Seasonal eating and your health

Posted by Diana van Eyk on October 7th, 2010

Eating seasonally is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  As Autumn days become shorter, dryer and cooler, our bodies require different foods from those they need in the hot days of  summer.

I asked Jennifer Gawne, Registered Chinese Medicine Herbalist of the Academy of Traditional Oriental Sciences (ACOS), and she referred me to her book “Peony Soup” which is about cooking in the TCM tradition.  It has this to say about seasonal eating:

The best medicine really is prevention and a healthy immunity created by preparing energetically ahead of season changes to prevent the flu, colds and other ailments.

To prepare for autumn, with its shorter days, cooler nights and drier air, one should begin to shift their diet by late August.

image courtesy of 96dpi's photostream

That’s the time to  let go of the cold salads and iced drinks of summer and move on to the nourishing and slightly warmer foods of fall like oatmeal and squash.  These foods have different flavours and temperatures than typical summer cuisine. From a scientific point of view, they contain higher levels of protein and sugars. These help our bodies through this change of season, when our metabolism slows to conserve energy through the harsh weather of late fall and winter.

Here is more information about the Chinese philosophy about eating seasonally.

Just as the way we dress changes with the seasons, so do our eating requirements.