Why "Food is Medicine"

Many people have idealistic sides of them that dream of home-grown produce from a backyard garden, have a savvy sense of plants and herbs, and regularly ingest anti-cancer compounds from food, enjoying a healthy and vibrant body as a natural consequence.

These are wonderful things to strive for!

And idealism of does not account for the day-to-day, step-by-step human process of learning and integrating new habits. In other words, expecting this lifestyle to bloom overnight, sets people up for disappointment, overwhelm, or perpetually waiting to start anything.

But fear not, the intersection between food and healing is a powerful one; one that is

The Earth provides the medicine for the season.

physical, psychological, and even spiritual...and might inspire you to stay with the process.

If you've spent any time on social media, I'm sure you've seen the large subset of nutrition world that has reduced food to its body composition contributions. Many people not only focus exclusively on grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, but unconsciously view their bodies as dumb lumps of physical matter than simply need to be "shaped up" and "disciplined." When eating and food is reduced to a way to manipulate body weight, people perpetually remain disconnected from their own bodies and the food they ingest. They demand compliance for following the food rules, by don't develop any deeper relationship with themselves and their own bodies. You might even LIKE the idea of growing your own food, but if done in the spirit of "looking good" or compliance, a critical step is missed: the connection with yourself and the world around you.

Why "Food is Medicine"

Here are some ideas to consider as you explore the shift from nutritional compliance to honoring food for its life-giving qualities and learn how food is medicine:

1.) The earth provides the medicine for the Spring season. Each spring, as the earth thaws, the rhizomes, and leafy greens, berries, and asparagus begin to grow. Rhizomes, like dandelion root and turmeric root, do a wonderful job as decongesting the small villi in the small intestine, after a rich winter diet. Leafy greens are great for the blood as well as the liver (as most leafy greens are), berries are rich in polyphenols. Often Spring has a rainy, heavy quality to it, and the earth's harvest provides an austere counter-balance.

2.) The earth provides the medicine for the Summer season. Summer offer a rich harvest that balances the long days and hot weather. If you visit the farmers market you'll find no shortage of fresh produce that can be eaten raw. Raw food is generally more cooling for the body in the summer months, yet still provides carbohydrates for energy during the longer days of the year. Raw fruits and vegetables are generally lower in calories that provide energy without the high calorie load that would add extra heat to the body in the already hot climate.

3.) The earth provides medicine for the Fall season. Here in the midwest, Fall is a beloved season with the cooler mornings and evening and the bright Fall colors. The season shifts from hot and humid (summer) to hot and dry. At this point, the earth provides an abundance of delicious apples. One tree could feed the entire block! Apples contain a compound, apple pectin, that do a marvelous job at purging excess heat from the body, to prepare for the winter season.

4.) The earth provides the medicine for the Winter season. This is often the season that meats, stews, freshly baked breads, canned fermented vegetables, and roasted root vegetables as a counter-balance to the cold dry season. Our harvest season is more sparse, though richer, grounding foods provide balance to the nervous system, keep the body and body tissues nourished, and provide warmth to the body.

Once clients get a hang of seasonal eating, they may be ready and interested in learning more specifically, types of foods, plants, and herbs that can support their unique body or health goals.

Seasonal eating is one helpful shift

When I work with clients that have been at war with their bodies for some time, beginning the process of working with the healing, balancing qualities of food each season, can feel more connective and life-affirming than trying to wrestle the body into submission. The mind and personality system will often put up a fight with its fears, concerns, and objections (which is completely normal, by the way). You must ask yourself, ideally, what kind of relationship with food would feel healing to your personally? What would have integrity and bring you into life more fully?

Warmly,

Laura

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Laura Burkett, MA is a holistic nutritionist and eating psychology therapist in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She bridges nutritional science with the psychology of eating help clients heal their bodies and relationship with food. You can meet her locally in her West Michigan office or remotely via ZOOM/phone.

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