Cyclic eating for 
inner and outer seasons

Our natural eating patterns change according to the seasons. The produce available to you changes in price, flavour and availability (Lutaladio et al., 2010). Spring butter is so yellow due to the fresh grass the cows are grazing on — full of carotenoids. In winter, cows are fed stored feed which makes butter lighter in colour.

In Summer, sunshine warms the body and brings increased temperatures and perspiration. We crave electrolyte-rich, hydrating foods such as cucumbers, fresh fruit, salad greens and fresh herbs, zucchini and squash, smoothies and lighter meals.

As Autumn comes, things slow down. Produce is great for pickling and preserving for the coming months, with more root vegetables like carrots and beetroot in season. Mushrooms are fuller with vitamin D to increase stores for shorter winter days and oyster season peaks at this time, with these zinc-rich morsels to fortify the immune system.

Throughout Winter and the colder months, more energy dense foods help to provide stores for the winter. We reach for slow cooked meats and root vegetable dishes or darker greens and cruciferous vegetables.

Then, as Spring bursts we are greeted with edible blossoms, bright greens, shoots and sprouts and rebirthing of the fruits and vegetables that are dormant over the winter, bringing life back after hibernation, full of flavour and fertility.