food for [fall] thought.

“Your body is a temple, but only if you treat it as one.” ~Astrid Alauda

Fall is in the air and all the wonderful things that come with it- pumpkin EVERYTHING (yum!), apples, cider, cinnamon, scarves, changing leaves, crisp air, Halloween… Love it! The initial transition from glorious summer days to the raw expression of Fall can be daunting because we always want just one more day of 75 degrees and sunny. The reality of it though, is Mother Nature doesn’t do us any favors and goes about her ways as she sees fit, so the next best thing we can do is comply and work with her!

This post is going to be geared all around foods to consider during the Fall season.  As a friendly reminder, everything I discuss is not the end all and be all answer to your individual needs.  Our constitutions are different meaning our health concerns are going to be very different in regards to food. A general understanding is the foundation to figuring out what your particular needs are and by all means, if you have specific questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. This is a very comprehensive and complex system to understand all the ins and outs right off the bat and I’m merely touching the surface of it in introducing this, to some, new idea of thought.

We all have a sense that some foods take precedence over others in their nature and flavor according to what is happening in the environment around us. For example, on a cold, snowy, winter’s day we are not always inclined to go outside and eat an ice cream cone- mixing the cold nature of the ice cream with the cold nature of the environment can wreak havoc on our bodies by cooling and slowing the digestive fire. Without even making the correlation, this can result in unpleasant symptoms like gas, bloating, diarrhea, lowered immune function and inability to absorb the necessary nutrients our bodies need… stuff we could permanently do without.  We’re more inclined to having warming foods, or natures and flavors that keep the digestive fire going inside of us. It is also key to stick to foods that are in season, as they possess the energetic properties that are most desired at the time of year they are harvested.

What is the nature and flavor of food according to Chinese dietetics? The nature of food refers to the qi of the food that can be either cold, cool, neutral, warm, or hot. The flavor, or wei, of food refers to being bitter, sweet, pungent, salty, sour, [and a lot of sources like to include umami]. The correct combination of nature and flavor in a given season will increase the body’s health and vitality.  Body awareness plays a big part in choosing foods.  Often we crave certain natures and flavors without really understanding why. Our bodies just know that’s what is needed.  As a teacher of mine said to me just yesterday, just go with it, your body knows best. And it really does… and if you’re interested, maybe what I’m about to discuss will shed some light on why we really like warm, spiced apple cider in the Fall.

Another point to consider before I dive into the fall season:  just because a food may be uncooked, does not mean it’s nature is naturally cool or cold.  Fresh ginger (sheng jiang), for example, is a very warming food and does not need to be cooked to achieve this action.  It has benefits like restoring digestion and helping nausea (counterflow qi) because of this warming action on the digestive functions in the body. This is some (literal) food for thought to broaden your dietetics knowledge and perhaps inspire you to try out new and delicious seasonal recipes.

The weather change in Fall symbolizes the rhythm of nature going back into a restorative, yin phase (see previous post for more information on this!).  At this time our bodies are looking to stay balanced with foods that can offset this crisp and cool weather that nature is taking on.  As the cooling function of nature is directed lower and inward (yin), in order to support our bodies through this energetic change, we often need foods to push the deep energy and blood up and out to the surface of our bodies to keep circulation and digestion going and to ultimately stay warm. All this to consider while also taking on the restorative, storing qualities that nature is beginning.   Foods with pungent (yang) flavors act on the metal descending function of the body which corresponds with the Fall season.  Think of all the pungent foods you can and that heat inducing, fluid moving, pore opening effect.

Some examples of pungent foods include: warming pungents: all onion family members, cinnamon, spearmint, rosemary, scallion, fresh and dried ginger, black pepper, all hot peppers, cayenne, fennel, anise, dill, mustard greens, horseradish, basil, coriander, cumin, garlic, and nutmeg. cooling pungents: peppermint, marjoram, elder flowers, white pepper, and radish.

Along with pungent flavors, consider seasonal foods to incorporate in your cooking.  This isn’t terribly hard because they are all generally accessible to us at the super market.  My friend and future wellness coach, Sarah, has the following to contribute regarding Fall foods:

“Root vegetables are a rich source of complex carbohydrates, providing a steady source of energy to the body, rather than upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods. Just like roots absorb, assimilate and supply plants with vital nutrients, they also increase absorption and assimilation in our digestive tracts!

Long roots, like burdock, carrots, parsnips and daikon radish, are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body and increase mental clarity.

Round roots, like turnips, radishes, beets and rutabagas, are nourishing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and can help regulate blood sugar and moods, and alleviate cravings.

For other seasonal foods, you could focus on APPLES!!! Apples are the complete package, with naturally occurring sugars but high fiber, which helps boost our energy while slowing digestion- limiting the amount of sugar that flows into the cells. Outside of “fad” diets that restrict carbohydrates or do not distinguish between good and bad sugars, apples are an accepted healthy choice in most dietary theory. Many of the lifestyle nutritional philosophies focus on seasonal eating (such as Ayurveda and Macrobiotics), and understand that nature has given us the apple in the autumn as an end of summer purgative.”

To mimic the slowing down of energy during this time, we often start to make stews, soups, baked dishes, and warm liquids which are all some of the perks of this season.  Slow cooking is preparing the energetics of our food to support the storing, warming, and essentially “feel good” functions our bodies love during this time. Using seasonal fruits and vegetables with some pungent flavors and slow cooking is a recipe for a happy, supported body.

