Worldwide scientific research has linked spices to the prevention and treatment of more than 150 health problems, including heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Spices are so powerful because they’re super-rich sources of plant compounds that fight oxidation and inflammation, the two processes underlying most chronic disease.
Sugar is one of the things that creates this disease-causing inflammation in the body. A craving for sweetness in our diets is natural; indeed, satisfying that craving is essential to creating balance in our lives. Sweet foods bring us comfort. They produce serotonin (the happiness hormone) in the brain, which brings us feelings of joy and satisfaction in our lives, much like the feeling of having your mother’s arms wrapped around you.
Perhaps this is why sugar is so addictive. But in our modern culture, processed sugar has become the go-to. It’s easy and it’s fast…the American way. But too much sugar in one’s life create that insidious inflammation that can lead to many ailments, not the least of which is Type 2 Diabetes.
Next week, we’re hosting the third FREE talk in the Five Flavors Talks series, which will focus on the Sweet flavor and how it relates to the Earth Element of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (Hint: think about the term *Mother* Earth and relate it to that feeling of protectedness, contentedness that one feels after a sweet treat.)
Wed., April 20th
6-7pm FREE
at the Savory Spice Shop
Boulder, CO 80302
2041 Broadway St., Ste 1
Learn about the expressions of the Earth Element through your body, mind, and spirit, and which signs in your body are signaling a need to cut back on the sweet flavor in your diet and which signs are telling you that it would be helpful to your internal balance to incorporate more sweetness. Then learn about how to satisfy your natural craving for sugar using whole foods, herbs, and spices.
These talks will be led by Jessica Van Antwerp, an AOBTA nationally Certified Shiatsu Practitioner and Certified Instructor of HeartMind Shiatsu. She has been studying Traditional Chinese Medicine since 2009 and strives to live in harmony with Nature using the Elements as her guide. Her passion for her work comes across through her teaching style, infused with case studies and personal stories, as well as humor and light-heartedness.
