This is the time of year to pay scrupulous attention to your health and your immune system. And with the rampant spread of new viruses like H1N1, this winter is an especially important one to focus on your wellbeing.
Before you reach for a vaccine, consider the quickest and best way to take care of yourself: by choosing nutritious whole foods cooked with love and care. And the best way to ensure that food is cooked with love and care? Cook it yourself, of course.
Sara Braxton Ferrigno, N.C. is a San Francisco-based nutritionist who specializes in teaching clients to nurture themselves with traditional, natural foods. She emphasizes using locally-grown ingredients that retain the highest possible level of nutrients. (Produce grown elsewhere and shipped long distances loses nutrients because food naturally begins to deteriorate the moment it’s harvested.)
Read about the Slow Food movement
Sara will be joining forces with Tamara Falvai,L.Ac., a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herb specialist, to offer a free workshop at Acupuncture Kitchen on Wednesday, November 18th on Cooking for Immune Health. (They are asking a $10 donation simply to cover the cost of the ingredients they’ll be using in their demonstrations and tasters.)
This workshop will focus on the health benefits of cooking homemade chicken stock – a versatile broth that can be eaten on its own or used as a base in many other recipes.
Quoting Sally Fallon from Nourishing Traditions, “In folk wisdom, rich chicken broth—the famous Jewish penicillin—is a valued remedy for the flu.” Chicken broth has anti-inflammatory and immune-strengthening properties and is great for flus and intestinal illnesses.
Chinese medicine believes that health systems must address seasons individually. Fall, for instance, is associated with the metal element, the lungs and dryness. In the fall, Chinese medicine recommends eating astringent foods that will hold moisture in the body.
Tamara will talk about appropriate Chinese herbs that can be added to chicken stock or used on their own to enhance immunity during this time of year. The workshop will also touch on medicinal mushrooms (no, not that kind), ginger-lemon tea for throat health, and a tasty ginger crème brûlée.
What: Seasonal cooking class
Who: Tamara Falvai, L.Ac. and Sara Braxton Ferrigno, N.C.
Where: Acupuncture Kitchen, American Industrial Building
2325 3rd Street (at 20th Street), Floor 4R, Suite 70, San Francisco
When: Wednesday November 18th from 7-9pm
Cost: $10 donation requested
More information: www.acupuncturekitchen.com or call 415.553.5999
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