Seasonal cooking is a way of attuning our internal environment with the environment outside of the body. By choosing seasonal foods that are primarily organic, locally grown and unrefined we are eating and living more in harmony with Nature. When we select, prepare and eat foods with the seasons in mind, our bodies can heal more naturally, the way they are designed to do, and can better maintain a natural equilibrium throughout the ever-changing year.
Learn from traditional Chinese medicine & cook with the seasons!!
The ancient Chinese discovered long ago that our internal organs respond in their own unique way to the changes in season and daily weather. During each season, especially at the time of shifting from one to another, specific foods activate our vital energy – also known as “ki”. This energy moves through a pair of interconnected organs, depending on the season. For example, in the spring the liver and gall bladder are highly charged and this activates them to cleanse themselves.
Our internal organs respond in their own unique way to the changes in season & daily weather.
All food absorbs the characteristics of the season in which they grow naturally in. This energy is then diffused into our own body when eaten. For example, in the autumn months pumpkins grow effortlessly in most parts of the world, imparting their sweet, calm energy into the center of our bodies and grounding us with natural strength for the winter months ahead. When winter arrives, we can enjoy aduki beans whose hearty flavors strengthen the kidneys, which are particularly affected by cold weather. By becoming more aware of seasonal fluctuations, we are better equipped to harmonize ourselves with our outer environment.
Our bodies are designed to cleanse and discharge during the powerful shifts of the year.
When we eat foods that are readily available to us in the season in which they grow, our bodies are better able to pull out any unneeded excesses and cleanse through discharging these excesses. Similar to the falling of leaves or the ripening of fruit, our bodies are designed to cleanse and discharge during the powerful shifts of the year, especially spring and autumn.
The change of the seasons is a real gift…We get a free, natural cleansing!!
The change of seasons is a real gift to us…because we get a free, natural cleansing!! Similar to the falling of leaves, our bodies have the ability to pull out excess and toxins stored in the body, discharging them accordingly. For example, the cool autumn air (more yin) has the ability to bring up and out any excesses stored deep (more yang) in our bodies. This cleansing effect is more apparent in some more than others, typically affecting a healthy person in the main elimination openings of the body—ears, nose, mouth, eyes, skin, genitals, etc. It takes energy to cleanse and so if the body is strong it will do this job effectively.
Welcome & embrace the power of the seasons.
You just might feel like a whole new person when each season moves through you!!
May all bellies be happy!!
