Eat for the weather

Each season brings us healthy wise choice of fresh produce that perfectly suits our needs. It is all for a reason. Did you ever wonder why citrus fruits appear in winter when we are in most need for their vitamin C and flavonoids to boost our immunity and protect our cells against winter flu? Did you ever wonder how water melons, melons, and juicy fruits show up during hot summer days to provide additional hydration and antioxidant protection from the heat and sun rays? Seasonal produce hold their wisdom and deeply held secrets of health, energy and wellness along with their vitamins and nutrients.

Let your food connect you with nature and the natural life cycle, let it attune your energy with the seasons and their healing and blessing effects that alternate in perfect synchronicity and harmony. Dr. Elson Haas, in his book Staying Healthy with Nutrition, advocates eating nutritional fresh healthy seasonal food. He further offers a dietary plan that helps connecting us to nature and keeps us attuned to earth and its elements:

• Spring is the season of purification and rejuvenation, he teaches. Eat more greens rich in chlorophyll with its amazing detoxifying power. Sprouted grains, seeds and beans are also highly rejuvenating  along with fresh fruits and vegetables.
  

• Summer is more active and alive. Its warmth entails light fresh diet with more succulent fruits and vegetables, juices, raw salads, and herbal teas.
  

• Autumn is the official harvest season, as Haas says. We still have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables options along with root vegetables, pumpkins, gourds and squashes, whole grains, legume, seeds and nuts. Our diet, during this season, should gradually shift to more cooked foods that support our bodies as the weather starts to cool.
  

• Winter needs warmth. Our bodies need more cooked whole grains, squashes and root vegetables, rich creamy soups, meat and poultry broth and fresh dairy. 
  

Here is my seasonal produce for our cold snowing December:

• Potatoes
• Onions
• garlic
• carrots
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Rutabaga (a root vegetable cross between cabbage and turnip).
  
• apples
• pears
• bananas
• oranges
• grapefruit

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Lentil Soup..

• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small tomato
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 cups Vegetable or chicken broth or you can even just use plain water if you do not have any broth available. It will still taste great!
• sea salt & black pepper to taste

Put all ingredient in a cooking pan, bring to boil then simmer for 20-30 minutes (or until the lentils are tender and fully cooked).
Remove the cardamom and bay leaves and blend the soup with a hand blender till smooth and creamy. You can add water if needed to adjust consistency.

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