Crossings: Your Health Season by Season


		Your Health Season by Season Ode to Eating and Living with WINTER by Catherine Varchaver, Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor Even Western, conventional nutritionists and medical doctors recognize the value of eating foods grown in that season—Nature provides us with the nutrients we need for each seasonal cycle. The heat of late spring and summer gives birth to antioxidant superfoods like cherries, blueberries, cantaloup and peaches. These fruits protect our skin and eyes from the unhealthy effects of strong sunshine and also provide a light, fiber-rich way to hydrate our bodies. Winter's energy on the other hand provides foods that are grounding, strengthening and warming. The rich array of root vegetables and dried beans are surprisingly nourishing. History of Winter Eating If we were only able to eat what farms in the region could grow and harvest, as I did in Hungary and Kyrgyzstan years ago, our wintertime dinner tables would offer up dishes made from baked winter squashes, bean and root vegetable soups or stews made with small amounts of meat, and freshly baked breads or grains like buckwheat or red rice. The Hungarians I knew, as well as my Russian friends in Central Asia, would cook with turnips and potatoes. They made Borscht with beets and cabbage in beef stock, or big pots of pink or black beans, perhaps mixed with home-canned tomatoes and simmered with spicy paprika made from dried red peppers. The Asian inhabitants of Kyrgyzstan would make pumpkin-filled dumplings and mutton soup with potatoes, carrots or parsnips, garlic, ginger and hot peppers along with their standby version of the Kim-chee, a garlicky cabbage salad influenced from their neighbors along the Western Chinese border behind the Mountains of Heaven. The only fruits available were apples and pears (and in Hungary, delicious quinces eaten only cooked) kept cool in basement storehouses or cooked as applesauce or compote to complement the store of summer fruit compotes, all prepared to last through the long, cold winter. Warming Foods These foods were (and are) warming and grounding, stabilizing and soothing. They nurtured and protected us as the winter winds howled and the frost fastened itself to any available surface. While the American in me yearned for an occasional avocado or pineapple, or some steamed asparagus or fresh greens, for the most part I felt content being creative with the bounty of the moment—especially since I knew that in a few weeks the earth would offer up new foods, new colors and textures and flavors, new energies, to take in. Eating in Winter Normally, winter should be a time of burrowing in, energetically speaking—of sinking into the quiet and inward-oriented energy of the season. With the leaves of autumn having dried and fallen off the trees, winter provides an opportunity for the leaves to decompose and sit, enriching the earth. Without leaves on the trees, the wind through the trees sounds less rustling and more whistling. When it snows, the blanket of white over the earth dampens sound and creates a deep stillness. It's a good time to read and sit by the fire. It's a good time to sleep more and eat warm, well-cooked meals that nourish gently and deeply. It's a good time to snuggle with someone you love and quietly enjoy a deep connection to people and to the greater, mysterious forces of life. Typically at this time of year, my body yearns for long-cooked soups and savory stews, baked casseroles and steaming hot cups of tea or chocolate for a special treat. But, as I write this, the temperatures will reach almost 70 degrees and so I struggle to reconcile what I know about the natural energy of winter and what I'm experiencing in the moment. The unseasonable spring-like warmth at a time of year when we are used to complaining about the layers of sweaters coats, gloves and scarves we have to keep track of, makes it difficult to know how to eat. The reality of these warm temperature is competing with the natural energetic resonance of the season. What to Eat this Winter So what's the best way to balance the energetic pull of winter and the realities of global warming's new influence on the seasons? Eat more: cooked food rather than raw, because they are warming and easier for the body to break down and absorb—avoid too many green salads or you may feel weak and experience uneasy rumblings in your belly; bean dishes, stews and casseroles made with less animal fats like meat, cheese, cream and butter; lightly cooked vegetables or salads (if the weather does warm up) that include cooked vegetables like beets, chickpeas and a hard-boiled egg over greens with a warming bowl of stew or soup. Other things to do this Winter Spend more time outdoors getting exercise, but also make time to do quiet, restorative activities you enjoy like reading, art, journal