Guide to keeping healthy in autumn

When we think about losing weight, we associate it with eating salads and light foods… and whilst this does work in the warmer seasons, it’s counterproductive during the colder seasons. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the key is in adapting your diet to the seasons in order to achieve physical and mental health throughout the year.

Whenever there is a change in season, our body’s energy, also known as qi, gets out of balance, which as a result can cause lack of energy, weight-gain and lower immunity. We assume that our body adapts naturally to the season, but in reality, there’s a lot we can do on our behalf to make the adaptation process better for us.

We can do this by turning to TCM principles. Not only will it prevent us from getting sick this autumn, but it will also help us feel more energised, clear-headed, improve our digestion and maintain a healthy weight.

The expert in nutrition, Melanie Waxman, claims we should eat seasonally and locally. By doing so, we help maintain the balance of the yin and yang, the polar energies that work in synergy to keep us healthy. When one of these is out of balance or dominant, we can experience symptoms like lack of energy, lowered immunity, mood swings and unhealthy cravings.

When you feed your body with foods that aren’t aligned with what it requires in that particular time of year, you’ll experience a wide array of benefits influencing your health and wellbeing.

It’s during this time period that we should gradually make a few diet and lifestyle changes in order to maintain optimum health. As we transition from warm weather to colder temperatures, our bodies start to require warmer foods to cope with the environmental changes. In summer, TCM recommends cooling foods, also known as yin foods, to keep the body cool to combat the high temperatures. By doing so, you balance the yin and yang.

However, in the cooler months of the year, autumn and winter, the contrary happens. As the outside temperature decreases, we want to warm the body from the inside, and this is made possible by nourishing ourselves with foods that maintain the body’s internal heat. Have you ever noticed that when you have an ice cream in winter, you start to feel cold from the inside? This is because the yin has become more dominant in the body, leaving you feeling cold and out of balance. In winter, the aim is to strengthen the yang, as this will keep the qi balanced and your health in check.

Following the guide below, our organism will be able to adapt smoothly to the change of season and combat anything that comes its way. You will naturally feel more connected to yourself, on a mental, physical and emotional level.

Want to join us on our challenge to thrive this autumn?