How important is it to good health to adjust what we eat at different times of year? Different seasons obviously have different weather, and if we eat the wrong foods at the wrong time, it can make us feel bad, cause digestive problems, make mucus in the nose and lungs, and lower immunity. That makes it pretty important. If we want to feel best and have the most energy all year, it’s best to follow seasonal eating.
Each season has its own temperature and nature: winter is cold, summer is hot. Spring is windy, fall is dry, and both have lots of variable weather. That’s why a lot of people get colds in spring and fall – because they’re not eating properly and their systems aren’t strong enough to deal with the weather changes.
Here’s an example: if it’s a cold, rainy day, and you eat a big salad with a cold drink and some ice cream, you’re more likely to feel cold. All of those foods are what we call “cooling” by nature – they cool off the body. And if you’re someone who tends to feel cold a lot, you’ll feel worse. It can also make you feel tired, and make you more susceptible to getting sick.
On the other hand, if it’s that cold, rainy day and you eat some soup, stew, or cooked, warm food, it will help warm your body and you’ll feel more comfortable. It will also give you more energy and help keep your system strong.
All foods have their own energetic nature. Ginger, garlic and hot peppers, for example, are hot and spicy, and make you sweat. Other foods, like dairy products – milk, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt (eggs are notincluded here) are what we call “damp” foods, meaning they make mucus.
So if you’re someone who tends to “run cold”, it’s better to eat more cooked, warm foods, especially in cold wether, and add in a small amount of spicy foods like garlic, ginger, onions and peppers to help warm you.
If you’re someone who tends to have more mucus, it’s best to avoid those milk products I mentioned above, because they’ll make even more mucus. In this case, a small amount of those hot and spicy foods will help to dissolve and disperse the mucus.
And, if you “run hot”, you want to avoid eating a lot of the spicy foods. I don’t know why, but it seems like a lot of people who run hot just love spicy food, and adding more fuel to the fire. For you “hotties”, it’s better to eat more vegetables to help cool your system.
We want to aim for balance; not too hot or too cold. Balance is what keeps our systems strong and healthy.
Hopefully, you’re starting to see that there’s a whole other way of considering food and its effects on our bodies. There’s more to it, and this is a good starting point to work with your diet and observe how you feel.