Now that Labor Day has passed and summer is practically over, it is time to get ready for the fall. Even though Autumn does not officially begin for a few weeks on the equinox, nature’s energy has already started to change and settle down for the winter. At this time we start to think and feel that the summer is over. Summer is actually over energetically when we start to have these thoughts, wondering what happened to the summer? How did it disappear so quickly? These changes usually happen around mid-August.
When we eat a cooked, plant-based diet we naturally feel more connected with the cycles of nature. We feel a connection to the moon phases, weather and seasonal change. Through our plant-based diet we start to make a direct contact with nature.
This connection happens because a plant-based diet provides us with direct, rather than indirect nourishment. We get our nutrients directly from the source rather than second hand. Animals eat and digest plant foods and convert it into their bodies. When we get our protein from animals it is second hand and inferior to the protein from grains, beans and vegetables. Cows eat grass and concentrate the calcium from the earth in their milk. In the same way, this calcium is inferior to the calcium we get from eating green leafy vegetables that obtain their calcium directly from the earth.
Our direct connection to the earth through a plant-based diet makes it much easier to adjust to seasonal change. It is better to adjust to the changing season gradually and to begin when we start to experience these thoughts and feeling that summer is nearly over.
It is important to start adjusting our diet and cooking before the weather actually changes. The most important changes are to cut back on cold liquids and foods of any kind. Start to reduce or avoid iced drinks, iced coffee, ice cream, yogurt, soy milk, orange juice and even cold water melon. Once we start to experience the chill of the autumn weather, these cold foods and drinks will effect us more strongly and make us more susceptible to colds and flu’s.
At the same time, gradually start to increase well cooked foods. Slowly increase whole grains over cracked grains and pasta. Bring back the more hearty, warming soups as the weather cools. Increase well cooked vegetable dishes and cut back on salads slightly. Think about adding dishes that feel warming and comforting in the colder weather.
The change of each season can help us to align with nature more strongly. Over time this process becomes second nature.
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