seasonal eating

Afternoon eKa CIRCLE

Current mood- hopeful, excited for change. I am languishing in my cave, sipping on an espresso, planning some goal setting for the new season. I am calling for some real 20 20 vision on my vision board for this new decade. One thing I have been contemplating after one hilarious conversation of purchasing a “cool granny trolley” with my hubby (his idea and a great one!) Is to shop locally in growers markets. Not only does that help your local community but the benefits for your budget, your health and your wellbeing are countless. You may even make some new local friendships?

One obvious benefit I wanted to chat about today is often overlooked.  Well stocked, fluorescent lit supermarkets peddling wares from each corner of the world have made things accessible all year round. This is not really how nature works. We NEED to get back to eating things in season! No blueberries are not grown all year round! Nor should you eat the same food everyday, if you desire optimum health. If you think about it carefully mother nature has packaged each food with little signs as to what they are for. I am sure many of you have seen the examples – the cross section of a carrot looks like an eye, a walnut looks like a brain, avocado a uterus, a tomato a heart, red wine looks like blood and incredibly these foods benefit the exact parts of the body that they look like! There are many more examples if you care to look them up. I do not believe in coincidences. I have been pondering the colours of foods as well and the links to chakra energy. Does the colour of a food group link to a chakra colour, I wonder? I am convinced each food group has its own vibrational field as a living organism.

The Creator has gifted us seasons with food groups that benefit that particular season. Why do you think citrus harvests in the colder months of winter when we are more prone to catching a cold? Is it coincidental that vitamin c is the best thing to treat a cold? Does it just happen that we need richer foods in winter as our bodies require extra fat for warmth? The temple body is amazing if you tune in and listen to it.

Globalism has benefited our wants and desires for a moment but have we paid a huge price for our childish whims? Do we really need a smoothie bowl with chia seeds and frozen blueberries on it every morning? Is the market giving us what we demand in our ignorance? Is our health suffering due to our obsession for an instagram post of copycat food?

I am particularly passionate about this topic probably due to my many years food styling. I have always had a leaning to health and wellbeing fortunately. In the “industry” we must work 3-4 months ahead therefore everything purchased for the projects photographed are actually out of season! When things are picked early and kept in cold storage to ship to another country how can we have optimum vitamin and mineral content? I am a firm believer that the earth offers vitamins and micronutrients for its locals. Much like honey from your local area carries the pollens to assist you to overcome seasonal allergies. What has happened to this indigenous knowledge?

Join me in making small changes for the new year. Shop local, shop at growers markets, buy organic where possible, buy small quantities to avoid waste- or start a co-op with friends to share and keep the costs down. Avoid processed food, choose fresh and prepare your own meals. Choose imperfect produce to break the obsession with perfection being the norm! You will help the grower and find the produce is cheaper and tastier. Grow your own, it costs the same price to buy one silverbeet seedling or a pot of herbs which you can harvest over and over – even if it is in small quantities in pot plants it will make a difference to your budget, your health and to the flavour impact. Nothing beats a handful of fresh herbs or fresh greens from the garden. Learn some tips on how to store fresh food for optimum usage, freeze, dehydrate, poach and bottle leftovers to share with others. Choose health over fast, convenient and cheap. Good health is the best investment you could wish for. May your year be blessed with insight and wisdom. Food is life, choose life. Happy healthy new year.

love & light

M+E