Chicory: The Root of My Delight

Blue Chicory flowers grow voluntarily along the roadsides and fields of British Columbia, where my friend Julie from Pearls In a Nutshell lives. I commented about how beautiful the flowers were when we visited her this summer, and I was surprised to learn that it was Chicory … the tasty coffee additive I love so much!

The chicory plant is grown commercially for it roots, rather than its beautiful flower. The roots are sliced, kiln-dried, roasted, and ground into a powder before being served. It is often used as a coffee additive, lending a bold, rich-bodied taste to coffee blends. At times chicory has even been used as a substitute for coffee.

The Acadians brought chicory to Louisiana in the 1800’s, and it was used in New Orleans during the Civil War to stretch the unpredictable coffee supply which resulted from the Union’s Naval Blockade of the Mississippi River. Chicory coffee is still a staple in New Orleans and surrounding areas … which is why I have grown to love it so much. Because chicory adds a bittersweet taste to coffee, it is not often served black, but rather with milk or cream, and that is my favorite way to drink it … no sugar necessary!

Chicory Has Some Amazing Health Benefits

Chicory consists mainly of fructose, protein, and natural fiber and is considered a prebiotic, which cleanses the body of toxins and has a calming effect on the nervous system. Prebiotics are food substances that promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the intestines and supports the natural functioning of the digestive system. In her post Why Prebiotics are Essential to Your Heart Health & Immune System, nutritional consultant, Donna Gates, states…

Prebiotics are one of the newest fields of nutritional research and offer promising benefits for your heart, your immunity and more. Prebiotics stimulate the growth of healthy microflora that populate your large intestine. When these healthy microflora (beneficial bacteria) are allowed to flourish, they help keep you healthy and strong.

I delight in the chicory plant and enjoy its healthful benefits, but just as the root of the chicory plant enhances our physical health, so does the Word of God enhance our spiritual health when we delight in it and allow it to put down healthy strong roots in our life. God is my TRUE delight and the root of my delight is His Word.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalms 1:1-3 NIV)

Keeping it real,