Food as Medicine

Have you ever given any thought to what people did before modern-day medicine? Before pills and surgery? Healing foods and herbs have helped people for centuries with many different ailments. Ancients understood the healing properties of the specific foods in their geograpical locations that could cure disease, cleanse the body and correct imbalances.

This week I write about three types of Kicheree, a dish very common in various forms throughout the Middle East and India. Kicheree is an Indian word for, "highly digestable." Kicheree is meant to be eaten during a time of imbalance like flu or colds, or time of digestive problems due to the nature of the ingredients and the way the ingredients are cooked.

Indian Kicheree is truly a healing dish, combining the holy trinity of garlic, onions and ginger. The Iraqi version is a bit simpler, but with its garlic, cumin, lentils and rice, healing nontheless. Did you know that the most perfect combination of protein and carbohydrate is lentils with rice?

Finally, the Iranian version of Kicheree (Adasi) is unique and very tasty with its spices (turmeric is an anti-cancer agent).

Enjoy!

P.S. I will be out for two weeks on vacation, so until then Namaste.