Whenever I have a delicious cup of Chai tea, I think of my daughter Rachel. She introduced me to it about 5 years ago and I fell instantly in love with it. It is the Indian way of drinking tea. You can buy the tea bags or make it yourself by putting shredded ginger, cinnamon powder and ground cardamon seeds in a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavor come out of the spices, then add tea and stir.

Here’s a yummy Chai Chicken recipe:

At a glance:

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken legs
• 4 or 5 sliced carrots
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups of Chai tea

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the chicken and the carrots in your favorite casserole dish
3. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper
4. In a pot pour the coconut milk and tea together and boil
5. Pour over the chicken and carrots
6. Cover with a lid and bake for 45 minutes (longer if your chicken is bigger and needs it)
7. Serve it up with brown basmati rice and some greens of your choice
8. Use whatever coconut milk mixture is left as a sauce

Let me know how you like it. Enjoy!

Have you ever stopped to notice that we use all our senses to eat? Eating is one of our greatest pleasures and yet most don’t stop to really enjoy the look, smell, texture, sound or even the taste of their food. Most don’t even stop to chew. I am sure all of us can admit to inhaling our food at one time or another.

Skimping on the chewing can increase your chances of spending your time and money at the doctor’s office complaining of acid reflux, indigestion, heartburn, bloating, belching, constipation, stomach discomfort and even weight gain. Just simply chewing can resolve many of your ailments. You can dramatically change your life just by making little adjustments here and there. Most are very simple… or “easy peasy”, as my grandchild Gabby would say.

Let’s slow down and chew, it’s very crucial for you. We all have busy lifestyles with work, running the kids here and there, going to the gym, homework, dinner, bath time and finally bedtime. Eating on the run increases your chances of not chewing properly. We barely make time to sit down together anymore and share a meal. We tend to inhale our food in front of a TV or computer, using our fork like a shovel pushing our next bite in before we have even finished swallowing the previous one. This is so bad for your health!

I am sure that you, like myself, learned basic anatomy in Junior High or High School… that digestion begins in the mouth by chewing. Stop for a minute and think about how over worked the stomach is if we cheat or skip the first step. The more we break that steak down in our mouth, the easier on the digestion in the stomach.

Many suffer with indigestion and/or acid reflux due to not chewing properly, so you can see that if your food is not properly broken down before meeting up with your esophagus, it will remain undigested and cause an overgrowth of bacteria in the intestines. Do you know that the action of chewing and producing saliva helps trigger a message to your stomach, intestines, and the whole gastrointestinal system to get on board that digestion has begun? They receive their message and prepare for their individual responsibilities. They take their duties seriously all to keep your body in balance.

What’s the “sense” of chewing?

The sight of your food alone is enough to stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes, the smell and eventually the taste of your food, causes enzyme secretion to increase. When we start to eat, the first step of chewing helps our food to encounter these enzymes in our saliva. The process of digestion continues, the enzymes are then secreted by cells within the lining of the stomach and gastrointestinal systems.

Chewing longer can help you lose weight. This statement alone helped me to slow down on my chewing.

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a researcher stated, “eating more slowly could be a simple and effective way of tackling weight problems”. They went on to say  “Research indicates eating quickly, gorging and binge eating have a substantial effect on being overweight”. “Our results showed obese participants chewed less and ingested more quickly than lean ones.”

A survey of 1,000 people last year by the sandwich chain Subway showed the average person in Britain chews their food just six times before swallowing it.

Experiment around with chewing. If you are one of those who only chews 3-6 times before swallowing, try chewing 25 to 40 times before letting it go down the hatch. Try placing your fork down on the table after each bite and do not pick it up again till you have completely chewed and swallowed. Focus on fully chewing each bite. At first you will feel silly, but it will become a habit and one that you will enjoy. Don’t rush the best part of eating. Pay attention and savor each level of flavor. You will notice that you will get full faster. I want you to notice how you feel at the end of your meal.

Now go enjoy that meal and don’t forget to chew!

I actually have family and friends who jokingly make fun of me for always suggesting garlic for their ailments. My dear friend Lisa has threatened to put some catchy garlic phrase on my grave stone. I personally value its healing properties. I have been eating the delicious herb since before kindergarten. It was then that my Dad would put it on a slice of bread, chopped very thin, either with just butter or peanut butter, fold the bread over and eat it. My brothers and I didn’t catch the usual colds or viruses that the other kids did at school.

After garlic has been consumed, it is then absorbed into your bloodstream and diffused through different organs. This is how the skin, intestines, lungs, and urinary system benefit from its healing properties. Its active agent is allicin, which is responsible for its very strong odor and its healing.

25 benefits of garlic:

1. Ear Infections
2. Sinus Infections
3. Wart Removal
4. Colds
5. Flu
6. Constipation
7. Lowers LDL (bad cholesterol)
8. Raises HDL (good cholesterol)
9. Constipation
10. Shingles
11. Joint pain
12. Fever
13. Blood Thinner
14. Corns
15. Athlete’s Foot
16. Nail Fungus
17. Heart Disease
18. Stroke
19. Sprains
20. Disinfectant
21. Wormer
22. Bug Repellant
23. Ulcers
24. Viruses
25. Antibiotic

Garlic loses its antibacterial/antiviral effect when it is cooked. Medicinal garlic needs to be eaten raw or in its essential oil. Choose solid, firm bulbs, and avoid the ones with soft or damp spots. If you don’t want to try the “sandwich” my Dad used to make for me, perhaps shred it on a salad, using parsley, mint or cilantro along with it to avoid bad breath.

Okay, don’t laugh but here’s a little remedy for your cold or sore throat:

Shred 1 extra large clove or 2 – you can use a press or your food processor to crush 1 oz of garlic if you want. Mix with 1 cup of honey. Let sit for 1 hour. Keep it somewhere cool, and when you feel a cold coming on, take 1 to 2 tsp and then take every hour thereafter. This is also great for relieving severe chest congestion and those painful coughing fits.

I hope you will remember this handy natural remedy and reach for it more often, maybe it will become one of your favorites too!

If you want any further advice or tips on how to use raw garlic for your ailments, feel free to email me at lesa@lesazenauskas.com.