Do you feel that? Its called autumn.

Everyone has been coming into the clinic saying "Uh, I just feel so.. lethargic.. so scattered.." as if all the pieces were coming apart.

Yeah.. Thats because they kind of are.

It isnt you.. well, it IS you, but it is also everything else. Everyone else. It is nature. WE are nature, remember?

Just like in Spring, everyone gets buzzy and wiggles in their seats the anticipation of growth just around the bend- we match Nature.. And now, things begin to fall apart, everything is being swept around, there is a certain confusion that makes us want to go Inwards. And this makes sense. Our internal everything is preparing for the hibernation. We are preparing for the quietude and solitary confinement Winter naturally brings.

AND IT IS OKAY!!

Prepare for it! Embrace it! Start making lists of recipes that you want to cook- all the barbeques of Summer are going to go the way of the dodo now, so come up with a winterized version! My ladies and i have a knitting circle. (Yeah, we're badass..) and I think I am going to do a monthly 'Soup Party'.. So this is my plan, this is how I will get my kicks this winter.. come up with the ideas now while that summery social feeling still lingers.

Start eating roots. Ground veggies.. potatoes, carrots, SQUASH, parsnips, all of it. go back to the stews, the heavy meats.. Lamb, beef.. you don't need much, but it really helps to ground you and get your body ready. Maybe take a week (at least) off of booze, just allow your body a minute to recalibrate, to see where it is so that it can tell your brain what it needs.

Start listening. And stop fighting what you are hearing.

People are pissed because they are tired more. Yeah, the sun sets earlier, this is natural that we want and need more sleep- nature sort of programmed us. Roll with it. The answer is to not fight what is naturally occurring. I believe the discomfort often arises from our thinking it SHOULD be a different way. Well, it isn't. This is it. Lets get ready.

• Start the bundling/layering process.
• Continue to drink water- lots of us have started backing off, but its more of a temperature thing as opposed to a thirst thing, so maybe tea all day will help.
• If you are starting to feel that sick feeling- be careful, maybe don't go out that day, rest. People are already really getting sick. Remember last year? Everyone was sick. That whole swine thing..
• Stop with the salads and raw veggies. Start roasting and sautee the veggies.
• warming herbs like ginger and cinnamon, cumin, coriander- go buy fresh bottles..

Mostly though, it is a-ok that you are feeling out of whack.. look at the leaves gusting around, the same thing is happening within each of us. It is time. Just like in the Spring, we re-booted... Now we prepare for the shut-down.

Its going to be lovely if we let it...

a few thoughts on food, nutrition, and eating

When thinking of diet and nutrition our society is consumed by that big looming C word..

Calorie..

When reading the Nutritional Fact box on the back of a product, everyone seems to look at caloric and fat intake.. well scroll down, or to the side of that box and check out the ingredients list.. THAT is where the truly important information is.. That is the FOOD you are putting in.. Calories virtually wouldn't matter if you are eating whole healthy foods, combining them well, and eating in proper doses! Really, how many carrots, beets, kale, butternut squashes do you have to eat to be concerned over the caloric intake? more than you could ever eat in one sitting, that is for sure.

Some eating healthy guidelines..

• If you dont know the words in the ingredients list, you maybe shouldnt be eating it.. those arent generally foods that grow from the earth.

• If your great- grandparents couldnt eat, maybe you shouldnt either.. it's a good rule of thumb.

• when ingredients lists say 'enriched' and 'modified', run the other way... you dont want food that somehow they took a part out, processed, and then put some of it back in.. you want the food as it was grown.. whole.

• High fructose corn syrup is poison.. There is a mechanism in our bodies, when we take in food, as soon as it hits the small intestine a chemical reaction occurs and the brain is sent a signal saying 'okay! done! We're full! Stop eating!!' High fructose corn syrup turns that signal off.
And high fructose corn syrup is in everything.. Be warned..

Processed foods are not benefitting us. Created to be low calorie low fat they are also exceptionally low in nutritional value. They have been severely altered to be better marketing tools, but they dont tend to give our bodies the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs.

Okay thats it for now.. I am sure I will come up with more later.. eat well, be well.. -cm