I
love fall, it's an amazing time of year with such energy and excitement. It
will forever give me the feeling of butterflies in my stomach, just like I had
on my first day of school. With fall comes much change. The air begins to cool
and crisp and the trees start to bare their branches. These changes evoke
change in our well being. As humans we are very connected to our home (mother
earth). As it begins to shift and change so do we. Our cravings become
different and rightly so. We need to change our eating to adapt to the season
and by doing so we become better aligned in our health.
Why do we gain weight in the summer!?
Post
summer many of us are coming off of high sugar benders, parties where we
consumed too much food and alcohol, and rather than feel slim from the summer
we dread breaking out our old wardrobe for fear that nothing will fit.
So how do we reverse this crisis
and do it fast? I
encourage my clients to eat different foods for each different season. By doing this
you will eat fresher foods and help maintain balance with your weight and
immune system. With summer being the hottest season it produces cravings for
more cooling foods. The foods that evoke a cooling feeling in our bodies are
unfortunately not the healthiest. They are mainly dairy and sugar. Put those to
foods together and what do you get? Frozen pops, ice cream, yogurt, frozen
drinks etc. This is exactly why people often feel bloated and experience weight
gain going into the fall.
On a
positive note as soon as the air gets chill and the fall rolls around we
naturally lose the desire to eat those foods and we develop a taste for more warming
sensations. By giving into this natural desire you will begin to shed the
excess pounds and feel better in your body in no time. The best way we can
detox ourselves off of the sugar is by hitting up the grocery store and adding
in all of the foods that come into season. Apples, pears, squashes, brussel
sprouts, pumpkin and many other delicious foods start to appear. These foods
not only have a ton of nutritional value, but they are low sugar and will help
to boost your metabolism.
Click here for a complete shopping list of
foods to eat for the colder seasons.
Fall/Winter
Eating Suggestion:
· Eat more foods that are Sweet, Sour, Salty / Heavy, Oily,
Moist, Hot:
such as soups, stews, steamed veggies, warm herbal teas.
· Eat less foods that are Pungent (Spicy),
Bitter, Astringent / Light, Cold, Dry:
such as salads, smoothies, cold foods and beverages, chips and salsa.
Not
only is eating for fall a great time to drop some excess summer weight, it is
also a great way to protect our health. The heartiness and nutritional density
of fall foods protects our body. They warm and strengthen the bones, organs and
immune system. Remember when you were little and your mom always said chicken
soup was the cure? There is much validity to that. Broths and stews with bones
in them secrete cartilage matter, which is great for our health and immune
system.
One of my favorite quotes: "Food is thy medicine and
medicine thy food"-hypocrites.
We can use food to boost our immunity and
prepare for the colder weather where we are often exposed to flus and viruses. This
is the perfect time to spice up your dishes with immune boosting foods.
Below are a few great additions
that are seasonal and protective.
·
Pepper - Onions
·
Broccoli - Kale
·
Pumpkin - Squash
·
Garlic - Cabbage
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