Spice up your life

No, the Spice Girls have nothing to do with today's post, thank goodness;) In my last post I spoke mostly about honey, but I also mentioned using some spices to cure a bout of flu quickly. Although I spoke about spices in this post as well, it was definitely more about chicken curry so I thought I'd go into a bit more detail about those spices today. (Please remember that any spices I talk about are organic and non-irradiated. You should find them at dischem and definitely at Fruit and Roots but NEVER buy them from a grocery store. Robertson's spice is terribly bad for you. You want to get the real thing if you are going to get the full flavour AND health benefits, which are the most important part. I only buy and use pre-ground spices as I don't have a decent grinder... yet...)

I love popcorn and I have a serious weakness for salt and vinegar popcorn. When I used to eat crisps, I could devour a big packet of salt and vinegar crisps in a few minutes. Just the smell of them still does my head in but, fortunately, my brain is so well trained now that I can't even imagine putting one of those chemically engineered crisps anywhere near my mouth. The problem with salt and vinegar spice is that it is never going to be a natural thing... Somehow, pouring vinegar over a bowl of salted popcorn doesn't have the same effect as the actual spice! It's been a tough one for me to give up but fortunately, I have found a delicious substitute:)

For a tasty popcorn spice mix:

• Add the following to a small container:
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like a bit of heat, otherwise leave it out)
• Shake the container well
• Sprinkle over popcorn (the amounts will depend on the size of the bowl of popcorn and your own personal taste!)

This will taste even better if your popcorn is popped in healthy, organic butter or free range duck fat, both of which you can buy at Woolies!

I just love the flavour of cumin. I find it so tasty that it's managed to take the place of salt and vinegar spice in terms of addictiveness! Perhaps it's my penchant for spicy foods that makes it so tasty for me, but GLM seems to enjoy it too so perhaps not...

Cumin is more than just a tasty popcorn spice though. It has been part of Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. That's why, if you add it to your popcorn, or any food, you can be sure you are getting all of these amazing benefits as well:

• In several studies, cumin extract was more effective at reducing blood glucose than glibenclamide, an anti-diabetic medication
• It lowers total cholesterol, triglycerides, and pancreatic inflammatory markers
• It's proven to strengthen the immune system
• It increases bone density, thereby helping to prevent and improve osteoporosis
• It protects the liver
• It is a potent antioxidant which means it cleans out free radicals

Sounds like some pretty good reasons to rather put cumin on your popcorn huh?

Cinnamon also forms part of my special popcorn spice mix and, aside from its delicious flavour, I'll tell you why it is so good to eat every day:

• It is known to lower blood sugar and cholesterol
• It has natural anti-infectious compounds
• It reduces pain linked to arthritis
• It may reduce the proliferation of cancer cells
• It is a natural food preservative
• It contains fibre, calcium, iron, and manganese
• It's been proven effective for menstrual pain and infertility
• Cinnamon holds promise for various neurodegenerative diseases, including: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumour, and meningitis

Yesterday I woke up feeling horrible. I had a pounding headache and I felt a bit feverish. A lot of my clients are full of flu so I thought, "Oh dear, it's my turn!" The minute I feel a bit fluey I make sure that I consume at least a tablespoon of cinnamon a day, more if possible. Why? Because it has natural anti-infectious compounds and it helps with pain. It is best used in warm dishes and drinks because it makes it easier to absorb so I add it to my herbal tea to get the best benefits. The trick is to keep stirring it so that all the cinnamon doesn't clump at the bottom of the cup and you end up with a big glob of cinnamon which is hard to swallow. It doesn't dissolve in the tea so you need to make sure you actually swallow all of it.

Another spice that I add to my mug of herbal tea when I'm feeling under the weather turmeric and there are just so many benefits to turmeric it's a must-have in your condiments cupboard.

