NOURISHING & GROUNDING FOODS FOR WINTER
PORRIDGE
What better way to start a winters morning than with a hot bowl of porridge. Not much else can beat this golden oldie. And why? Well having oats is one of the best ways to start your morning, it helps support your mood by having high levels of tryptophan (the precursor to serotonin..our happy hormone), as well as regulating digestion and keeping our heart healthy with its cholesterol lowering ability.
Oats are also very high in vitamins and minerals, in particular B3, manganese, selenium and zinc. It is also high in protein, which helps support our immune system, as well as nourishing our body and helping it repair after exercise or physical exertion.
One way to really reap the benefits of oats this winter is to swap the cows milk to almond milk. Dairy can be mucous forming, so swapping out the dairy will prevent the congestion from being any worse than what it has to be if you do get struck down.
BONE BROTH
Bone broth refers to a broth made by cooking bones on low heat for an 8-10 hour period so that all of the nutrients and gelatine can be drawn out of the bones, allowing our bodies to use up. Bone broth is so nourishing as it is like a concentrated nutrition elixir. The gelatine helps the healing of our digestive system, which allows our immune system to be fighting fit. It is also high in amino acids which also support immune function.
SOUPS
Soups are a great way to heal our bodies, especially over winter. Having soups is easy on our digestive system, meaning that our bodies don't have to work as hard to break down the foods and absorb the goodness out of them. They are also a really easy way of getting lots of veggies, herbs and spices into you with minimal effort. You can make them with the bone broth as described above to make it even more grounding and nourishing. Plus it warms you up from the inside out! Adding ginger will help to warm you up especially those cold hands and feet.
CASSEROLES
Similar to soups casseroles are a great way to jam pack lots of wholesome food with minimal effort. The slow cooking methodology of casseroles benefits our bodies as well, by helping the digestive process along by allowing meats to be nice and tender and easy to digest. Adding herbs like garlic and onion (see previous post) will boost this dishes immune boosting ability.
Karah is available for consultations in Ocean Grove, Geelong and Melbourne. You can keep up to date on everything health by liking her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/karahmnaturopath , following her on instagram @belyhealth , or visiting her website www.karahmclarennaturopath.com
Peninsula Family Medical Practice, Ocean Grove. Ph 03 52562001
Aura Health & Beauty, Geelong. Ph 03 52433966
A Peace of Health Clinic, Melbourne CBD. Ph 0396633665
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/nutrientables/nuttab/Pages/default.aspx
