Dear ,
Hope the summer has brought an respite from some of the stress we have all been experiencing since the pandemic started. Here in Atlantic Canada things have opened up a bit and we are free to travel and have adventures, until the next wave happens. My husband and I had an opportunity to visit the Roosevelt Cottage on Campobello Island on the border with Maine. It was fascinating to
see this ‘cottage’ of 18 bedrooms and six bathrooms still furnished from the 1940s. As a foodie I was particularly fascinated with the well stocked kitchen, dish room and pantry (three different rooms), which reminded me of my grandmother’s era but on a much grander scale. I fantasized about what they might have eaten in those days, and realized everything would have been pretty much natural and unprocessed. Did they have as much problem at that
time with food sensitivities as many do today?
It’s not the food, it’s the gut
So many of my clients come to me with food sensitivities. Mostly it’s because they cannot eat wheat or dairy. They experience anything from outright gut pain to a vague sense of discomfort or fatigue after eating these foods. And so they avoid wheat and dairy. Does that include you? How many food pleasures are you missing out on because you avoid wheat and dairy, and how
many times do you give in because of cravings and then regret it?
Well, I’m here to say that it’s the not the fault of the food but rather the state of your digestive system that causes the food sensitivities. There has been a lifetime of stress, lack of food variety, antibiotics, medications, pesticides, processed foods, dehydration, damaged cooking oils, and now GMO foods, all of which have caused the gut to lose the memory of its true
nature. It becomes inflamed, dry and lazy, and starts to leak microscopic food molecules into the blood stream (aka leaky gut), and that’s what causes food sensitivities. What to do?
Let us get back to eating as nature intended. Seasonal eating according to Ayurveda involves three seasons and each season asks us to eat differently. This is because our gut microbes naturally change with each season and thus so does our ability to eat different foods. Here are the three Ayurvedic seasons:
- Pitta season = summer and early autumn = high natural carb consumption for energy; sweet, bitter and astringent foods
- Vata season = late autumn to mid-winter = high fat and protein for warmth; sweet, sour and salty foods
- Kapha season = late winter and spring = reduced calorie, gluten and dairy free; bitter, astringent and pungent (heating) foods.
Clean Carbs
So...here we are in the midst of Pitta season and our gut is wanting LOTS of natural carbohydrates that provide our brain, muscles, organs and glands (heart, liver, adrenals), and tissues with the glucose energy they need to function well, reduce stress and make us feel vibrant!
For those who are reluctant to eat wheat, what are the options for getting healthy carbs during the summer and early fall? Check out this list and add as many of them as possible to your food lifestyle during Pitta season. Do not be concerned about gaining weight eating carbs during this season! Just keep physically active! What we are doing is feeding our gut microbes the seasonal foods needed for healthy gut
functioning, which contributes to our overall health. And yes, of course you can have protein with your vegetable and grain carbs. Just choose a bigger portion of carbs over protein during Pitta season.
- Fruit
- Unpasteurized Honey
- Potato
- Pumpkin
- Sweet Potato and Yams
- Winter Squash
- Tomato (fresh)
- Coconut Water
- Millet
- Rice
- Corn (non-GMO)
Here's my drool-worthy recipe gift for you today - a Sweet Potato Mash with blueberries and coconut flakes. You can use orange or purple sweet potato (which looks divine).
Gut health is much more than just taking probiotic supplements and hoping for the best. Most of the foods people eliminate these days because of food sensitivities are actually beneficial for gut health. If you have food sensitivities and are tired of having reactions and are tired of limiting your food choices,
check out my Digestive Reset Program. My program takes a systematic approach in four stages of Rest, Detox, Repair, Nourish&Strengthen which can be done at your own pace with my help in private consultations. Check out the program here. Connect with me and we'll have a little chat to see if the program is right for you.
Until next time xo, and don't forget to eat your healthy clean carbs :)
|
|
|
