Once the winter months start rolling in, I like to eat a load more carbs. What’s a steaming bowl of soup without a warm crusty loaf or toasted pita to mop up? I know many of us worry about packing on the extra pounds, especially with the holidays right around the corner, so I asked our guest expert, Dr. John Douillard what’s on his table at this time of year. You know how so many doctors don’t look particularly healthy? Not Dr. John – he is shining with good health and boundless energy, despite being the father of five and having a full-on work schedule – this definitely gives even more credence to his recommendations.
So Dr. John, speak to us about the extra carbs that we all crave this time of year:
Most experts tell us that about two-thirds of the diet should be alkaline and one-third should be acid. While this may sound healthy, it is quite a challenge for even the most health conscious Americans to accomplish. Basically, this means that with every meal you eat, when you look down at the plate: two-thirds of it should be fruits or veggies and the other one-third should be your bread, grain, meat, cheese and other acidic foods.
Not only is this a challenge, but a flat out impossibility in nature. While experts decree the 2/3, 1/3 plan should happen each day, in nature it takes one year, a full 365 days a year to complete nature’s annual cycle.
In nature, their are three main harvests, thus the title of my book, The 3-Season Diet. The first harvest of the year is spring, which is almost 100% alkaline, loaded with spring greens, root veggies and berries. The second harvest of the year is summer, which again, is almost all alkaline. A summer garden will supply you with more alkaline fruits and veggies than you can possibly eat. The third harvest is the late fall and winter harvest, which is almost all acidic. In the winter, without a grocery store, one would be eating stored grains, nuts, meats, eggs, cheese and other dense, acidic foods.
So in nature, two-thirds of the year – in the spring and summer – the harvest is alkaline. The last one-third – during the winter – the harvest is acidic. So nature accomplishes a two-thirds alkaline and one-third acid meal plan – it just takes one full year to accomplish.
So to answer your question, it is quite natural to crave grains, breads and meats each winter. This is a natural desire to insulate and store fats and proteins to rebuild in the winter, to be ready for nature’s new year come spring. In fact, what is interesting, according to Ayurveda, is that each winter, the digestive fire or digestive strength becomes stronger to be better able to digest the more insulating and dense foods of winter. So go for it – eat those foods while the fire is hot!
Dr. John Douillard, DC is the author of The 3-Season Diet and a free bi-monthly Video-newsletter at www.LifeSpa.com
Great post!! I love the thought process behind this. No wonder we crave more grains in the cooler months! In fact, my favorite foods to eat in the fall/winter are crusty and grainy breads, soups, and cheese!