“Your food shall be your medicine” How right Hippocrates was when he said those words long ago, and they are still valid today. Proper diet plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health and in the prevention and cure of disease. Research has shown that many varieties of disease can be produced by an undersupply of various nutrients.
We have entered the beautiful season of autumn which is also the start of the darker months lasting up to spring next year. During these months ahead, we are not as lightheaded as during spring and summer, we prefer to stay indoors, keeping warm, sleeping more and eating more calorie intense foods as insulation from the cold. On the other hand, we do not want to become like a hibernating animal staying in bed the whole time. Proper nutrition is a big helper, it will ground us but also keep our body and mind healthy.
Seasonal vegetables and fruit such as apples, pears, blackberries, squash, pumpkins, broccoli, cabbage, parsnip, spinach and sweet potatoes grow in abundance and make delicious warming meals containing many valuable nutrients. In contrast to the summer months, we can now also start to eat more nuts and seeds such as almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds which will warm us and give us more energy. Combined with cooked autumnal lentils and grains such as millet, oats, brown rice, rye, barley and beans like adzuki, black eye and kidney we can prepare nutritious meals which support our health.
Eating a proper diet which is optimal for one’s own body and mind can strengthen the body’s capacity to heal and recover. When we use fresh organic vegetables, we should not peel off the skin since in most root vegetables the largest amount of minerals is directly under the skin and these are lost if vegetables are peeled. For proper digestion, it is also recommended not to drink any fluids during or straight after a meal as liquids slow down the digestive process immensely.
I hope these words encourage you to think about your dietary habits and, if necessary, adjust them in order to strengthen your health.
Nicole Herpich - Naturopathic Nutritionist
Ringwood & Lyndhurst
@: askme@naturesogood.com
Disclaimer: This article does not contain any medical advice. Please speak to your healthcare provider in case of concerns.
