By Charlotte Tiffany
I am Charlotte, the Gut, Liver and Skin Naturopath at Healing Space who supports patients with Nutrition, Herbs, and Medicinal Mushrooms, with the ability to offer a large variety of Laboratory Testing, as well as coaching my patients, to understand the simple changes we can all make for a healthier life. You’ll find me working from Healing Space on Tuesdays and some Saturdays.
As we welcome the dawn of a new year, let's embark on a journey together, embracing the virtues of making small intentional steps towards a more balanced health paradigm. In the spirit of warmth and understanding, let's navigate away from the grand gestures of New Year Resolutions and instead, focus on the gentle art of nurturing our well-being especially during this tranquil winter season. Remember every day we wake up we have the ability to make a change, not just on the 1st of January!
Winter, a time of rest and rejuvenation, invites us to slow down and reconnect with ourselves. It's a season that encourages us to conserve our energy, allowing it to rebuild for the vibrant days ahead. Winter is not the time for any rigourous detox routines that will be too harsh on our body systems. Instead let’s focus on gentle nourishment, and savouring wholesome foods that provide comfort and warmth. Winter is the perfect opportunity to indulge in hearty soups, nourishing stews and hot herbal teas that not only warm the body but also soothes our souls.
Looking ahead to the promise of Spring, I anticipate hosting a liver cleanse with a mixture of herbal support, complete with recipes for meal times and drinks designed to encourage our bodies to naturally release toxins. It will incorporate enemas and castor oil packs to boost the liver and gallbladder health and vitality, as well as focussing on colon health. There will be more information released closer to Spring, so keep an eye out!
For now, let’s save the detox for the blooming days of Spring, allowing our bodies to harmonise with the changing seasons. By taking gentle steps now, we set the stage for a more robust and resilient well-being in the months to come. As we navigate this journey together let's foster a sense of community and support. Do share your small victories with your practitioners, discoveries and favourite winter recipes with us. Let's inspire one another to prioritise our health in a way that feels achievable and sustainable!
Included below is a recipe for a delicious soup and a drink…
Coconut and Cauliflower Soup:
Ingredients:
2-3 red onions or 2 small leeks
6 cloves of garlic
1 cauliflower with the leaves
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon of ground coriander
1 heaped teaspoon of cumin
1 heaped teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of miso
Olive oil
1 can of coconut milk - Biona is a good brand that doesn’t use added ingredients
800ml of stock
Chilli oil for the end
Tofu cubed and oven cooked with a sprinkling of the above spices
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 180/gas 4
Peel and cut the onions into wedges
Trim the Cauliflower into similar sized florets
Add the garlic cloves in their skins
Put all this into a roasting tin, sprinkle over all the spices, pour over the oil and mix together
In the oven for 30 - 40 minutes
Remove the veg from the oven, take the garlic out of their skins. Discard the garlic skin
Scrape everything into a pan, pour in the coconut milk, add the stock and slowly bring to a bubbling simmer
After about 10 minutes, remove from the heat
Blitz the soup together - a hand blender or a food processor, what ever you have
Leave it lumpy if you prefer or make it completely smooth
Add pepper and salt at the end of cooking
If using Tofu put them in the oven the same time as the veg
Use the tofu instead of using croutons and place into the soup with a pouring of chilli oil
Cleansing Drink:
Grab a large glass bottle and add to it a slice of lemon or lime
Add a slice of grapefruit
Some fresh mint
And a few slices of cucumber
If you have it, pour in some aloe vera as well
NB - It is best to be made the night before, stored in the fridge and then used throughout the day, filling it up throughout the day with more fresh water. Making it the night before allows the water to be completely infused with the goodness from the food!
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Wishing you a season of tranquility, warmth, and the joy that comes from nurturing your well-being, one small step at a time. Enjoy your down time. With Love, from Charlotte ♡