• This amazing spice has been used for over 2 500 years in India. It is an natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent
• It's an excellent cancer fighter, particularly breast cancer. It literally causes melanoma cells to "commit suicide" and it reduces the bad side effects of chemotherapy while boosting the positive healing effects of the chemotherapy. It also stops the growth of new blood vessels in tumours
• It reduces the risk of childhood leukaemia
• Its a natural liver detoxifier
• Preliminary tests have shown that it may prevent and slow down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease
• It is a potent anti-inflammatory that works just as well as any anti-inflammatory medication, but without the side effects and has been used successfully to treat arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• It slows the progression of multiple sclerosis
• It is a natural painkiller
• It may help fat metabolism and weight management
• The chinese use it to treat depression
• Helps treat inflammatory skin conditions

So, no question as to why I made sure I consumed at least a tablespoon of turmeric yesterday, and EVERY time I feel like I'm getting sick. It also works better if it is in a warm cup of tea, or cooked with a meal. Heat activates more of the nutrients. If you have a turmeric root, which I was lucky enough to get from my mom, blending it in a blender will also make it more nutritionally available for you. Be careful, it makes your fingers orange for days! Turmeric doesn't have a strong flavour so its really easy to add it to your food without it affecting the flavour while still benefiting your health. Even when I'm not sick, I still consume at least half a teaspoon of turmeric every day because it is so good for you.

Ginger also featured prominently in my spiced tea drink while I was feeling sick. The reasons for that are numerous:

• Its antibiotic effects are exceptional. It has proven to be SUPERIOR to antibiotics in fighting bacterial infections
• It can kill cancer cells, particularly in aggressive cancers like breast, lung, ovarian and skin cancer
• It is anti-fungal and, where medicine-resistant strains of fungus are evolving, and managing to beat medication, ginger has proven to be more than capable of fighting the superbugs
• It can resolve brain inflammations
• It is very good for digestive issues including ulcers and acid reflux and can actually prevent ulcers from forming
• It treats and prevents diabetes
• It is a POTENT anti-inflammatory even in chronic cases of arthritis, cancer and prostate disease. It has also proven to be successful with gout
• It is well known that ginger reduces nausea caused by motion sickness and morning sickness and even chemotherapy
• It prevents the toxic effect of all sorts of chemicals ranging from pesticides to MSG to chemotherapy, protecting the liver and kidneys. For this reason it has also proven effective in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which is on the rise due to the increase in corn syrup as a sweetener.
• It as proven AS effective as ibuprofen in reducing period pains
• It reduces the side effects of radiation poisoning

I add a chunk of ginger root to our breakfast smoothie every morning but, while I was feeling sick, I also added a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger to my tea for all of the reasons above. 

A spice that we have every day in our morning mug of tea is cayenne pepper (capsicum). When I'm sick I up the dosage as well. It's also loaded with so many health benefits:

• It eases digestion, upset stomachs, ulcers, sore throats, spasmodic and irritating coughs, and diarrhoea
• It is anti-fungal
• It prevents migraines
• It is an anti-allergen and relieves allergies
• It is anti-inflammatory and is very good for treating joint pain caused by arthritis
• It is very good for blood clots and has been known to reverse the onset of heart attacks if taken in time
• It is a circulatory stimulant which makes it a very good detoxifier
• It's a very good natural preservative and can prevent food contamination from bacteria
• It may help prevent lung cancer and liver tumours
• It supports weight loss by regulating the appetite
• It's good for toothache and gum disease

No need to question why I drank it for medicine! It also adds a nice kick to a bowl of popcorn;)

One spice that you don't hear about too often is nutmeg and what a tasty little spice it is, full of lots of yummy goodness too:

• It is great for anxiety and depression and it can also help your brain to focus more at work or at studies
• The Chinese use the spice to treat inflammation and abdominal pain. It helps aching joints, muscle pain and arthritis among other ailments
• It's great for digestive-related problems like diarrhoea, constipation and bloating
• It can also effectively treat halitosis or bad breath caused by a build-up of bacteria in your mouth. Nutmeg destroys that bacteria which is why it is a common ingredient in many brands of toothpastes. It is also used to treat gum problems and toothache
• It helps to detox your liver and can also prevent and dissolve kidney stones
• It really helps with insomnia. A 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg is a mug of warm milk will help you sleep better. 

I battle to sleep the night before a gig which is a big problem for me as a tired voice doesn't work very well! Nutmeg really helps me there. It also did wonders for me when I was sick and a blocked nose and irritating cough were keeping me awake.

All of these spices are so easy to consume on a daily basis because they taste yummy, but even if you don't like the taste, if they are added to a meal of some kind they will be mostly invisible in flavour, but very present in terms of effectiveness. A curry, even one that isn't hot, is a great way to consume all of these spices.

