Eat Root Vegetables
What do sweet potatoes, beets, and carrots have in common?
Well other than all being GORGEOUS vibrant Fall colours, that is. . .
They are all root vegetables!
Root vegetables can help us feel better in our bodies, especially if we suffer from joint pain, anxiety, insomnia, or constipation.
A root vegetable is defined as: ‘the fleshy enlarged root of a plant used as a vegetable’
SEXY!!
Root vegetables can totally be sexy, especially when they are treated appropriately. (Just like you! heh.)
And sweet potatoes, beets, and carrots are not the only ones, either!
There is a whole smorgasbord of root vegetables waiting for you to roast them. Check out some of the lesser eaten ones like parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, and celeriac. Even daikon radish is a root vegetable. it loses its trademark pungency in favour of sweetness when roasted well.
Roasting root vegetables coated in oil can enhance their natural sweetness and make them easy to digest, which is super sexy!
Easier to digest = less toots, less toots = more sexy
The more we cook vegetables on the outside of our bodies, the less work our digestive systems have to do on the INSIDE of our bodies, making digestion very efficient which keeps our digestive fire (agni) burning well.
Root vegetables are also very grounding to eat. Think about it, if like increases like, then eating something found literally growing in the earth is going to have more of that earth element in its makeup. AND by that logic, eating the thing brings the thing into our makeup!
Step 1: Eat Root Vegetables.
Step 2: Feel Grounded
Step 3: ????
Step 4: PROFIT!
At the very least, they can help you feel better in your body and your mind.
Eating things that help to keep you grounded and connected to the earth element can actually help your body mitigate things like pain, anxiety, and sleep issues.
On the flip side, if we eat foods that are too light, cold, or dry, we are actually then bringing those qualities into our bodies instead, which can exacerbate things.
Fall and Winter are absolutely NOT the time for salads, no matter what. Salads are cold, dry, crunchy, hard, and very challenging to digest.
As a matter of fact, almost all raw food is out. the exception being some fruits like oranges.
Remember what I said before, we want to help our agni out by cooking foods well, including plenty of oil, and making ample use of our spice toolbox.
Spices like ginger, cumin, garlic, black pepper, turmeric, black mustard seeds, ajwain, and cinnamon can all help to boost our agni and keep our bodies running well and spicy! Include them in your diet this time of year, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
of course, this not to say that all you have to do is eat a sweet potato slathered with ghee and dusted with black pepper and your problems will be solved. however, if you make the focus of your diet well cooked, oiled, and spiced grounding foods like root vegetables, you may find that your start to feel better, sleep better, and dare i say poop better??
Try it out and let me know what happens. If you need inspiration, check out some of my recipes here. Including one coming out in the newsletter on Thursday for roasted beets and sweets, which is one of my personal favourites!
If you have questions or concerns, let me know, and as always, Trust Your Gut!
In Love,
Veronica
