Health Tips from Georgia
«დაიწყეთ მოტივაციით. მოაჩვენეთ თავი და მოტივაცია მოვა!»
«Get started as if you are motivated. Pretend, and the motivation will come!»
1
Water & Honey in the morning
There is a belief that drinking still water with honey in the morning helps digestion. Mix two tablespoons of honey in a glassful of water. Mix it slowly and very thoroughly to allow the honey to dissolve fully. Drink it in as soon as you wake up.
2
Yoghurt for smooth digestion
Yogurt is often eaten for breakfast. It is mixed with dried fruits, walnuts, and/or honey. It holds good bacteria and helps to improve the digestive system.
3
Mindful eating
Georgian food culture is holistic; it does not only rely on its ingredients, but also on atmosphere, timing, and passion. Typically, food is consumed with the accompaniment of family, friends, and/or guests. Meals are seldom rushed, as it is a time to relax, refuel, reflect, digest, and socialize.
4
Feed organs with nutrients - not calories
The typical Georgian meal is close to a ritual and has a healthy purpose. It is not about shoveling calories into the body for the sake of energy, but rather feeding the organs with the nutrients they deserve.
5
Eat with appreciation and identity
Eating Georgia’s nutritious food is often a process that comes with thinking about who you and your neighbors are, encouraging a healthy sense of identity and community.
6
Colorful & Local fresh produce
Georgian cuisine offers a wide array of traditional dishes that burst with colors, flavors, and nourishment. Eating natural (either home-cooked or locally produced foods), is an important part of the personal and national identity. This means that the majority of what is consumed is healthier, tastier, fresher, and more colorful
7
Balanced eating
Georgian dinners tend to be complex, with variety and balance. Rarely does the table feel really dominated by one dish or food group. You find a rich mix of carbohydrates, proteins, dairy, and salads.
8
Celebrations
January is a month packed with holidays. In addition to two New Year days (on January 1 and January 14), we also celebrate “Bedoba” – the day of luck. And we do this only in January, but twice, on January the 2nd and the 15th. We, the Georgians, believe that whatever happens on “Bedoba day” is how the rest of the year will treat us, so we try to avoid hard work at any cost and stay merry and happy to set a good precedent for the remaining 363 days of the freshly unfolded year
9
Wine and Feast
A true Georgian is expected to be skillful in proposing eloquent toasts at the traditional Georgian table gathering like a feast called “Supra” sipping the oldest wine on earth first produced around 8,000 years ago. This tradition goes centuries back and is believed to be initiated by monastic clergy when they would gather their constituency in order to contemplate upon the true meaning of life. This helps us maintain mental health and the sense of social belongingness.
10
Toast for the meaning of life
During the supra, the tamada (toastmaster) will propose toasts to God, Georgia, family, the mother of God, various saints, friends, ancestors, and so on. Wine does not only play a sideline role at the dinner table, rather, it plays a key role in supporting the foundations of a Georgian feast.
11
Round of the meal with tea
Tea helps the food settle and digest while extending the socialization period of the meal.
12
Dance – The eight wonder of the world
If you are a woman, dance in an etheric manner as a seemingly disinterested entity floating around while if you’re a man, work as hard as you can to impress your female dance partner by jumping, spinning etc. This is a very productive substitute for exercising in a boring gym.
Nugget: Georgia is generally considered the ‘cradle of wine’, as archaeologists have traced the world’s first known wine creation back to the people of the South Caucasus in 6,000BC.
