The old saying "You are what you eat" would be slightly more TRUE changed to "You are what you can digest or assimilate" I know it's not as 'catchy' a phrase but truth nonetheless. We can choose to eat high quality foods from the best sources. We can eat 'local', follow the strictest dietary guidelines....but if the nutrients are not able to be used by our bodies due to poor assimilation, we are not being nourished & supported. NOT being nourished & supported = open door for chronic issues.
If we see our body as a complete 'organism', and realize that within this miraculous intricate 'eco-system', there are many systems; we can understand that the digestive system plays a very important + influential role in the health of the entire body. The nervous system, cardiovascular system, circulatory system, & endocrine system ~ just a few of the 'cogs in the wheel' and all completely dependent upon the choices we make every day.
There are 5 tastes ~ sweet, salty, sour, pungent** & bitter. This last, the taste of 'bitter' has been all but forgotten in North America. Bitter flavours trigger the beginning of the 'flow' of digestive fluids. Bitters signal the body that food is 'on its way', and a number of processes 'mobilize'. The digestive process begins in the mouth with the secretion of saliva. One more reason to chew our food more than most of us do; saliva contains amylase, the enzyme which breaks down starches into sugars and the more we chew, the easier it is for our food to head down that road to better assimilation.
The liver LOVES bitter tastes. We need to actually taste a bitter substance to support the liver. Beware of recipes for dandelion greens for example, which boast "and you can't even taste the bitterness". It's more than OK to learn to love bitter foods. It's a gift to our LIVER; the most important organ in our body.
There are MANY delicious options for 'bitters' in the produce department or available NOW at local farmers markets. Each of the following offers a degree of bitterness ~ some more than others. Many of them can be used in salads, eaten raw, lightly steamed or prepared in recipes where one would use Spinach greens.
Here you go:
Arugula also called rocket
Bok choy (aka Pak choi, or similar)
Baby bok choy
Belgian endive
Brussels sprouts
Common cabbage, includes green, red, and Savoy
Chinese broccoli, aka Gailan or Kai-Lan
Collard greens
Dandelion green
Kale - green and red
Mizuna
Napa cabbage, aka Chinese cabbage
Raabs or rabes, including broccoli raab, flowering cabbage, and others
Radicchio
Rapini
Sorrel
Veggie tops, including turnip greens, beet greens, daikon greens, and cauliflower greens
Watercress
From the Ayurvedic tradition, an easy way to add the bitter taste to meals is to add fenugreek seeds to your food as it's cooking. Add a teaspoon to a stew or bean dish or saute them and add to a veggie dish.
Turmeric ~ the super food I've been writing about, as an excellent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, has a warm peppery slightly bitter taste. (check out the post from March 2011 for ideas about adding turmeric to your life!)
**and these days, "pungent" is sometimes replaced by "piquant" (as in hot n' Spicy) and other times, the meaty or savoury taste of the latest taste, "umami" sometimes seems to replace both~ ahhh the information age, maybe there are 7 tastes, now... anyway... Talking about the importance of "BITTERS".. so we are off on a tangent..
There is such a large discussion needed for the very important topic of digestive health. This is but a quick look at one aspect of the topic. Bitters are revered in the herbal world. I make many combinations of Bitter tonics for my clients and can usually find one to really SING for even the most picky of people. It's one of my passions ~ truly, as DIGESTIVE health is at the very top, for optimum health and disease prevention.
By the way, it's Radicchio in the picture, at the top of the post..
I LOVE Radicchio. It's great grilled on the BBQ or roasted in the oven with a little olive oil. Also, it is a wonderful 'cradle' for yummy goat cheese and herb mixtures. Will send some ideas along soon. It's easy to incorporated these glorious Bitter Veggies into our days.
BITTER IS BETTER !! Enjoy!
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