As a functional nutritionist, I believe in the power of aligning our eating habits with the natural rhythms of the seasons. Summer, with its vibrant energy and abundance of fresh produce, offers a unique opportunity to nourish both our bodies and souls through traditional, seasonal eating.
Embracing Summer’s Biochemistry
Summer is a high-energy season, and our bodies naturally crave light, refreshing, and hydrating foods. This is a time when nature offers us an array of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are not only delicious but also perfectly suited to support our health in the warmer months. These foods help us stay cool, hydrated, and energized, aligning with our body’s needs during this vibrant season.
Mindfulness in Eating
Before diving into the specifics of seasonal foods, it’s important to approach eating from a place of mindfulness. Begin by settling into a calm state: breathe in love, exhale gratitude. This practice helps create a connection to our bodies, fostering a sense of trust and flow in how we nourish ourselves.
From Fear to Free Will: Food Freedom
It’s common to have a complicated relationship with food, often influenced by fear and rigid rules. Moving from fear to a sense of free will involves understanding our body’s needs and listening to its cues. This summer, I encourage you to explore food freedom. Reflect on whether you make food choices from a place of safety or fear, and aim to nourish yourself from a place of trust and connection.
Research shows that what we believe about our food can significantly impact our physiological response. For instance, in a study on glucose metabolism and perceived sugar intake, participants who believed they were consuming high-sugar foods had increased blood glucose levels, even when the food’s actual sugar content was identical to that of the low-sugar group.
Freedom and Control: Finding Balance
Balancing freedom and control in eating habits is essential for wellness. Excessive control can lead to disorders like anorexia, while too much freedom can result in overindulgence and obesity. Marc David, founder of the Institute of the Psychology of Eating, explains that maintaining healthy eating habits often stems from deeper, unconscious beliefs tied to self-worth and past experiences. Kari Anderson, a licensed professional counselor and eating disorder specialist, adds that these challenges are often rooted in fear. When we fail to stick to food goals, it can feel like a setback because these goals are tied to beliefs about attractiveness, worthiness, and acceptance.
David suggests that these patterns often originate from childhood events, leading us to believe something is inherently wrong with us. This belief gets projected onto our bodies and relationship with food, causing feelings of being broken or unlovable. To overcome these challenges, David emphasizes shifting our perception and addressing deeper psychological and spiritual work. Anderson recommends approaching this from a place of safety, involving self-compassion, understanding behaviors, and recognizing what makes us feel safe or unsafe. Instead of trying to fix ourselves, we should focus on loving and accepting ourselves, which will allow us to make healthier choices aligned with our true desires. Identifying foods that calm the nervous system (whole foods) and those that activate it (alcohol and sugar) is a crucial part of this process.
Identity-Based Habits: Seasonal Eating with Traditional Foods
Traditional eating practices remind us of the deep connection between our bodies, the land, and the cycles of nature. Incorporating local, seasonal foods into your diet not only boosts your nutrition but also supports local farmers and reduces environmental impact. This practice is rooted in the concept of locavore and ancestral eating, which emphasizes real food that’s grown around you.
Eating seasonally ensures that we consume foods at their peak freshness and nutritional value. It also creates diversity in our diet, which is crucial for obtaining a wide range of nutrients, supporting gut health, and reducing inflammation.
Studies have shown that engagement with life increases a sense of well-being and decreases depression and distress. By connecting with our food sources and community, we foster a deeper sense of engagement with life.
Personal Preferences: Boundaries and Balance
Understanding and respecting your personal food preferences is key to a nourishing diet. This involves identifying local, traditional foods that resonate with your body and your heritage. When we eat foods that are culturally meaningful and connected to our identity, our bodies respond positively, enhancing both physical and emotional health.
Research also highlights the association of loneliness and wisdom with gut microbial diversity. Increased levels of loneliness and decreased levels of wisdom, compassion, social support, and social engagement were associated with decreased gut diversity and richness, leading to downstream physiological effects like systemic inflammation.
Self-Control: Maintaining Summer Balance
Summer is a time of exploration and high energy. It’s important to balance this energy with activities and foods that align with the season. High-intensity training might feel exhausting, while outdoor activities like hiking and swimming might be more invigorating. Similarly, light, fresh meals that are easy to prepare and enjoy with others align with the expansive and energetic feel of summer.
Our bodies intuitively know what foods we need, especially as we transition between seasons.
Elise Krohn, herbalist and native foods specialist
Practical Tips for Summer Nourishment
- Embrace Local Produce: Incorporate seasonal vegetables, fruits, and other local produce into your diet. This boosts nutrition, supports local farmers, and reduces environmental impact.
- Hydrate with Foods: Focus on hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, and zucchini to stay cool and refreshed.
- Mindful Eating: Practice mindful eating by slowing down, savoring each bite, and enjoying meals with others. Foster community and mindfulness.
- Grow Your Own: If possible, grow your own traditional foods. Gardening reconnects us to the earth and the cycles of nature, providing fresh, nutritious produce.
- Diverse Diet: Create diversity in your diet to ensure a wide range of nutrients, supporting gut health and reducing inflammation.
- Local Traditional Foods: Identify and incorporate traditional Coast Salish foods into your diet. Explore new foods, revisit favorites, and connect with local food traditions.
- Personal Preferences: Reflect on your heritage and personal food traditions. Make food choices that resonate with your identity and values.
- Seasonal Balance: Balance high-energy summer activities with light, fresh meals. Opt for outdoor activities that align with the expansive, energetic feel of summer.
- Community Connection: Enjoy meals with others, fostering a sense of community and engagement. This practice can increase well-being and decrease distress.
- Nourish with Intention: Move from a place of food fear to food freedom. Make choices based on trust and connection, not rules and fear. This may include gentle guardrails such as avoiding sugar and alcohol based on your personal experiences with how these substances make you feel.
Conclusion
As we enjoy the heat of summer, let’s embrace the seasonal bounty and the natural rhythms that guide us. By nourishing our bodies with local, traditional foods, we align ourselves with the energy of the season, fostering physical and emotional balance. Enjoy the flavors of summer, connect with your community, and nourish your body and soul through mindful, seasonal eating.
By adopting a local diet, we can realign ourselves with the natural world, fostering physical and emotional balance. Traditional eating practices are essential for creating balance in all aspects of life—spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional.
Valerie Segrest, Native Nutrition Educator