Turmeric Lemongrass Tea

Turmeric has been a staple spice in Indian households for ages but off-late I have started using fresh turmeric in my morning juice because of its immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.
A few days ago I came across a tea recipe using Turmeric that is just perfect for the cooler temperatures ahead.

Serves: 1-2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups water
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, minced (I grate it directly on the pot)
• 2 tsp ground turmeric (or 1 inch turmeric root)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (or 2-3 cinnamon sticks)
• 1 tbsp lemongrass tea
• 2-3 peppercorns (optional)
• 1 green elaichi/cardamom (powdered)
• 1tsp saunf/ fennel seeds
• TO SERVE: sliced oranges/lemon, honey, juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon coconut oil (all optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, add ginger root, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, saunf, peppercorns and sliced oranges.
• Simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat. Add lemongrass tea - steep for 3 minutes and then take out.
• Pour in a tea mug,
• TO SERVE: add coconut oil (optional), honey to taste, and fresh lemon juice. Enjoy hot or warm.

This tea can be made in so many different ways - You can simply add the spices that you have on hand or omit the ones that you don't like. I usually don't add honey and have yet to try the addition of coconut oil.

Recipe Source: Nutrition Stripped

Juicing 101

Juicing, green juicing in particular has become the new nutrition fad but trust me this is one fad that pays off both in the long term and short. Let me start by saying that once I started juicing I never looked back. I have gone off the wagon in terms of other healthy habits but not this one - once your body gets used to its pure goodness, it will start craving it. 

I wanted to start with outlining a few basics:

• Easy absorption of nutrients: Digestion is the most energy consuming function that your body performs that is why we sleepy after a heavy meal because all our energy is being used up in digesting that meal. Juicing helps give your system a break while providing all the vital nutrients. It takes just 15-20 minutes for the juice to be digested and assimilated by our bodies.
• High Water Content: 70% of our body is made up of water therefore higher the water content of the food that we eat, the better it is. Fresh fruits and veggies are the only two food categories that have a high water content (6-8 servings of fresh fruit and veggies are recommended daily). Juice is the next best thing to whole fruits and vegetables and the easiest way to fulfill a part of your daily requirement - it not only ensures that you are taking in all the required nutrients but helps cleanse the system as well.
• Since all green vegetables are alkalizing, green juice helps maintain your pH balance.
• Use more greens and vegetables and add one or two kind of fruits. Pure fruit juice has high fructose concentration (sugar) even if its natural, its still sugar therefore its best to practice moderation
• Ideal way to take juice is on an empty stomach - drink it slowly (do not gulp it down). Wait for 20 minutes before you eat or drink anything else.
• Juice v/s smoothie: The biggest argument I have heard against juicing is that you lose the precious fibre. I agree that you need fibre in your diet but I consider green juice as a natural multi-vitamin and multi-nutrient supplement. The idea is to add juice to your already healthy diet (that comprises of plenty of fibre if you’re eating a moderately healthy diet). As I mentioned above, juice helps cleanse the system while providing all the nutrients - whereas smoothie albeit super healthy still puts more strain on your system. The main argument for juice is that it supplies all the nutritional needs of the body in a form that can be easily absorbed by the system.
• Kind of Juicer: There are a wide variety of juicers available in the market from as low as $100 (This is the one I started juicing with). This link will give you a brief on the types of juicers available and their pros and cons. This is the one I use currently - I would strongly recommend to start with the most basic juicer for a couple of months to figure out how serious you are about juicing and only then shift to a higher end model.
• You could also refer to this online Juicing Book that not only has lots of different juice recipes but it also gives you detailed nutrition analysis of each ingredient.  
• Start slowly and begin with a combination of fruits and veggies that you like in their whole food form. Also, you can start by juicing at couple of days a week and then move on to 5-7 days a week and maybe from there you could even move to a couple of days of juice feasting (not fasting). 

How I do it:

At home, we drink green juice on weekdays and a fruit juice on weekends (recipe below). On most days I try to make one and a half glass of juice in the mornings so that I can drink half a glass in the afternoons when I have a craving for a snack (afternoon juice doesn't happen everyday but I try). In addition to this I follow this up (1 or 1.5 hours later) with a bowl of fruits (whatever is on season and as much as I can eat) and then eat my lunch at around 12. Eating only raw and fresh fruits & veggies in the 1st half of the day gives your body extra time to eliminate waste and cleanse the system. If you plan to follow this, you will see a marked difference in your morning routine especially with regards to the call of nature
As for the leftover pulp - my juicer leaves extremely dry and very little pulp - which is basically pure fibre. I store the pulp everyday (although we don't end up using it always and it gets replaced with the next day's fresh pulp) and use it to either make a green tikki/cutlet mixed with buckwheat flour or add it to the rotis for dinner. Another point I would like to stress here is, if you can afford then please use local organic produce for juicing - it's an elixir that deserves the best possible ingredients.

