Part 2: Sync Your Diet and Lifestyle with Nature For Greater Health Benefits!

This is part two of “Sync Your Diet and Lifestyle with Nature For Greater Health Benefits.” If you missed the first part of this blog click here to read.

Winter is usually characterized by colder weather, darker days, increased moisture in the form of rain or snow, and the grounded, slow feeling that causes many animals to go into hibernation. The slow, heavy qualities of the winter months offer us the opportunity to retreat and check in with ourselves.

Winter is also the season when our digestive fire is strongest, as we pull in heat. The body requires more fuel to stay warm and healthy in the winter months. Therefore, we often crave a more substantial, nutritive diet at this time of year, and may find ourselves eating larger quantities of food.

Spring is a time of cleansing and renewal, a watery season of warming temperatures. Snow melts making the rivers full and muddy. Our internal landscape reflects Mother Nature’s as fat melts away from the tissues, along with toxins into the blood, making it sweet and releasing a flood of mucus during “allergy season.”

Summer brings the heat, with long days of bright sun and sharp intensity. Our bodies naturally crave lighter foods and smaller meals that are easy to digest, as our digestive fire dissipates in order to help keep us cool.

Naturally at this time, we often enjoy more fresh fruits, salads and watermelon which are cooling foods in nature, helping to counteract the heat of the summer. By fall, we’re often baking pumpkin breads and eating more hearty meals, grounding soups, stews and foods that naturally quell the dry, light, and erratic nature of fall.

Fall is a time of transition, evident everywhere around us. Trees and shrubs shed their leaves in preparation for the winter. There’s a subtle browning of the earth. Temperatures begin to shift and there is the wind, slowly gathering strength.

As the equinox approaches, the days become shorter and the nights become longer. At this transformative junction, we let go of what we don’t need in order to help us move through our next stage of growth. As we transition into autumn, we are ready for the fruits of our labor. The seeds we have planted in all aspects of our lives are now ready to manifest and be harvested.

Taking the time to listen, observe, contemplate and synchronize to the rhythm of nature brings harmony and vitality in our body, mind and spirit. Adopting a seasonal routine is a sound investment in our own health. While the specifics may vary from person to person, we all stand to benefit from aligning ourselves with the rhythms of nature throughout the year.