Mon 17 Jan 2022 • Christina Hunt
Eating With Your Gut in Mind | Ms Holistic
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Spring 2020 | Food | Regeneration
With the next equinox soon approaching just how important is it to eat seasonally?
Every year come winter time, I feel myself gravitating towards rooted veggies, embracing stews and soups, and craving roasted everything - from vibrant squashes to deep purple beets. These foods are great for fueling our bodies throughout the hibernation months but as we gently exit out of winter and into spring, what are the best foods to benefit our health?
I am a true believer in eating as locally as possible and, although these days we are much better educated on the environmental side of supporting our farmers, what does this mean for our health?
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophies, if we eat seasonal foods that are similar to the nature around us, we remain in harmony with the environment, adapt better to changes in season, and stay healthier.
In India, the Ayurveda practice and their philosophies are broken into 3 doshas/elements known as Vata (Air), Kapha (Earth) and Pitta (Fire). One Ayurvedic view is that each human possesses a unique combination of the doshas which define this person's health, temperament and characteristics. The aim is to eat not only according to your dosha type to bring a sense of harmony within the body but that your dosha may change with the season.
In this way, eating out of season can be a bit like jet lag. That begs the question, what is the effect on our gut health? Because as we all know, getting healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your health.
Many studies show that our microbiota ( the bacteria that lives within the gut) have their own circadian rhythm and human circadian rhythms are seasonally dependent.
The microbes in the soil from which the fruit and vegetables grow change, too. This is even more noticeable when we eat organic and local produce, as our food will then expose us to beneficial bacteria which may support our health. We have access to unlimited choices of food and yet most people tend to eat the same things every day throughout the year. Sadly, because of this choice in monotonous diet, most people are not only not feeding the good bacteria in their bodies, but they are on the way to a loss of microbial diversity – we cannot recreate that by simply taking a probiotic pill.
Top tips for eating more locally and seasonally this spring.
- Try to visit local markets and farmers shops and start a conversation. One thing I have learned is farmers LOVE to share their passion with people.
- Riverford - I have been a fan for over 6 years of their delicious seasonal organic veg box delivered straight to my doorstep once a week. (And BONUS! if you mention my name you get £15 towards your second box).
- When buying from a supermarket, read the label and get familiar with where your fruit and veg comes from.
- Wants vs Need - I too am a sucker for a strawberry but do I really need them in December?
ABOUT MS HOLISTIC
Simone gained her credentials in Vancouver, BC at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN); one of the largest leading schools in holistic nutrition. Since returning home to the UK, Simone has put her education into practice with a growing clientele now following her unique brand of fun, enlightening and practical guidance.
This was where Simone learned to stop focusing on the symptoms and start looking at the cause.
By focusing on nutrition, Simone learned that we are often capable of taking back control of our bodies and that not only can food be used as a key tool in preventing illness, it can also be crucial in reversing the symptoms of many illnesses.
Her own battle with IBS since her mid-teens gave Simone a deeper insight into the power of the gut in both giving as well as taking away our health. Since discovering this wonderful not-so-secret fountain of knowledge, Simone has worked with clients all over the world guiding them through regiments that helped to reduce the symptoms of ailments such as Crohn’s disease, and depression as well as reversing her own IBS.
Simone aims to bring the knowledge that has changed her life as well as those of her clients to the world.
She wants to show that wellbeing isn’t simply about maintaining good physical health, it’s a life-changing lifestyle that will improve mental and emotional health through mindful eating, movement and living!!
