For our final piece in for the five-part series, we spotlight the Waterlogged type. For this type, Jill recommends a diet this is 30% protein, 20% complex carbohydrate, and 50% fruits and vegetables.

This diet emphasizes consuming cooked green and leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, mustard greens, chard, dandelion), low sugar fruits (berries), whole grains (brown rice, quinoa) and lean proteins (wild fish, lean chicken). Drinking plenty of filtered water, digestive herbal teas (fennel, cardamom, licorice, ginger), as well as green tea, is essential to boosting the health and fertility of the Waterlogged type.  Avoiding foods that are rich, greasy, fermented (pickles, kombucha) or spicy as well as cow-based dairy, sugar, salt, soy, yeast, and fatty animal protein will help alleviate many of the states of imbalance, such as internal dampness.

After spending a month living and working with a cookbook writer in Sicily last winter, my love affair with broccoli rabe was rekindled.  Also known as rapini, it shows up in many pasta dishes, alongside animal proteins and may be ordered as a side dish at most restaurants in Sicily.  Besides being delicious, broccoli rabe is a nutritional powerhouse of a vegetable.  It is a rich source of Vitamins A & C, contains calcium, fiber, and potassium and high in antioxidants.  This just may be my favorite way to prepare it, bringing back memories of Sicily with every bite.

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Broccoli rabe with garlic

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of broccoli rabe
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of sea salt

Recipe

1. Trim the stem ends of the rabe and separate the flower-topped stems from the thin leaves.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and drop the rabe into the pot.  Allow it to cook for about 2 minutes and drain.
2. In a skillet, warm the olive oil and add the sliced garlic over medium-low heat.  Allow the garlic to infuse the oil without browning.  Add the rabe and saute for a few minutes until stems are tender and warmed through.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.