WEEKLY ARTICLE
 

                             Go With The Seasonal Flow

We are SO ready for a seasonal change here at Wholly Macro.

What about you? Are you ready? Is your body ready? We hope so, because fall is finally upon us.

And the timing could not be more perfect.

Just as we planned to write this newsletter, voila, the weather changed.

Therefore, we are ever so slightly shifting the delivery menu's, from summer fare, to more "Fall-ish" fare, because as the weather starts it's long awaited, and much anticipated cool down, we want our bodies to be in "strengthening mode".

You see, in summer, our bodies, and the planet also, are in an expansive, lightening up / cooling down mode.

Summer is the time to release the pent up and contracted energy of the winter.

In the winter, we naturally bundle up, close up, and eat a heavier diet. Think bears hibernating, think squirrels busily hoarding away secret stashes. Even the turtles, (that I feed), in my neighborhood pond, are very active in the summer, and then go into shutdown / hibernation mode over the winter.

Here is a brief rundown of some of the foods that are especially good for a particular season / organ. I think you will find that we use them all, and more, in the Wholly Macro kitchen.

  Lets start with fall, which relates to the lungs and large intestine. You want to be sure to eat brown rice, fresh ginger root, small white beans, yellow soybeans, shallow root vegetables such as rutabaga and turnip, and tree fruit such as apples and pears in the fall.

 Going into winter, which is related to the kidneys and bladder, you want to include adzuki beans, black beans, deeply growing root vegetables such as burdock root, dried vegetables such as dried daikon, and dried fruit, such as cranberries.

 Of course we are still going to eat foods related to spring - the liver and gallbladder season, such as wild greens like dandelion, arugula, rappini, leek, chives, and scallions, grains such as barley, spelt, and oats, and fermented bean foods such as tofu and tempeh.

 Moving into summer, related to the heart and small intestines, we eat large leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, and mustard greens, grains such as quinoa and corn, and large (expanded) beans such as lima and kidney beans.

And then we have late summer, related to the stomach and spleen / pancreas. Late summer involves round foods such as millet, cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower, and sweet vegetables like onions, kabocha and butternut squash, and sweet round fruits such as peaches.

Another way to look at this is to break things down by foods good for the different systems in our body, such as the circulatory system which needs foods that are high in fiber, omega fatty acids, unsaturated oils, chlorophyll, and Vitamin C, such as apples, flax seeds, nuts and seeds, lentils, parsley, and whole grains.

The skeletal system which needs foods high in calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and protein. Foods such as broccoli, leafy greens, fish, tofu, sea vegetables, and nuts fill this need.

Then there is the digestive system, which needs foods high in fiber, vitamin C, flavonoids, and probiotics, such as apples, beans, cabbage, cranberries, flax seeds, sweet potatoes, miso, natural pickles, and whole grains.

And not to forget the immune system, particularly important during fall and winter. The immune system loves vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and all plant based phytonutrients such as carotenoids. Nutrients of this nature are found in beans, broccoli and cabbage, carrots, citrus, and whole grains.

And last, but far from least, there is the nervous system, which thrives on vitamins and minerals, and omega fatty acids, found in foods like brussel sprouts, butternut squash, kale, sweet potatoes, peas, nuts, and seeds.

Overwhelming?? While fascinating, it is a lot to manage on a daily basis, which is why we just love providing all of these superstar foods for you here at Wholly Macro.

Be kind to your hard working body and all of it's various components. If you let us cook for you, at least for part of your week, you can relax in knowing that you are providing your body with all of the above essentials that it needs for good health.

Because no matter the season, and no matter how you look at things, or how well you prepare in advance / think ahead, one thing is perfectly clear: Healthy and varied plant based foods are essential for good quality life, and one way or another, you have just got to get them into your body!!

We have created a really fantastic menu for you this week. It is inspired by the welcome change in temperature, slightly reminiscent of the summer that has been with us for so long it seems, but has suddenly departed, full of fall energy, and with an eye to winter as well. We even threw in a few liver lovin' spring vegetables to balance out the heavier fall / winter foods.

Please take a look below, and Happy Season Change Everyone!!

In The Best Of Health To You As Always.