Eating with the Season

Traditional healing systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, the traditional Medicine of India are ancient yet living traditions that outline the basic principles of health and how to enhance the quality of life.

These systems have always recognized temperature as one of the major influences on our health, both inner and outer temperatures.

One of the things that these practices teach is that the way one eats should change with the seasons. Most foods that we eat have the ability to produce heat or cooling in the body. For example, ginger, winter squash, and pumpkin all tend to have a warming effect. With that in mind, one could eat more of those things during the colder months in order to help raise our bodies energy by improving circulation and generating warmth.

It’s worth considering that certain foods can regulate our body temperature and counterbalance the weather of the season. Think about how a salad has the ability to cool us down in the scorching summer, while a bowl of soup can warm us up in the biting winter.

Luckily, we naturally steer towards these eating habits in the colder months because we simply seek foods that warm us up. Similarly, what is locally available to us during those months often aligns with this way of eating.

That’s the beautiful way our biology and Earth keeps us balanced.

“Life presents the opportunity to learn from other cultures. The idea is not to replicate those traditions, but instead apply them to life today as you see fit.”

• Cooling Foods

  Raw fruits & vegetables

  Cucumbers

  Celery

  Bok choy

  Endive

  Lettuce

  Summer squashes

  Tomatoes

  Most citrus fruits

  Banana

  Papaya

  Pineapple

  Orange

  Watermelon

  Tofu

  Spices: Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, Mints, Oregano, Basil, Turmeric, Lemon balm, Dandelion…

• Warming Foods

  Stews & soups

  Cabbage

  Winter squashes

  Root vegetables

  Oats

  Lentils

  Onions

  Garlic

  Ginger

  Walnuts

  Spices: Anise, Bay leaf, Cardamom, Clove, Chive, Ginseng, Curry, Cumin, Dill, Nutmeg, Pepper, Vanilla…

The lists above were taken from Ayurvedic and TCM listings, however it all depends on how your own body reacts.

These are a few foods that I regularly incorporate during the colder months. I find that they bring me warmth and comfort.

However, it’s important to carefully explore and gather your own experiences according to your body.

It’s an opportunity for you to stop and listen to your body in relationship to the natural world. It’s never about overwhelming yourself with one type of food, instead finding a harmonious balance between different types of food.

I would like to emphasize that this is not a one way approach of eating. It is simply an application to be considered in your lifestyle.

Fully understanding warm-neutral-cool foods requires interest and extensive research. I hope that this simple and quick break down motivates you to learn more about different ways of eating that can significantly impact your life.

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References

1. Ping Ming Health. (2021, August 23). Warming and cooling characteristics of common foods. Ping Ming Health. 

2. TCM Basics – Food. Eu Yan Sang. (n.d.). 

3. Patwardhan, B., Warude, D., Pushpangadan, P., & Bhatt, N. (2005). Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine: a comparative overview. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2(4), 465–473. 

4. Kadison, B. A. by M. (2019, July 25). Warming and Cooling Foods. Medium. 

5. Guha, A. G. (2006). Ayurvedic Concept of Food and Nutrition. University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Dentistry.

6. Colbin, A. (1996). Food and healing. Ballantine Books.