So, as I was saying a few paragraphs back, yesterday I woke up feeling terrible. I immediately started my day with my spicy tea mix. I had four cups of it throughout the day and, by last night, I was feeling so much better. By this morning I was ALL better:) Magic stuff I tell you.

I highly recommend spices to cure just about every ailment. The first time I was sick this year, I stuck to homeopathy and herbs. They worked, but quite slowly. I got over the worst of it in about 3 days, but I didn't heal properly for about 3 weeks with a lingering cough and sinus issues. When I got sick again, I combined herbs with spices and boy did that work well! I have never recovered so quickly from an illness. Now I KNOW what to do in future. As soon as it starts I am heading to the spice draw!

For a power nightcap that helps you sleep better and fight pain and infection:

• Fill a coffee mug halfway with milk
• Add the following:
•  1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (unless you can handle heat, then add 1/4 teaspoon!)
• 1/4 teaspoon raw honey
• Warm up the milk in a pot, then add all spices and stir (Just warm it enough to drink, don't let it get too hot)
• Remove from heat and stir in a teaspoon of honey
• Mix well and drink

Do yourself a favour, before you head to the chemist or the doctor to take conventional medicine, try a few spices for a couple of days. You will be amazed at the results, I guarantee!

Wellness Wednesday - The edible liquid gold you should all have in your kitchens!

In light of the current bee crisis, (which you can read about here) I decided a post on honey would be a good idea. It would be the world's worst disaster if bees were to die out. Besides the obvious tragedy of it all, it would also signal the end of apples, onions, avocados, carrots, mangos, lemons, limes, honeydew, cantaloupe, zucchini, squash, brinjal, cucumbers, green onions, cauliflower, leeks, bok choy, kale, broccoli, broccoli rabe, mustard greens and raw honey, to name just a few.

Raw honey is a power food of note and something, I reckon, that every person should have in their kitchen. Most people see honey as a sweetener and it's true, it is definitely nature's best when it comes to sweeteners, but most people don't realise the true healing properties of honey.

Since ancient times, honey has been lauded for it's healing powers. It's well documented. The problem with honey is that it can't be patented and, for that reason pharmaceutical companies have tried to replace honey with chemical ointments, antibiotics and antivirals. In the process, all of that well-documented information about honey seems to have been forgotten by everyone.

What we do know is the following:

• Honey has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for more than 4000 years. It's an ingredient in 634 remedies in ancient Hindu vedic texts.
• Papyrus discovered from ancient Egypt expounded on the medicinal properties of honey. It's used in nearly every ancient Egyptian remedy.
• In ancient Greece, the “Father of Medicine”, Hippocrates, wrote, ”Honey and pollen cause warmth, clean sores and ulcers, soften hard ulcers of lips, heal carbuncles and running sores.”

Just to be clear, we are not talking just any honey. Honey can be bought pretty much anywhere these days. But don't be fooled. Just because the label says honey, doesn't really mean it's honey, and just because the label says "raw", it doesn't mean it's loaded with goodness either. Confused? Let me explain it a bit.

Honey is loosely defined as "anything containing pollen". But even that very broad definition doesn't stop countries like China from totally removing all the pollen from honey. Why would anyone do that? Because without pollen, the source of the honey can't be traced. It's like the honey's DNA. Some honeys are not allowed to be sold in certain countries but, by rebottling, and removing all the pollen, it's difficult to prove where it was actually bottled and so these companies are still making money and it's not very well policed.

Over 70% of the honey sold in grocery stores is completely devoid of any pollen. Why is this an issue? Honey without pollen is like a multivitamin without the actual vitamins. The label SAYS it's a multivitamin, so you buy it because it's the cheapest on the shelf and you are doing your "healthy" bit. Just like the label SAYS it's honey, so you buy it because it's the cheapest on the shelf and you are doing your "healthy" bit. You might as well buy refined white sugar, or perhaps a tin of golden syrup for all the "health" you'll get from that honey.

Then there's also the issue of pasteurised (or radurised) vs raw honey. I've had this discussion about a different product, but the same principal and that was in my post about milk. Why is anything pasteurised? To remove any possible bacteria. When honey is heat treated, the process is called radurising. The problem with heat-treating anything is that it kills off EVERYTHING good in the product. In the case of honey, it's the propolis we really want to keep. Propolis is a POWERFUL healing agent that is produced by bees to protect the hive from bacteria. You can see why it would be good for us too. Heat treating honey destroys the propolis in the honey, among other things.

