Eating with the Seasons: Fall Edition

The Fall Season marks the beginning of self-reflection, winding down, and preparing for Winter. During this time, leaves turn from orange to yellow and begin falling off branches as to conserve energy in order to survive the cold winter season. This pivotal shift is also seen in our own daily lives. Have you noticed that maybe your energy levels are lower than during the summertime? How about the urge to sleep in? It is a time to begin storing your energy for the winter season and if we go against this natural law, it can lead to disease or discomfort in the coming seasons. In this blogpost, we’re going to talk about eating with the seasons from a TCM perspective as well as Food Transparency from a company called Bytable, Inc.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the seasons are considered an unstoppable force that can not be altered. Winter begets Spring, Spring begets Summer, Summer begets Fall, and Fall begets Winter. This is considered natural law which means that no matter how hard we want it to be a certain season, it’ll occur regardless of the circumstance. Because of this, it is important that we live accordingly and with the seasons. When we don’t, disease and illness can occur (for instance, rigorous exercise and dieting in the Fall/Winter can show up as seasonal allergies in the Spring). When we do, life is harmonious and more fulfilling. For instance bears gain weight during the Fall to prepare for hibernation, so maybe it’s okay to gain a few extra pounds for bulking season. That’s natural law affecting one’s lifestyle.

So let’s talk about eating with the Fall Season and the importance of doing so. Fall is a time of less raw leafy greens and salads, and more cooked or roasted root vegetables and gourds. Below is a list of general fruits and vegetables that are in season during the Fall months.

Fruits:

Apples, Pears, Persimmons, Cranberries, and Pomegranates, maybe the beginning of some citrus like oranges, but that’s mainly during the winter time.

Squash and Gourds:

All varieties of Squash such as Spaghetti Squash, Pumpkin, Kabocha Squash, Acorn Squash, etc.

Root Vegetables:

Sweet potatoes, Turnips, Beets, Potatoes, Kohlrahbi, etc.

Leafy Greens:

Cabbages and Brussel sprouts and a few other hardy winter greens like Bok Choy, Chinese Broccoli, etc.

When it comes to eating with the season, it’s important to eat foods that are warming and nourishing. That means staying away from cold ice water in favor of warm or room temperature water and teas. Foods that are normally deemed summer foods like raw salads, shakes, smoothies, or even raw sushi, should be switched to soups, bone broths, roasted root vegetables, beef/pork roasts, etc. Spices during this time already include a lot of warming spices. Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon, Ginger, Peppercorn, the main “pumpkin spices” are in fact warming and good for the body during this time of year especially to help prevent flu/cold symptoms. Fall is a time to conserve your energy, prepare for winter, and slow down your lifestyle.

In terms of acupuncture or TCM treatment, Fall is a time to treat seasonal allergies, colds, Flu-symptoms, headaches, migraines, insomnia, and to prepare for Winter/Spring by strengthening the immune system. Cupping during this time can help reduce cold and flu symptoms by strengthening the immune system and promoting more blood flow to the spine and lungs.

When it comes to choosing meats and vegetables, it’s important to understand Food Transparency and choosing locally sourced foods.

According to Bytable Inc. below are a couple of reasons why Food Transparency is important and knowing where your food comes from:

Food Transparency allows the general public to know where their food comes from:
The majority of produce is outsourced to countries outside of the U.S. where unsustainable practices are occurring. Although we live in a global market, we should focus on eating local whenever possible because supporting local farmers financially actually improves local economy. Also with Food Transparency, consumers and customers would really know what their label means. Nowadays labels like “grass-fed, minimally processed, and non-gmo” may not really mean those exact terms and sometimes, not even having those labels doesn’t mean they’re not just that, it all comes down to money and the cost of certification, but that’s another topic.
Lack of Trace-ability is Costly:
Many people are familiar with food recalls due to contamination at some point in the distribution chain of meats and produce, but did you know that this costs businesses over 10 million dollars and costs the entire industry 40-50 billion dollars every year, let alone the amount of food waste due to recalls is extraneous? With food trace-ability, many businesses would be able to pinpoint exact locations and crops that were contaminated, and thus be able to discard the correct contaminated crops, instead of literally dumping out all inventory and increasing food waste.

If you want to learn more about Food Transparency, visit https://www.bytablefoods.com/.