ground mace
A pinch of ground clove (optional)
A pinch of salt
Cold pressed honey or agave syrup to taste
Preparation
Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for at least six
hours. When you are ready to go, strain the almonds and rinse well.
Place the soaked almonds in your blender along with the cacao nibs and filtered
water. You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your
blender.
Line your sieve with a piece of muslin. Sit this over a saucepan before straining the
almond milk through the muslin. Press the nut pulp to remove as much of the liquid
as possible before setting it to one side.
Bring the almond milk to the boil before reducing to a gentle simmer. At this point
add the spices, salt, 2 tbsps of your chosen sweetener and a tablespoonful of the
leftover almond pulp. Simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
Strain one last time and check for sweetness before serving. Keep any remaining
Running, swimming, tennis, football….all are fun until the moment injury strikes or you overdo it with the training!
Joint-nourishing foods can easily be incorporated into meals and snacks to support and improve strength, stamina and recovery from both training and injuries.
Try these 6 tasty choices:
1. Cherries: Montmorency cherries are packed with anthocyanins, natural antioxidant compounds which have been proven to reduce inflammation and soreness, and aid muscle recovery after training. Add ‘CherryActive’ to your post workout smoothie for a muscle boost!
2. Beetroot: this vibrant root vegetable is rich in nitric oxide, a natural compound that encourages circulation, increases stamina and maintains healthy blood pressure. Many sports teams (including the 2010 England Rugby squad!) include shots of beetroot juice in their training regimes 7-14 days before an event. Of course you can use it every day if you wish! Drink raw beetroot juice for maximum benefit and try adding a little apple or carrot juice if the taste is a bit ‘earthy’ for you.
3. Oily fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, herrings, trout and pilchards are all packed with anti-inflammatory Omega 3 oils – perfect for both mind and body. For all you athletic vegetarians and vegans, flax oil is a fantastic source of omega-3 essential fats. It musn’t be heated up but tastes great drizzled over porridge or a baked potato or blended in a smoothie.
4. Spirulina: this microscopic cyanobacteria grows on freshwater lakes all over the world. It contains 22 amino acids, vital for muscle function and repair alongside anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients. Like beetroot, it has a slightly ‘earthy’ taste but blends well with apple juice, dried fruits or in a banana smoothie.
5. Turmeric: the golden spice has the pain killing and anti-inflammatory effects of over the counter NSAID’s but without the nasty side effects. Add generous amounts to homemade curries!
6. Ginger: another anti-inflammatory and warming spice, grated ginger with hot water and lemon juice is a perfect way to start the day and give your sore, dehydrated muscles a boost.
Questions? Thoughts? Want to find out if a personalised Nutrition Plan can get you running that extra mile?
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