Now, these are generalizations.  I AM A CHEF, NOT A DIETICIAN OR DOCTOR OF ORIENTAL MEDICINE.  There is so much more that goes into proper diagnosis and protocols than what I gave an EXAMPLE OF. My point is that, when you look at the foods, they pretty much go with the seasons they are eaten in-squash/fall/winter, cucumber, and lettuce/spring/summer.

Personally, I like the idea of being told I need to eat more of something vs. being told I need to avoid certain foods. You are being given permission to eat.  Nurturing yourself through the foods you body needs. How beautiful is that?  And then, when you go back to eating your old style of eating, and those symptoms which you had forgotten about crop up again- the aching joints, gas, sleepless nights, hot flashes, feelings of fatigue-then you know those foods you were given permission to eat work for your body.

Think of it this way-thousands of years ago, we only had certain types of foods to eat at certain times of year.  We could trade certain foods for others within a certain distance to give us more variety.  Did we have the digestive health issues that we have today? We had a shorter life span due to hygiene and wars and other things, but the amount of health issues, CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES, that we have today, are too many.

Depending on your age, you probably had a grandparent or great grandparent that maybe had adult-onset diabetes at age 65-70.  But other than that, they had a healthy death. For example-my grandfather on my mother’s side died of heart issues and emphysema at age 78.  Because he worked in coal mines.  My mother’s mother had adult-onset diabetes that hit her around 65, she did become blind at the end due to her love of the bubbly beverage and sweets, and did die from cardiac arrest (unchecked diabetes and heart issues go hand in hand) at age 76.  My father’s father had a heart attack and died at age 80.  My father’s mother died at 98, taking her last breath in a sentence before she fell asleep.   My dad’s parents died at a later age than my mother’s.  I also found out that my mother’s side has the MTHFR gene that predisposes you to cardiovascular issues, bone density issues, and mental health issues.  So, knowing that one can deactivate those things that are genetically predisposed to me, I am profoundly serious about my eating and lifestyle choices. 

Eating and health.  Is there a one size fits all eating lifestyle out there? For me-NO. Keto/Paleo and perimenopause which is supposed to be the cure all did not work.  It is  through adding health enhancing/symptom reduction foods that is working for me.  Will this be forever?  I do not think so.  I have eaten so many ways throughout the last 25 years depending on what my body has demanded of me, that this too will pass. Our bodies change just as seasons change.  Not at the same times as the seasons change (especially in Florida), but happy times and trauma times take their effects on our bodies as well as our minds.  Sometimes it takes longer for those changes to become apparent in our health which can trick us.

Body, Mind, Spirit.  It works all together in our humanity.  Let’s help each other.  Lets empower each other.  Let’s build each other up.