When I was growing up, I felt such excitement when grapes came into season in the early summer. My childhood friend, Yael, and I would rush to the supermarket and buy a bunch of grapes and practically devour the entire bag before we reached the cash  register.

My kids don’t share this same appreciation for grapes because we can purchase them all year round. Seasonality is practically gone because now we ship in vegetables from far away countries.

There are no coincidences in nature. There are reasons why a certain fruit or vegetable grows locally during a particular season. For example, high carbohydrate fruits and vegetables, like plums, blackberries and peaches, grow during the summer because they are the perfect antidote to cool us down in the summer heat. Apples are harvested in
late summer early fall because they help purge us from the heat and prepare us
for the  cooler season ahead.

Nowadays, we eat those high carb fruits throughout the year. Of course, it’s not going to kill us if we eat a blueberry during the winter, but if we really want to live with optimal health and lose weight permanently, it’s crucial to eat with the
seasons.

Just imagine if a squirrel were to eat chard before it goes into hibernation instead of high fat nuts. It would freeze. Winter is the time that we are supposed to eat heavier foods and even gain a couple pounds to insulate us from the cold.

In the spring, vegetables grow in abundance. This is when we’re meant to cleanse and eat lighter foods, such as chard and kale, so that we lose those extra pounds we gained during the winter.

Here is a brief recap of optimal seasonal eating:

Fall/Winter
- Eat a high protein/high fat diet (e.g. 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carb). This
is hibernation period and we need to insulate ourselves from the cold. It’s
normal to gain about 5 pounds during the cold, winter months.

Spring
- Cleanse! Eat a low fat/low calorie diet (e.g., 30% protein, 10% fat, 60%
carbs). This is the time of year we cleanse off the excess fat and re-stimulate
the body to burn fat as fuel.

Summer -
High carbs (60% to 70% carbs, 30 to 40% fat and protein). Notice the fruit in
season is higher in sugar (melons, mangoes, etc.) These are cooling fruits,
which are the ideal antidote to hot summer days.

Are you feeling lethargic? Do you have extra weight? Do you have allergies?

If so, now is the time to cleanse!