Seasonal Alignment is the Assignment

All the food in the picture above is in season right now. How do I know this? I picked it out of my garden to make lunch - Yippie! Green beans, beets, swiss chard, and delicata squash. Seasonal nourishment at its best!

Do you feel the weather changing? The first hints of Autumn have arrived in southwestern Virginia. Late summer is an interesting time, from an Ayurvedic perspective because Pitta dosha (made up of the elements of water and fire) is often elevated, but agni (the digestive fire)  is compromised as the result of working hard all summer. This means we may feel more hot and irritable, but not have much of an appetite. 

These seasonal nudges are a few of the many things that distinguish Ayurveda from western medicine, and deserve our attention. Knowing what to eat, and when, is a significant part of what Ayurveda can teach us and bring our health back into balance. We are not meant to eat the same way year-round, yet most of us push through times when we are out of balance, which unfortunately creates further imbalance and we say things like: "I am just getting older so... I don't have as much energy," (or), "I am gaining weight," (or), "I can't sleep as well." In truth, there are so many ways we can support ourselves to feel great no matter our age. Seasonal alignment with food is a great place to start!

We truly are what we eat and food is medicine as much as  nourishment.

Concerning fact: 2/3 of US doctors graduate from medical school having NEVER taken a single nutrition class.

Truth bomb: If you are wanting to heal with food, your doctor is probably not the person to seek out for help.

Most doctors in the US won’t even ask you about your diet, meal spacing, or if you are having healthy and regular eliminations. Even fewer doctors would ask you to describe the color and texture of your poop, though these details are a major indicator of what's going on inside you! The majority of medications often mask symptoms only to create other issues down the road. 

Ayurveda has known that food is medicine for over 5,000 years. How we nourish ourselves makes a huge difference in our health (physically, emotionally, and spiritually). This wisdom tradition also knows that how we tend to our health via food, changes through the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives.

With love and light,

Hannah