writing, listening or playing music, cooking, playing chess (or playing Monopoly, my son's favorite indoor game these days). If you are getting less than 30 minutes of outdoor exposure to the sun, make sure you are drinking a protein shake or taking a whole food multi-vitamin that includes Vitamin D. For healthy people eating a reasonably good diet, it's probably fine to do this every other day or even every 3 or 4 days, rather than daily. If you're feeling scattered and over-stretched, eat some black or other beans and find different ways to eat root vegetables—roasted, in soups, cooked, sliced and eaten room-temperature with a drizzle of vinaigrette, boiled and tossed with fresh chopped garlic and your favorite herbs (I like cilantro or dill or rosemary). Eat an apple or a pear each day—they're great for managing mucous, keeping your gums healthy, giving you healthy dose of fiber and more. Drink teas (if it's actually cold out, ginger or Indian spice teas are very warming and excellent for managing cold and flu season). Enjoy winter treats like cookies and cakes and chocolate; but choose high-quality items and aim for smaller, less frequent amounts and savor what you do have guilt-free. I wish you all a nurturing, restorative winter. Catherine Varchaver Please Note: These are general guidelines only. Each of us needs a unique set of foods and activities to achieve maximum health because there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all diet. A construction worker needs a different diet from an office worker. And someone who lives in New York will need to eat differently from someone who lives in Florida. Finally, many of us have food sensitivities, intolerances and outright allergies that affect our eating choices; and there are a range of health issues that benefit from specific adjustments in eating choices. For individualized advice on what will help you feel your best so that you can create the life you want, please call for a holistic nutrition consultation today.(back to top of page) Your Health Season by Season Like all ancient cultures, the ancient Chinese lived in close relationship with nature. Their experience and understanding of the cycles of growth and decline that manifested in day and night, summer and winter influenced how they thought and acted in every aspect of their lives, including medicine. These Chinese sages tell us that a well-ordered, long life depends on living in harmony with the depth of quiet and peacefulness of Winter, the sense of blossoming and new beginnings of Spring, the warmth and radiance of Summer, the savory fullness of Late Summer and the clear, light inspiration of Fall. They named each of these seasons after one of 5 elements, and declared that all of creation is made of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. These seasons, or elements, are seen in nature as a flowing river, a pale green bud on a tree, the full sun at mid-day, a ripe field of grain, or a perfect and beautiful piece of jade. Each season has a particular quality and role to play in our gardens, in farmer’s fields and in our lives – they exist inside each one of us – and in all of life. I would like to take you through the movement of the seasons and their elements – Water/Winter; Wood/Spring; Fire/Summer; Earth/Late Summer; and Metal/Fall. I will introduce you to how these phases are expressed in the body, mind and spirit and what they have to teach us about living in harmony with nature. (back to top of page) Water Let's cool off a bit and start with Water and the season Winter. “All things in creation live shut in and the crop is stored away.” Just like the bears, we too are called to hibernate in Winter, to be quiet, to go deep inside ourselves and store our energy for the coming year. The movement of Water comes from our depths – low in the abdomen. Water requires a container to be held, particularly in the winter it can spill out, we feel more tired – we want to stay close to home, nap in the afternoon and eat hearty foods. In an archetypal way, we ask, “What if there isn't enough crop stored away?” “Will I make it through the cold?” “How long will it last?” in Winter. Fear is the emotional quality that arises out of Winter’s role in nature’s cycle. The Kidney and the Bladder are the officials associated with Water. They are responsible for the storing of deep reserves of energy and potency and for the judicious expenditure of energy. A person with a weakness in the qi of the Kidney or Bladder may describe themselves as being “bone tired.” The energy of the water is very deep and governs the larger cycles of growth, reproduction and appropriate development, as well as the more obvious functions of the movement of fluids, and the creation and excretion of urine. Winter’s fear helps us cultivate faithfulness. Faith is the antidote to fear. Faith provides for action in the face