Hello everyone! I hope you're off to a good week.
I want to offer you a little challenge.
I'd like you to try making pickled ginger-lime juice as an appetite stimulator.
Before you tell me you "don't like ginger" or "that sounds terrible", let's talk a bit about WHY this practice is beneficial to your digestion.
Ayurveda uses this little "shot" of power to ignite jathra agni or digestive fire. It's important to have this "fire" to properly break down and assimilate the nourishment you ingest so it can be properly utilized by the body. DID YOU KNOW digestion and metabolism takes about 60% of your daily energy expenditure? Improper digestion is often the cause of low energy and sluggishness. We know proper digestion is NOT happening when we have gas bloating acid reflux GERD constipation lack of appetite Fatigue the list goes on... PLUS, winter is a time when the body naturally accumulates cold qualities and as we move towards late winter (kapha season) we'll begin noticing more wet qualities (aka mucus). So, we could all probably use some digestive support right now. Pickled ginger and lime will warm you up, and literally burn up ama-that builds up like heavy, sticky mucus and congestion.
Not convinced yet? Pickled ginger-lime is great for ALL dosha types For Vata - It has warmth, salty and sour tastes. For Pitta - It's pungent but anti-inflammatory which is something Pitta's find helpful as they tend towards inflammation (take a small amount of this ginger-lime as it could be too stimulating.Try and see what you think.) For Kapaha- Stimulating and warming and clears congestion and stagnation. And as you probably know, ginger has so many benefits:
Stimulates digestive juices
Warming, but not too warm
Anti-inflammatory
Burns up ama, especially heaviness and congestion
Opens up blood vessels and enlivens the blood
Awakens the taste buds and stimulates saliva
Relieves nausea and indigestion
Hydrating, because of its very high electrolyte content
How to take Pickled Ginger-Lime
Eat a pinch before a meal, or any time you feel your digestion is sluggish and needs a boost. Eat as much, or as little as you like.
If you don’t have the pickle ready, a quick trick is to cut a slice of ginger, sprinkle it with salt, and eat it.
2. Use your prepared ginger-lime pickle directly in cooking, as if you were adding ginger as an ingredient to a vegetable sauté, soup, or stir-fry.
3. Add it to smoothies or warm milk.
4. Add a pinch to hot water and drink throughout the day, especially if you are feeling cold, weak, nauseous, or have other signs of ama.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 inch piece of ginger (about 3-4 tablespoons)
1 lime juiced
1/4 teaspoon mineral salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Mince the ginger by hand or in a mini chopper. To mince by hand, peel the ginger first.
Then slice the ginger as finely as you can into slices. Stack up the slices like dominoes and chop it finely into strips, then turn the strips 90 degrees and chop finely into tiny square pieces.
Place the ginger in a small mixing bowl, squeeze in the fresh lime, and add the salt. Mix well. The lime juice should be enough to just cover the ginger.
Transfer to a small glass jar for storage. It will store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or more.
As the ginger softens over time in the salt and lime juice, it will taste even better.
Use Pink Himalayan Salt because it has a lightness over regular salt which is very heavy. Pink Himalayan salt is also loaded with trace minerals which you might not get anywhere else. Go give it a try! I expect some feedback on this experiment. Let me know if you already do this regularly or what you think of your first try. Have a wonderful week, my friends! ~Julie P.S. Please join me for meditation this Thursday at 8:30pm and set yourself up for great sleep. Register HERE. We have a nice group building. Don't forget I have loads of yoga and guided meditations on my site Practicewithjulie.com. You'll find classes posted right on the homepage for easy registration.
Be well, Julie