The fall season brings with it dry weather and colder nights. According to Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, dryness, cold and extreme temperature differences between day and night can be tough on the nervous system. Some of the symptoms we may see are:

• Fragile emotions and tendency to depression, frustration and sadness.
• Increased stress
• Headaches, constipation
• Sinus congestion and allergies
• Dry skin and hair

A few excellent home remedies to incorporate into your daily routines during the fall are:

• Oiling the body with sesame oil before bathing or showering. The oil penetrates the body through the skin and pores and soothes the nervous system.
  You can add essential oils to the sesame oil. Lavender, grapefruit and ylang-ylang are all soothing and relaxing.
• Oil the nose with sesame oil or ghee (clarified butter). Put some sesame oil in a dropper bottle with a drop of lavender oil.
  Oiling the nose provides a barrier against any viruses or bacteria, as well as soothing irritated mucus membranes. It is excellent for keeping the sinuses healthy and clear.
• A great PMS remedy is oiling the scalp the day before the cycle is due. Soothing for the nervous system, restless mind and ungrounded emotions.

All you need is a bottle of good quality sesame oil (untoasted) and some lavender oil to get started.

We are your partners in implementing your new health resolutions and goals. It’s the time of year to create new momentum for ourselves, apply the new disciplines we would like to start on and feel a lot better.  Lets start with the basics-  Eating right.

Eating healthy starts with having healthy foods on hand. Become familiar with your local market, know which produce is in season.  Always prepare a list so you show up with a plan.  Meal planning guide coming in February.

The seasons matter:
Produce that’s in season will be cheaper, fresher and better tasting.  Changing your diet according to the season allows for creativity and variety in your diet.

Summer: Berries, melons, tomatoes, corn, avocado, beets, squash, peaches, greens and plums.

Fall: Acorn and Kabocha squash, apples, grapes, parsnips, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage

Winter: Grapefruit, Kale, collards, lemons, turnips, radishes

Spring: Apricots, mangoes, spinach, peas, new potatoes, chives, pineapple

Choose organic whenever possible – more eco-friendly, less exposed to pesticides, and more flavorful.  Organically raised animals are usually treated much better as well.

Red meat: Choose organic grass fed over corn fed, to avoid exposure to pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.   Always go for leanest cuts.  Best bets, from lean to leanest- filet mignon, lean sirloin, buffalo, and eye of round.

Poultry: organic is far superior in taste and much less exposed to antibiotics and pesticides.

Seafood: wild is more nutritious than farmed.  Mercury is an issue, linked to nervous system disorders, posing a risk to pregnant and nursing women and children.   The smaller the fish, the better.  Get the seafood watch guide from the Monterey bay aquarium (mbayaq.com) to learn which species to avoid.

Frozen is better than canned
Canned food can save you in a pinch, but they are too high in sodium and too low in qi to eat often.  Instead, find a healthy frozen meal you like and keep some on hand to save you from ordering pizza when you don’t feel like coking.
I keep some frozen peas, corn and spinach around for fast meals.  Frozen fish fillets defrost quickly and cook very fast on a skillet for a quick meal with minimal prep and coking.

Low fat Yogurt or Goat Yogurt:
Great for a meal or snack, it is a good smoothie foundation and has the carb-protien ratio of a recovery meal or drink.  It delivers numerous vitamins, minerals and live bacteria that aid digestion.

Before you go shopping, rid your home of the following:

White foods:
White bread, white rice (with exception of white basmati rice), white pastas, skinless white potatoes, etc.  These processed carbohydrates sources lead to insulin burnout, and is one of the main culprits of obesity on America.
Most have great natural alternatives….

Trans Fats:
These man made fats lower good cholesterol (HDL) and raise bad cholesterol (LDL), leading to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and Diabetes.  Simply stated – they will kill you.

Corn Oil:
It’s not the worst oil you could cook with.  But it’s not the best, either.  IN terms of good fats, bad fats, and flavor, olive wins…

Energy Drinks:
True Red Bull and its like must go.  They can jump start your metabolism, but they’ve also been linked to cardiovascular problems, and some brands have been banned in other countries.  Also, a recent Australian study suggests they can increase risk of blood clots, heart attacks, and stroke.

Artificial sweeteners:
Ongoing medical debate over the carcinogenicity of these products means the jury’s still out.  In other words: The experts can’t tell you for sure these products won’t give you cancer.  Use agave nectar instead.

Oils:  How to apply what you know about good and bad fats to cooking oil. 

Buy only these four:

Ghee: The queen of fats according to ayurveda.  Clarified butter can be used for breads, baking and sautéing.  Delicious on rice/quinoa or any other grain and on steamed vegetables.

Extra virgin olive oil:  For salads, breads, cooking.

Sunflower oil: for baking

Grapeseed oil: for stir-frying.

An average (170 lbs) active guy needs around 2,500 calories per day.  One way to guarantee you’ll get that (and develop a few new recipes in the process) is buy everything on this list on Sunday.  Eat it all by Saturday- without “supplemental” buffets or benders- and you are good.

3 five-ounce tilapia or salmon fillets
3 five-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 five-ounce rib eye steaks
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
26 ounce jar marinara sauce
½ gallon milk or rice milk
¼ pound turkey sausage
½ pound turkey breast
½ pound goat Gouda or cheddar cheese
Six-ounce box risotto
Six-ounce box wild rice
1-pound quinoa or any other whole grain (millet, buckwheat, amaranth, brown rice)
½ pound broccoli florets
1-pound green beans
2 sweet potatoes
1 head garlic
2 bunches scallions
2 bunches scallions
2 fresh tomatoes
1 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1-pound carrots
1 green pepper
1 cantaloupe
1-pound grapes
1-pint blueberries
4 apples
4 oranges
6 bananas
½ pound lightly salted roasted almonds
½ gallon apple juice
1 loaf seven grain bread
1-pint chicken broth
1-pound whole wheat or brown rice pasta
1 box kashi go-lean crunch cereal
1 dozen organic large brown eggs
1-quart low fat vanilla yogurt
1-2 bottles red wine

(Adapted from Outside magazine November 2008)