of fear that may otherwise leave us frozen. Deep Water faith knows in a cosmic sense that “the universe is safe and has an order to it,” that “Spring will come.” I need to plan, but not be afraid about enough crop stored away or how cold it is. It won't last forever. Winter’s call to summon faithfulness allows us to journey into the quiet, contemplative parts of ourselves. That is where we find pearls of wisdom – pearls created around the grit in our lives. Winter can help carry us to the depths of our internal oceans to find the wisdom that will carry us through the year. (back to top of page) Wood Water creates Wood; watering plants makes them grow. “Spring will come.” Winter moves to Spring. The Chinese mark the New Year with the beginning of Spring – early February – when the sap starts running in the trees. It is the “beginning of the creation of all living things.” Life has returned after a cold and seemingly lifeless Winter. There is great hope for the vital growing season coming ahead. We feel a spring in our step. The liver and gall bladder are the officials associated with the Wood element. These officials are responsible for decision-making and planning and for protection of the body. Just as an acorn knows it will be an oak and a dandelion knows it will be a dandelion, wood moves forward with a plan, and a vision of the future. Trees grow with bark that protects the softer inner layers from harmful external influences. We humans use anger, like an oak tree uses bark – to protect the plans we have for our lives and to ensure that we manifest our true nature in the world. Anger is the emotional quality that arises out of spring’s role in nature’s cycle. As our Wood moves forward with our great plans and long-range vision, someone may step on our heel, we may feel walls going up to stop us – we can get frustrated, angry or even depressed. It may be difficult to see our path clearly, we get impatient, see more blocks than openings, – we may make unwise choices. Our head may ache, we may have an irritable bowel, PMS may drive us, and our loved ones, batty. Spring’s anger helps us cultivate the quality of forgiveness. It is a great challenge and does not often come easily. Forgiveness helps clear vision and obstacles. We will more readily see our way around the obstacles in our lives if we can find our way to forgiveness. That overwhelming sense of irritation and resentment gives way as our path of healing and becoming more whole clears. We see new possibilities, we find hope – hope for our vital growing season. (back to top of page) Fire Wood creates Fire, throwing more wood on a bonfire makes it bigger. Spring creates Summer. “All things in creation flourish and grow.” It is a time of great expansion, growth and maturity. All living things flourish. We may feel great joy, great love, great laughter. Or, if our Fire energy is low and unable to match the energy of the season, it may be a time of sadness. The function of the officials of the Fire element relate to all matters of the Heart. The Heart is called the Supreme Controller in Chinese Medicine – it is the Empress of the Kingdom of our body, responsible to lovingly encourage each official to operate at their best and to ensure the relationships between all the officials. Fire’s emotional quality of warmth, connection, communication, laughter, love arises out of summer’s role in nature’s cycle. The opposite is also true – we may find we can’t reach Summer’s heights of emotion – our Fire is lacking, our hearts feel shut down, it's hard to connect with people, we forget how to play, we can't remember the last time we had a good belly laugh. We know deep down that we are keeping people out of our hearts because we've been heartbroken and our hearts have become closed and hard. Sometimes the suffering of the world feels too great to allow our hearts to be open to it. Summer’s heart-felt warmth helps us cultivate the quality of compassion – opening my heart to my pain, and then using the compassion I have for myself as a resource, to open my heart to all who suffer. Compassion is not a solo practice. We do it in profound connection with everyone in the human family. To take care of your Fire, be sure to have people in your life who you can share yourself with – heart-to-heart. Use Summer's energy to help you find spirit in your joy and laughter, in your playful connection with all of creation in its fullness. (back to top of page) Earth Fire creates Earth, the heat in a compost pile creates rich humus for the soil. Summer creates Late Summer, a fifth season or phase in the Chinese year. The Nei Ching says the Earth “is a solitary organ, but can irrigate the four others that are nearby.” Late Summer is a time of “rottening and ripening.” The vegetables won't get much larger now, but they will ripen and sweeten. It is the time of harvest – harvesting the fruits