Here are two recipes to consider to keep the body going as the days get cooler:

My favorite Pumpkin Curry Recipe by Healing Cuisine makes 3-4 servings:

1 onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

2 cups Sugar Pie pumpkin and/or Butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 red potato, diced

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 cups greens, chopped, such as 3 or 4 leaves of kale

1 cup chickpeas, drained (I prefer Eden brand)

1 cup light coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated

3 tablespoons thickener (kuzu root starch or arrowroot powder) dissolved in cool water to cover, about ¼ cup

1. Dice vegetables in ¾-inch pieces or to size of chickpeas. In a large skillet or a wide pot, place onion, garlic, pumpkin/squash, potato and vegetable broth. Bring to boil, then lower heat to slow boil for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

2. Add greens, chickpeas, coconut milk, and seasonings. Return to a slow boil and cook until done, about 10 minutes more. Stir thickener with cool water and add to pot. Stir to form a thick gravy consistency.

Shepherd’s Barley Soup by Paul Pitchford, “Healing with Whole Foods”

1/4 onion, chopped

4 carrots, grated

2 parsnips, diced

1 tablespoon oil

2 quarts water

1 cup barley

1/3 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 teaspoon sea salt or 1 tablespoon natto miso

parsley

1. Saute onion, carrots, and parsnips in oil (optional)

2. Add water, barley, and ginger. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.

3. Add salt or miso and simmer 15 minutes more.

4. Garnish with parsley.

Enjoy and please share your ideas and recipes! Spiced apple cider? A healthy apple pie? Juices? Have a healthy and restful week!

letting go.

“But if these years have taught me anything it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in.” ~Junot Diaz

               ’Experience: Content, Attitude, and Phenomenology’

My summer has been filled with some very inspiring conversations and encounters with people, places, and books. As I now reflect on all the wonderful time spent with friends, family, and adventures, I am also looking ahead to the school year that is quickly approaching, which ultimately means Fall is arriving…

As a way to continue to stay balanced and calm, making the choice to accept the natural flow of life, seasons, and weather is essential because resisting what’s inevitable will only put a damper on our attitudes (and ultimately the people we surround ourselves with).  Yes the days are going to get shorter, yes the weather is going to get cooler, and yes we may not see the sun shine nearly as much as we’d like. Nothing that we haven’t experienced before. So now what?

One way to embrace the seasonal change is to allow yourself to be open to learning, feeling, and understanding the energetic shifts that are actually happening around us. Fall is a time where things start to “die down”.  As I already said, the sun starts to set earlier and earlier and the warm weather soon turns to crisp, cool breezes.  It’s easier to nest and be cozy and perhaps become less active and more drawn to comfort foods.  Whatever our pleasures to keep us happy, there is a significant shift in energy.

In Chinese Medicine, Fall is the time of letting go because the life force in nature is turning inwards toward the earth (think Summer time being the most expansive the energetics of nature can get: heat, harvest, physical energy…etc. The only way to go from being out in the yang summer is returning back in…).  Staying with the theme of letting go, this is also a time of introspection; a time to look within, re-evaluate, and question what it is we could stand to let go of in our lives.  Is there anything that no longer serves a purpose in your life? Is there a habit, an attitude, or belief that you could do without? Is there an unresolved grief that needs release?  What parts of ourselves can essentially die now in order to take this seasonal time to transform, grow, and evolve?

With releasing and letting go of emotional and physical pains during the fall, we are following nature’s energetic order of life and death.  Notice how the leaves begin to turn, fall and rot into the ground during this season.  Everything is returned back to the earth to become born again  into new growth for the Spring.  Just as nature acts, so do our bodies.  A cleansing of  ”bad stuff” that doesn’t serve us now, will serve us well in the long run to make more room for the “good stuff” to grow.

This is not to force us all to fast forward and completely say farewell to our summer because mother nature can still squeeze a few more weeks out of it, I’m certain of it!  I’m writing this to start to get you to think, to take some time for introspection, and to identify those thoughts, feelings, and habits that are no longer necessary in your life and ready to be released.  This will make the transition into the yin phases of the year smoother and more graceful.

Writing things out, meditating, starting conversations with your friends, family, and loved ones can most definitely help this process.  Considering a health cleanse or fast may be what resonates with you as well.  In the near future, I  will write about how nutrition and Chinese dietetics can keep our bodies balanced during the Fall season. As always, I am open to what works for YOU too! Share your stories!

I wanted to sign off with one more thought. Although we are reflecting on letting go, it is just as important to “hold onto” what we have. Don’t forget to hug your loved ones a little more and express your gratitude and love whenever possible.  Another valuable lesson that we face throughout life is how fragile it really is and often we are trying to let go of grief that we have held onto for lives that have passed on, for relationships that have ended, or loves that have failed.  These are experiences that teach us, time and time again, how important  it is to share our hearts with the ones that matter when it matters before the opportunity slips away. Expressing love and gratitude is good for us all and never gets old! Over time, it also conditions our mental-emotional side to handle change and transition with more ease and grace.

I write this to you with so much love and gratitude.  Many blessings to you and happy last few weeks of summer time!