A-leafy-ate your digestive complaints…

In Ayurvedic tradition it is recommended that we consume all tastes in order to achieve and maintain optimum health; sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent. Sadly, our western diet primarily consists of salty and sweet tastes, lacking in the others: especially bitters. For this reason it comes as no surprise that many people now suffer from some kind of digestive complaint, and whilst eliminating certain foods that trigger or exacerbate these conditions is an important step to take, so is incorporating foods that will support and improve our cause.

Bitter foods activate taste buds that simultaneously stimulate enzyme production and bile flow, promoting digestion. The better your foods are digested, the more nutrients you will absorb from food. Bitter greens also have a high fibre content, which assists in eliminating waste through the digestive tract. Furthermore these guys are nutritional powerhouses packed with Vitamins A. C and K folate, and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium.

So how can you start consuming these green morsels of goodness? Aside from visiting your local market, Spring time is the perfect time to head to bunnings, stock up on some quality organic soil and potting mix, seeds or seedlings and get in your garden and grown your own. I’m pretty excited to see my “digestive garden patch” grow and flourish in the coming weeks/months and I’ve also added a few extra plants to my mix, and there are a number of other bitter greens you can plant, however this is what i’ve got going on at the moment:

  • Amaranth greens

  • Chia

  • Chicory 

  • Chilli

  • Endive

  • Misome

  • Mizuna

  • Mesclun

  • Mustard Greens

  • Red Papaya

  • Radicchio 

  • Rosella Hibiscus

  • Rocket

  • Spinach

  • Sorrel

  • Tatsoi

  • Wasabi

I’ve planted a few marigold into the mix as natural pest deterrent and we scatter thin bamboo sticks across the top of an evening to keep the scrub turkeys out. So far these guys have been easy to get our hands on, require the same kind of TLC as each other and have been lapping this spring sunshine & rain. Furthermore it gets us outside, connected to mother nature and reestablished with our roots. We found it so satisfying stepping outside to pick our own herbs and throw them into meals, so can hardly wait to create a whole meal from patch to plate! Stay posted for progress pics/harvest , and if you are a natural green thumb and have some tips you’d like to share, please feel free to comment below!

Rhian Hunter