{"id":6035,"date":"2014-05-02T11:11:38","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T10:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/?p=6035"},"modified":"2014-08-06T15:11:42","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T14:11:42","slug":"eat-yourself-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/6035\/eat-yourself-well\/","title":{"rendered":"James Whelan Butchers: Eat Yourself Well"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the chocolate eggs of Easter already a memory, the longer evenings and brighter mornings are just bursting with potential.\u00a0 I feel summer is only around the corner and with it comes an urge to think carefully about what I\u2019m eating. \u00a0Maybe it\u2019s the fact that we can go outdoors again without three layers of fleece lined clothing that makes me feel healthier and more conscious of what I\u2019m doing to and for my own body.\u00a0 Eating well and feeling well are as we know, intrinsically linked.\u00a0 This is by no means a new revelation; as Hippocrates famously said, \u201cLeave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no doubt that there is a historical case for eating yourself well.\u00a0 Perhaps our problem is that we only think about being well or getting well once we are sick or have some sort of complaint.\u00a0 In this instance we will look for the causes and sometimes it takes a small illness to turn us on to thinking about vitamins, minerals and nutrients.\u00a0 Some will immediately invest in the local health food store and stock up on herbal remedies or supplements.\u00a0 These are all good things to do, but surely it makes more sense to nourish our bodies through the seasons using wild plants and herbs to supplement our everyday cooking where possible. \u00a0In doing this we are increasing the taste of our food while healing and helping our health.<\/p>\n

In our industrialised and technologically advanced world we have largely forgotten the treasures available freely in nature.\u00a0 Each season produces different plants to help us with exactly what we need.\u00a0 After a long winter the body needs a good boost and that is why nettles are at their peak throughout spring.<\/p>\n

Wild stinging nettle is a wonderfully nutritional plant. It is rich in chlorophyll, calcium, silicon, chromium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. It contains vitamins A, C, D, and E, along with the minerals sodium, copper, and iron. It\u2019s very high in protein and traditionally it has been used as a spring tonic. Past generations always capitalised on what nature had to offer but our \u2018know it all\u2019, prepackaged, convenience driven mentality has long since forgotten such benefits. Hopefully this generation will re-discover what our ancestors have known all along.<\/p>\n

We are currently in nettle season and I can\u2019t encourage you enough to go out and grab some immediately.\u00a0 Just make sure you\u2019re wearing gloves and don\u2019t worry, drying and cooking kills the sting.\u00a0 Possibly the reason we have such poor associations with nettles is the nasty encounters we all remember from childhood.\u00a0 There was the joy of running through a field on a spring or summer\u2019s day only to have your bare ankles cruelly attacked by a stinging nettle.\u00a0 I seem to remember it burning for hours afterwards.\u00a0\u00a0 These days I actively go out looking for nettles to harvest instead of trying to avoid them.\u00a0 A pair of gardening gloves and something to put them in that can be sealed for the trip home, should lead to a happy nettle finding excursion.<\/p>\n

While we mainly associate nettles with liquid foods such as nettle tea or nettle soup, effectively it is a green and can be used just like any other green; spinach, cabbage or kale.\u00a0 Nettles can be substituted for any of the above in recipes you may already have for lasagne, quiche, stew or even pesto.<\/p>\n

\"nettles\"<\/p>\n

Nettles are excellent for the blood system; detoxifying and removing unwanted impurities.\u00a0 They help with lowering blood sugar, improving digestion, relieving pain and lowering high blood pressure. They also enhance the operation of the circulatory, immune, endocrine, nervous, and urinary systems thereby reducing fatigue and exhaustion.\u00a0 It is even claimed they can eliminate chronic headaches.\u00a0 For expectant mothers it is a very helpful source of iron and calcium and together with red raspberry and alfalfa nettle is a good prenatal herb.\u00a0 And, saving the best until last, if all the body systems such as the kidney and the bladder are in good working order this will also help with weight loss.\u00a0 So anyone trying to get beach ready could help themselves by exploring nettles as food and a delicious food at that.\u00a0 Nettles are best harvested at this time of year before flowering and can be easily dried for use later in the year.\u00a0 The stems, leaves, flowers and roots of the nettle plant all have powerful medicinal properties so take the whole lot.<\/p>\n

Nettle tea couldn\u2019t be easier and doesn\u2019t require any milk or sugar.\u00a0 Use about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh nettles to each cup of boiling water.\u00a0 (For God\u2019s sake remember to continue wearing your gloves when handling and chopping the fresh nettles.)\u00a0 Leave it to infuse for five to 10 minutes before straining and enjoy.<\/p>\n

Nettle Soup<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a simple and delicious recipe for Nettle Soup.<\/p>\n