Seasonal Eating Guide: Autumn
Reflections on Eating with the ElementsI’m a big fan of reminding people to tune into the rhythm of the day ~ the circadian rhythm. I call it “catching the wave”. Not surprisingly, it’s in the best interest of your health to rise with the sun and sleep when it’s down, to catch that wave of the day. Defying these daily patterns will inevitably take a toll on your well-being. But what about the seasons? Is there another wave you could be catching to optimize your ability to ward off illness and seize your physiological stamina? What do the seasons tell us about our health?Join us for Retreat: A TrulyFood Autumn Cleanse and read on to find out more. |
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Ultimately, it is in our best interest to tap into more than just the rhythms of the day, but also the intervals of the weather, the ecology and the soil. This is an age-old concept that we may have lost touch with as we’ve gained the luxury to buy bananas in the midst of the cool, dark and damp days of autumn.
Hippocrates, in teaching the “doctors” of his day, said: Historically, not only healing, but also diagnostics, was approached in keeping with the seasons. This was true in Egypt, in Greece, in China – all over the globe. In fact, early Chinese physicians developed the Five Elements Theory to help determine how our bodies and minds change and respond during different seasons. For instance the the winter may produce feelings of fear, the summer the sensation of joy and fall may trigger feelings of grief. It’s understanding how these elements live within us that we can further tune into how we’re feeling and more easily turn to the foods of the season that can heal and nourish us. Autumn marks the end of the growing season.Autumn also beckons us to turn inward, to release much of the external energy that calls to us during the warmer months. The essence of this season supports our letting go of waste, eliminating what we no longer need, and illuminating what’s most important. Just like the trees around us ~ shedding their leaves and revealing the endurance and capacity of the branches usually hidden from our view ~ we are brought back to our core. In keeping with these yearly junctures, each season I invite you to join me to tap into the healing secrets of the season. By doing so, you also harness the healing secrets innately within you. Each season I teach a seasonal cleanse with one of my very favorite chefs, Andrea Livingston. And Retreat: A TrulyFood Autumn Cleanse is actually just around the corner! But why would you cleanse with season? I love how the New York Times food columnist Molly O’Neill describes autumn like old age; like something that creeps up on you and is suddenly there. She says: She also says: And while the banana might not have a place in your late autumn shopping cart (depending, of course, on where you live), let’s consider the harvest bounty that youcan enjoy to catch the wave of the season. . .
Consuming these foods will enable you to step into sync with the season.From there, the seemingly impossible might happen. The beauty of eating with the elements, eating these very foods at this time of year ~ as we’ll be doing in Retreat: A TrulyFood Autumn Cleanse ~ is that they actually work toheal and repair the organs associated with the season. That’s why we cleanse with the season. In the fall, we turn our attention inward, to your lungs and primarily your colon. Autumn presents the opportunity to harness your internal resolve, self worth, vitality and endurance. It also invites the release of emotional upsets and grudges, as well as anything else we might be holding on to physiologically and psychologically. Exhale and release what you don’t need. Turn inward. Turn to the kitchen. Turn to the soup pot.Take a turn for YOU. Take the time to Retreat. And ponder one last quote by our friend Molly, who reminds us, as we step into the rhythm of the season, to find the buried honey in the bitterness of our food and our lives: |
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Tend to your best intentions and intestines with this season’s cleanse. . .Retreat: A TrulyFood Autumn CleanseOctober 5th ONLINE TELESEMINAR (recording available if you cannot join us at that time or date) Group Cleanse Dates: October 7th through 13thGet ready to focus on healing your digestion and your elimination (and most particularly your colon) and nourishing your body for the season ahead. Secure your early bird spot now! This is One Week of Easy & Nourishing Foods for Your Mind, Body & Spirit! Enjoy simple soups, steamed veggies, smoothies and tea elixirs. You’ll have access to all the teachings, instructions, protocols, community and 24/7 online support, all from your very own home! Click here to register and to learn more about the intentions of an autumn cleanse. . . . |