Your digestive system might be feeling just like the weather outside – damp, cold, heavy, and stagnant!
It’ that time of year when you feel like winter will never be over – January just won’t end! By now you’ve fought off a couple of colds and experienced the usual winter goods: runny nose, post nasal drip, stuffy ears, sore throat and so on…….unfortunately, this increase in mucus and dampness tends to put out your digestive fires.
So let’s look at 5 ways to ignite your taste buds, stimulate your digestive system, and clear your consciousness:
- Hydrate – put hot water in a thermos, add some spices such as ginger, cloves, cardamom, or fennel and sip on it every 15 minutes throughout the day.
- Eat fresh ginger prior to meals – slice fresh ginger into nickel size pieces, squeeze some lemon juice and drizzle some raw honey over the top – eat one prior to each meal (this is an old Ayurvedic trick).
- Eat fermented foods with each meal – fermented foods protect your immune system and help keep your digestive system humming by increasing the good bacteria in your gut.
- Eat warm, soft food – such as soups, porridges, and one-pot meals. These foods are nourishing, simple, and require less work on the digestive system due to their high water content.
- Spice it up – add spices to everything! Use cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, cayenne, and pepper in all your foods. Spices provide nutrients and help stimulate your digestive system.
Make fresh food daily and shop from your local farmer if possible. Move your lymph by bouncing, practicing yoga, or taking nice long walks. Finally – get plenty of sleep (at least 8 hours).
Stay positive, spring is right around the corner.
