In his new book Ancient Remedies, Dr. Josh Axe (best-selling author of Keto Diet and the host of The Dr. Axe Show) takes us way back to how traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine helped our bodies heal through food, herbs, essential oils and lifestyle changes. His personalized approach is the alternative to Western medicine's one-size-fits-all approach (read: the same pill for all).
"There is no one specific diet that is perfect for everyone," says Dr. Axe. Instead, Ancient Remedies has a quiz where you can learn what element you are and then offers up a 7-day eating plan based on that element (I'm Metal with a splash of Water so I mixed up the plans and the recipes were SO good -- check out a few below).
"Finding out your ancient element type is like taking an Enneagram or DISC or Myers-Briggs personality profile where you then can better understand your unique makeup and follow a diet based on the foods that are most beneficial to you as an individual," says Dr. Axe. "For example, if you're an Earth type, the focus is on gut health, so you would not want to eat a lot of raw foods because they are difficult to digest, and you'd instead want to eat a lot of cooked vegetables, bone broth soups and easily digestible fruits such as pears, applesauce, and blueberries. These foods are easy to digest and healing for the gut."
Ancient Remedies launches next week on February 2. Check out these healing recipes for an intro to ancient remedies:
Dr. Axe Immunity Bowl
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total: 45 minutes
(Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb Paleo)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 64 ounces chicken broth (or 8 scoops of unflavored protein powder from collagen or bone broth mixed with 8 cups water)
- 1 head cauliflower chopped
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups chopped shiitake mushrooms
- ¼ cup white miso paste (chickpea or soybean)
Directions:
- Heat the coconut oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and chicken thighs. sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- In a large soup pot, add the onion and chicken thighs to the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and bring in a boil before turning to low.
- Put a lid on the soup pot and let simmer over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is cooked through.
Ancient Grains Bowl
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes Total: 50 minutes
(Dairy Free Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked whole grains (quinoa or brown rice)
- 2 cups cooked cubed sweet potatoes
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil (divided)
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- ½ onion, sautéed
- 1 cup cooked, sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped kale
- ½ cup shredded raw carrots
- ¼ cup pesto
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 F for sweet potatoes.
- Cube 2-3 sweet potatoes and spread onto a coconut oil greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until crisped, flipping once halfway through to make sure that both sides get crispy.
- Meanwhile, cook whole grains according to package directions.
- Sauté onion, mushrooms and kale in a pan with rest of coconut oil for 5 minutes or so.
- When potatoes and grains are cooked, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Serve in bowls. Garnish with nuts. (Mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.)
Baked Brussels Sprouts with Honey Glaze
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total: 50 minutes
(Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo)
Ingredients:
BRUSSELS SPROUTS:
- 15-20 Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 small red onion, cut into crescents
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
SAUCE:
- ¼ cup raw honey
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- juice from ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted grass-fed butter
- 3 green onions, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Combine Brussels sprouts, red onion, walnuts in a bowl and mix in oil until evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread mixture out on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast until slightly browned, about 25-40 minutes.
- For the sauce, bring honey to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add vinegar and lemon juice and whisk mixture until smooth.
- Return the saucepan to the stovetop at medium heat and add butter. Continue to whisk for 3 minutes.
- Place Brussels sprouts in a large serving bowl and add sauce and green onions. Combine thoroughly.
Oatmeal Almond Butter Bars
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total: 2 hours
(Dairy Free Gluten Free)
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
- 1 cup almond butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons vanilla flavored protein powder from collagen or bone broth
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients until well combined.
- Pour into a greased loaf pan. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, and then cut into bar or cookie shapes.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
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