What if we adapted our eating habits more closely to the seasons?
Your diet - some food for thought
Since this topic keeps coming up in my conversations lately, why not explore it a little more! So here I go, with a few questions to spark reflection (there are no right or wrong answers... simply an invitation to explore with me!):
Do you adapt your eating habits to the seasons?
How do your meals differ between winter and summer?
Which foods do you especially crave in winter?
And in summer? What are they?
Why adapt to the seasons?
I’ll admit I didn't pay much attention to these questions until my acupuncturist encouraged me to eat more cooked vegetables in winter and more raw vegetables in summer. Why?
Eating warm in winter
Quite simply because, in winter, eating cold or raw foods requires more energy from our body to warm them up to body temperature, while it's already working hard to keep us warm in colder ambient temperatures.
Eating cool in summer
In summer, it’s the opposite! Eating hot food demands more energy from a body that often already feels warm (and is already working hard to cool itself down)!
The benefits of eating local
Following the seasons more naturally
This realization led me to notice that eating local helps me follow the seasons more intuitively through food.
Here’s what I mean: the local vegetables available in winter are mostly root vegetables, which are perfect for soups, stews and other warm dishes!
In contrast, the local vegetables we get in summer are mostly leafy greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, ingredients that lend themselves beautifully to fresh salads and other dishes featuring raw foods!
An invitation to discovery
Eating local has also allowed me to discover new local products and enjoy figuring out how to prepare and cook them.
Eating “close”
As Julie Aubé explains so well in her book "Mangez local!", choosing to eat local also means:
Eating close to nature - eating fresh foods from farmers who reduce their environmental impact through ecological and/or regenerative practices, maximizing nutrient content.
Eating close to their nature - choosing basic foods that are minimally or not processed (and therefore easy to decipher on an ingredient list), minimally packaged, and that haven’t traveled far.
Eating close to people - building relationships with passionate farmers who work hard (literally) to offer us their delicious products. It also means discovering the challenges of their daily lives through their stories, as well as finding out directly from them the best ways to prepare foods we may be less familiar with.
Your reflections
And you? What is your relationship with the food you cook?
A holistic view of health
Health coaching touches on the many facets of our lives, all of which influence our well-being in one way or another. Our connection with ourselves, others, nature and the foods we choose is one of the many factors that can shape our health.
When we reconnect with our true nature, we rediscover the source of our energy and motivation!
Need support?
You don't have to walk this path alone. I can accompany you through your journey, one step at a time!
Feel free to reach out to see how I can help: the first introductory session is free!
