By Thalia Goodman
Eating With The Seasons
By
Thalia Goodman
Naturopathic Nutritionist
Dip NN
Many times people will start on a healthy eating plan with the intent of helping them to feel more energized, lose weight, improve health or to rid themselves of dis-ease. Often though there is still a lack of a connection between what we are eating and the world around us- our world, our environment. Disease comes from being out of touch with ourselves, our true nature and stops us from achieving our full potential whether that is re-gaining our health, being able to use our creativity freely, increasing our awareness, following our true path, feeling peaceful and calm, being able to feel connected to our own bodies and the earth or all of the above. What better way to attain this connection than by paying attention to what is happening in your outward environment and doing the same inwardly. This way we are truly in-tune with our world.
As the seasons change so should our level of activity, eating habits, food-stuffs, feelings and emotions, it is only natural that as the world around us changes so should we.
The age old concept of seasonal changes affecting human growth and well-being was rooted and developed in ancient china. This concept is well- known amongst many of the different healing disciplines and is known as “The Chinese Five Elements”. It ties together man/woman and nature and the harmonious communication between them gives them mutual health.
The seasons of the year are divided by the solstices and equinoxes and defined by the cycles of lightness and darkness created by the Earth and the suns relationship. They effect the external climates around us as well as our internal experiences. Whether or not we live in an area with well-marked seasonal changes, awareness of this natural cycle of light and dark (yang and yin) and adaptation to these natural shifts prevents much stress and illness, and promotes health and well-being on all levels. By learning to adapt to external changes we learn to maintain our health. When we are out of balance, you are more sensitive to change and susceptible to illness. At times of great energy shifts, such as the coming of a new season, the increased stress can make you more vulnerable to sickness. Thus during these times you may need greater awareness and care over your eating habits/ lifestyle patterns etc:
“The seasons change; we change. When we move outside the laws of nature, or resist change, we encounter difficulty. If we learn to live within these laws we will know health as our friend”
Elson Hass
Currently we are in the season of spring, with it it brings many opportunities for greater health so let’s look into this further and find out more about how to keep ourselves balanced at this time of year. The spring season starts from the spring equinox which is on or around the 21’st of March, this is the time of year when day equals night (hoorah!) For the next six months daylight the yang principle will govern our lives. In the Chinese system of the Five elements the spring season is correlated with the Wood element which governs the gallbladder and the liver. The liver and the gallbladder carry out essential body functions, particularly digestion and processing of many substances we take into our bodies. The liver is the body’s largest internal organ and is the body’s master laboratory. Essentially it stores and distributes nourishment for the entire body, is involved in the formation and breakdown of blood and filters toxins from the blood. From the natural viewpoint, when the liver is overloaded it is much less able to detoxify the blood and this can lead to many acute and chronic problems.
The gallbladder stores and secretes bile for digestion especially for the breakdown of fats.
Staying healthy through the spring season means keeping your wood element –your liver and your gallbladder in the best possible shape; with new attention to your nutrition, exercise, self awareness and self expression. Spring is the season of beginning of creation, this is a special time to be open to the new and the season to clear out the past which is ready to leave.
Nutritionally it is a good time for a more cleansing diet to encourage and support detoxification of the liver and gallbladder and doing so will have a great impact on not only your physical health but your mental and emotional health too, what you do for your body you do for your mind and vice versa. Your diet should become lighter, with a larger percentage of raw foods- greens, sprouts, salads, fruits, nuts and seeds some grains but fewer heavier foods like meats and dairy products, fried foods, root vegetables, chemical foods and alcohol. Look around you and see what is naturally growing at this time of year- chickweed, rocket, spinach, malvas, dandelion and lettuce this is what you should be having now. Wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts you can grow at home and juice or eat them too. Lighter grains such as millet, quinoa and amaranth should replace the heavier grains such as rice, wheat and oats that featured in the autumn and winter. Swapping animal proteins for vegetable proteins in the form of avocadoes, nuts, legumes or seeds these can all help to balance and support our bodies at this time of year of new growth and new beginnings.
There is much information available on the subject of the seasons and the Chinese Five elements but I hope this supplement has given you a small insight to a wonderful subject that in it’s wisdom and logic can really offer a great insight to our potential and our understanding of life and health:
“can we really stop nature? We can slow her by intervention, like damning a river, or cementing a cliff upon which ocean waves are crashing, but eventually nature has her way- the message comes forth- “change!”
If you would like to learn how eating with the seasons could help you or you have a health problem you need to address and would like to deal with it naturally,
please contact Thalia Goodman on 01202 434903