It is essential that you buy honey that is local. Why? Because any honey that is imported is required to be heat treated or radurised to destroy any potential bacterial threats. There is a honey at Dischem which is imported. It sits on the shelf next to all the other honeys and it proclaims to be raw but it isn't raw because it is imported and is therefore radurised. It is essentially dead honey and therefore not raw at all. I was highly upset to discover this accidentally from a honey expert who happened to be at Dischem, in the honey section. I was buying it because it was a cheaper price and I thought it was raw so it was a good deal. She warned me about it and gave me the low-down. Not a good deal at all and it is absolutely false advertising as they are required to say "radurised" on the product and a lot of them don't.

A good way to check if a honey is imported is to check if the bottle says, "Bottled in South Africa." That means it has been made somewhere else and re-bottled in South Africa. If it says "Made in South Africa" or "A product of South Africa" you know it's safe. Of course, South African honey can also be heat treated and that is out of a misguided sense of doing the right thing for the purposes of safety. But they are not doing you any favours in terms of health and they are required to tell you whether or not it's been radurised so you can make the choice yourself. As I said earlier, heat treated honey is no better than buying refined sugar. The only difference really, is that honey is sweeter than sugar, so you may use less (or you should) but it's still refined sugar and not a healthier option.

So, if you do buy raw honey, what can you use it for? Well, raw honey is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal, making it one of the most healing substances on earth. It's also extremely nutrient-dense. Honey is a natural multivitamin. It contains significant amounts of: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, and phosphate.

Historically, honey has been used medicinally for many health issues:

• Honey applied liberally on a wound, burn or rash will speed healing. Apply honey liberally and cover loosely with a wrap. The honey, applied topically to the wound or cut, moistens the skin and helps prevent or reduce scarring as well. I can vouch for this. I use it often. It also slows down bleeding.
• A teaspoon taken 3 times per day can help prevent seasonal allergies, especially if it's honey bought in, or near, the area you live. Why? Your body builds up an immunity to the local pollen via the honey. 
• A tablespoon of raw honey sprinkled with cinnamon taken 3 times per day can boost the immune system and fight off a cold or sore throat. 
• A spoonful of honey on its own can soothe a cough caused by a tickle or sore throat. 
• A teaspoon of honey stirred into hot tea can lessen the symptoms of a cold or flu. 
• Honey mixed with equal parts coconut oil makes a wonderful skin conditioner. 
• Studies show that honey can help control blood sugar fluctuations. 
• Raw honey increases the production of antioxidants in the bloodstream. 
• Recent studies proved that honey reduced overall cholesterol levels when taken daily. 

I often get hit by the flu bug during winter. It usually has me flat on my back in bed thanks to my IBS compromising my immune system now and then. But I never take antibiotics, especially not for flu, so visiting a doctor doesn't even enter my mind. I usually hole up in bed (if I can) and wait it out, drinking hourly doses of tea that consists of echinacea, stinging nettle, lemon balm, moringa and rooibos. To that mix, I add a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper (all organic and non-irradiated) to each cup, along with a generous teaspoon of raw honey. Yeah, it sounds gross, but the spices actually make it taste like chai tea so it's quite delicious and soothing.

But the most important part of my "self-medication" is that, 3 to 4 times a day I liberally sprinkle a tablespoon of raw honey with cinnamon and swallow it which, let me tell you, is absolutely YUMMY! Within 3 days I am up and about and feeling 99% normal again, no conventional medication necessary, not even panado. I know for a fact that honey was at the root of it all. There is never a time when we don't have honey in our kitchen. In fact I panic when it starts coming to an end!

I get my honey from a honey farm in Richmond. It's raw, creamed Saligna honey and it's the best honey I've ever tasted. The farmer is very ethical and very good at what he does and he's just a nice guy. If anyone in Durban or Jhb is interested in trying it, give me a shout. Because I buy straight from the farmer, I get a really good price. Cape Town is a bit further and courier prices may take it out of your reach but Durban and Jhb are manageable. The cheapest raw honey I've found is Peels Honey (also local from KZN) and that is about R49 and it's bottled in plastic. My honey is R45 and it's bottled in glass jars which can be reused for so many things as well. Place your orders at mellowhealth@melanielowe.co.za.