I know I need greens, from how they make me feel when I eat them. The bitter and astringent flavors help to balance the 6 tastes in my diet. I need the fiber to support healthy evacuation and the nutrients to repair damage and cool inflammation. I also want the food and greens to titillate my tongue and satisfy me. Migrating to nutrient dense foods is a conscious choice to help your body heal from tick borne illness. Making healthy food taste good helps me stick with it.
Greens are comfort food in some cultures, but I didn’t get to know any beyond spinach and cabbage until I was an adult. I try to put greens on my plate one or two meals each day and add other vegetables as well. All these organic vegetables give me the nutrients I need to feel and age well.
Some people limit greens in their diet due to health issues. Cooking them helps lower the goitrogens (compounds that interfere with thyroid hormones) and makes the fiber easier to digest. If you have to limit cruciferous vegetables, try other types of greens- spinach or dandelion greens are non cruciferous examples.
Sometimes I actually crave greens, Yeah! But other days I want variety or miss foods of old. Then I am tempted to eat poorly. This can be a dark path for me and cause unnecessary pain and suffering. When my thinking drifts in this direction, I know I need to change things up and tempt satisfy my tongue while still getting the nutrients I need.
Make Your Cooked Greens Titillate Your Tongue
How can you do this? Add flavor to balance the bitter. There are an amazing variety of recipes on the internet. Here are three flavors to jazz up the greens on your plate. Balance the bitter taste and titillate your tongue while your satisfy your bodies needs.
Sweet
Greens are predominately bitter and astringent. Bitter is not a flavor most americans are used to, but it supports healthy digestion so you want to include it when you can. If you find greens too bitter, here are some combinations to sweeten things up without sugar.
Sour
Sour also helps to balance the bitter flavor in greens. For instance Greens and citrus are made to go together. Sauté up some greens any greens like beet, Swiss chard, collards or kale. Lemon juice is transformative especially on beet greens and chard. Add it just before serving them for a fresh vibrant taste.
Nutritional Yeast is another sour option if you are dairy free and craving a cheese life flavor in your greens. It works great in sautéed or roasted greens.
Pungent
Ghee and Spices is winning combination. Use Grass fed ghee or Coconut fat if dairy is out of your diet. Kale, collards and mustard greens all stand up to and play really well with spices like cumin turmeric, mustard seed ginger and black pepper. Lots of recipes add hot pepper too, but this can trigger joint pain for me, so I just leave it out.The spices bring out flavor in the greens titillate your tongue and enhance enjoyment and satisfaction.
Give A New Recipe A Try
I know and you know how important it is to fill your plate with the nutrients you need to repair the inflammation damage from Lyme disease and coinfections. Vegetables in general and leafy greens in particular are a great way to go.
It is also important that greens titillate your tongue and satisfy your appetite. Don’t give up on greens. Try different recipes and find ones so you can enjoy eating things that are healthy for you.
The purpose of this blog is to share and educate on Lyme disease recovery strategies. The information provided on daretoselfcare.com is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment or advice. All the material here is for information purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.