There are endless combinations that you can try out for making a healthy green juice. These are the ones that I use regularly:

Green Juice Recipe #1

I prefer a more savory juice and therefore don't add any fruit to it. Some of you might look at the ingredient list and find it not appetizing at all but trust me it tastes yummy.

Makes 2 glasses

• 6 Kale leaves (I use dinosaur kale)
• 3 Chard leaves ( I use rainbow chard - just because I love the mix of colors)
• 3 collard leaves
• 7-8 dandelion leaves 
• 1/2 English cucumber
• 1 tomato
• 2 Celery stalks
• Handful of cilantro/parsley
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• Raw Turmeric (whenever I can find it in store)

Once we have the juice ready, we add lime juice to it - this masks any of the unpleasant taste that you fear the excess of greens might have given it. Anant adds salt and pepper to but I prefer it without.

We also add triphala powder and Spirulina/Chlorella powder to it. (Both are forms of algae and besides being potent detoxifiers, Spirulina is one of the highest sources of protein - its 65-71% complete protein) but let me warn you Spirulina does NOT taste good. If you are new to juicing - I suggest you skip this and maybe try it a later. You could also add a granny smith apple to enhance the flavor as they are more tart - I am planning to try to soon.

Green Juice Recipe #2

This is the recipe that my cousin drinks more regularly. I have tried it and really like it - it has the right mix of fruit and veggies.

• 3 carrots
• 1 beet root
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 big orange
• 4-5 kale leaves
• Handful of parsley

Weekend Fruit Juice Recipe:

The ingredients below are purely estimates, you can try out different proportions of carrots and oranges

• 7-8 carrots
• 6-7 oranges 
• 1 beet root
• 1 inch ginger 
• few leaves of mint

The right way to make your Tea

I am big fan of non-caffeinated herbal teas and drink at least 2-3 cups a day. Its been a over a year since I moved away from the typical Indian masala chai (I do have it from time to time but am not addicted to it anymore) I especially like the calming effect tea has on me plus its always great to have a cup when you want to eat something but are not particularly hungry - basically, tea helps me avoid junk food.

I have tried a few different flavors and my current favorite is Rooibos. The rooibos plant grows naturally without any caffeine - which means anyone from children to expecting mothers can drink it. It has been valued as a magical herb in South Africa for ages as its rich in antioxidants and is anti inflammatory (helps with an upset stomach). I am planning to start drinking Chamomile tea at night as it helps you sleep better.

I used to make my tea the regular way - heat the water in a kettle, pour the water over tea leaves in a sieve and let it steep for a few minutes. Today, I learned that I had been doing it all wrong. You MUST cover the tea while its steeping - either put the leaves in the kettle itself or do it in a covered pot. The reason being - all good medicinal herbs contain volatile oils that escape through the steam if you do not cover the tea while steeping. I had no idea!!

Another, key point I would like to stress on is to avoid using tea-bags and buy loose tea-leaves and whole flowers primarily because the quality of loose tea is much better than what you get in those tea bags. Additionally, the tea bags are either made up of a variety of different forms of plastic or paper that has been treated with chemicals. So to be on the safe side, I use loose tea at home and keep a few bags in my purse for when I am out and about.

Healthy Smoothies

As a rule, I always add seeds to my smoothies. Here is my usual mix 1 tsp each of Chia seeds, Sesame seeds (black or white), flax (seeds or powder) and hulled hemp seeds. 
(More about seeds and balancing your hormones here)

1) Ginger, Berries & Oats (179 CALORIES)

1/4 cup prepared oatmeal + 1/4 cup milk + 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger + 1 cup fresh blackberries + 1/2 cup sliced strawberries + 1 teaspoon honey + 1/2 cup ice  

2) Watermelon with a Hint of Mint (98 CALORIES)

2 cups seedless watermelon + 2 tablespoons fresh mint + 1/3 cup plain yogurt  

3) Peaches & Cream (231 CALORIES)

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh peaches + 1/2 cup buttermilk + 1/2 medium banana + 2 teaspoons honey + 1/2 cup crushed ice  

4) Creamy Mango, Avocado & Lime (191 CALORIES)

1/4 cup sliced avocado + 1 cup sliced Champagne mango + 1 tablespoon lime juice + 1 tablespoon fresh mint + 1 teaspoon honey + 2 cups crushed ice