health Coriander is best eaten fresh. The dried variety is not nearly as potent. Add fresh leaves to Thai or Indian dishes, give salads a kick with some chopped coriander leaves, or juice it with celery, carrot and beetroot for an awesome healthy tonic. Fresh coriander is something to try growing at home. It is quite happy in a pot of well drained soil out of direct, harsh sunlight. Papaya I’m taking about red papaya, that delicious tropical sweet hit! Papaya is full of papain, enzymes that help with the breaking down of other foods. Often people take papain to improve their digestion, why not just a regular bowl of papaya when summer comes around? This is another many Australian may be able to grow at home. From mid to north NSW, all the way up to the top of Australia, papaya trees will happily grow in the backyard. To enjoy it’s medicinal benefits, papaya is best eaten alone, about 1-2 hours away from other food. Try having it as a morning or afternoon tea snack. Lemon The juice of this amazing fruit is acidic to the stomach, helping to increase hydrochloric acid levels when taken in a little water before meals, and then alkalising in the
body once absorbed. Lemon juice in warm water first thing of a morning can help stimulate liver detoxification and encourage a bowel movement. Many people add lemon to their fresh juices, to give them an alkalising hit (try a mix of watermelon juice and lemon juice- amazing!). Lemon can be used mixed with olive oil as a simple, healthy dressing on salads, and can be added to your drinking water to help encourage the body pH to become more alkaline. Just a word of warning though, lemon juice in water sipped throughout the day can reduce the enamel on teeth when taken long term. Cinnamon I love this herb! Cinnamon can help balance blood glucose levels, reduce blood fats, slow down gastric emptying for longer energy from foods and stop sweet cravings! It is fantastic for people with high cholesterol, diabetes, hypoglycemia, sugar cravings and cardiovascular disease. You may wish to add it to smoothies, sprinkle it over chia pudding or porridge or even fruit salad. Organic is definitely the best. Get more medicine out of your food. Your body will thank you!
Rhianna Smith is a Naturopath and Nutritionist practicing on the Gold Coast. She specialises in allergies, food intolerances, digestive health and stress support. She is also a very passionate healthy foodie, who, through her business Health and Simplicity, leads clients through Healthy Pantry MakeOvers, Healthy Shopping Trips and Healthy, Simple Cooking Classes. For more information on Rhianna, please visit: www.healthandsimplicity.com.au ARTINZENE / Issue #9
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