of our labor, the fruits of our experience, and transforming these fruits into the flesh of our existence. The officials associated with the Earth are the Stomach and the Spleen. The job of the spleen is to take the food delivered it by the Stomach and transform it into qi, into energy, and then transport it to serve the entire kingdom of the body. It works like a team of chuck wagons delivering just the right nourishment to every organ and cell of the body so that they can flourish – just like we are nurtured by the vegetables pouring out of gardens in Late Summer. Sympathy is the emotional quality that arises out of Late Summer’s role in nature’s cycle. Late Summer’s call to sympathy can help us cultivate the quality of giving support and nourishment to others – giving service. Look how the Earth models giving service – she gives us peaches whose sweet juice runs down our chins; homes as diverse as grassy havens for bunnies, dark dens for bears and old hollow trees for birds; and flowers whose radiant beauty and fragrant smells take our breath away. The Earth can also be our model for receiving, sometimes we need to receive. We need to lovingly support ourselves as we give service – listen to our burn-out, and its frustration, guilt, self-doubt and fatigue; and then nurture, support and feed ourselves just like the earth gives to us. Late Summer is a great time to express gratitude for life's blessings. Eat with consciousness and appreciation of the nature’s gift of nurture. Late Summer is a time to harvest the year’s gifts to you. Consider them well. Digest their richness and full meaning to you. (back to top of page) Metal Earth gives rise to Metal, precious gems are found deep within the earth. Late Summer moves into Fall. “All things in creation approach perfection and completion.” The growing season is complete and has been well-ordered and perfect in the grand scheme of things. To know our Metal is to know ourselves to be as a sparkling gem having great value and perfect in every way. The officials of the Metal are the lung and the colon. The lung is responsible for “taking in the pure qi of the heavens” and the colon for “the drainage of the dregs,” for letting go of that which is not useful. In the Fall the energy of the heavens is falling, letting go and going deeply into the earth. The trees express metal's spirit of radiant beauty and letting go for all of creation. Grief is the emotional quality that arises out of Fall’s role in nature’s cycle The energy of Fall calls us to let go of this year's imperfections and losses. Holding onto imperfections leaves us spiritually constipated – we can't move forward, we feel polluted, blocked-up and dirty inside. Fall’s energy will help us find the inspiration to hold these losses or transgressions as part of divine creation. Letting go allows us to take in a fresh breath. The clear, clean, light air in the fall supports our longing for inspiration. The Fall is a time to honor the perfection of your life’s journey as well as the perfection of the growing cycle which is now complete. Fall’s grief call us to surrender – to accept and let go into the quiet and crystalline beauty of a universe that is both perfectly ordered and perfectly chaotic. To let go into the mystery of creation that allows children to get cancer, loved ones to commit suicide, and parents, lovers and friends to die; leaving us feeling overwhelmingly hollow and full of grief. How can we open to companionship, how can we find the willingness to connect with others in spite of this absolute predictability of loss and the deep grief and sorrow that we all carry with us? Fall’s Metal will teach us how. Metal, also translated as Air, creates water. Water comes from air as rain and is found flowing down the sides of mountains formed by metal. The cycle of seasons is complete. If our faith is strong enough or we have the courage and willingness to go to our depths, past our fear to find it, our fear will melt and we will find hope. If our hope is strong enough or we can forgive those people or things that are in the way of clearing our vision to find it, we will see the fullness of summer. We will feel passion in our lives, a sense of connection with the one great heart that connects us all and find compassion for the suffering. Out of our compassion we are called to service, to nurture and care for others and for ourselves. In doing service we are called to surrender to our inability to order the universe, to make it perfect, to prevent the loss of our most precious loved ones. And in surrendering at this depth, we are called to a faith that says, “Spring will come.” “It is strange and wonderful that Tao, the right way, is in each of the Five Elements and combines them into one entity.” (back to top of page) Acupuncturist Alaine D. Duncan, MAc, LAc, DiplAc is Co-Director and Co-Founder of Crossings.