A huge difficulty for many of us city dwellers today is that we struggle to appreciate what foods are truly in season.
Food preservation techniques and transportation ease mean that we can purchase a huge range of foods that are actually out of season.
This has led us increasingly towards a diet that is out of balance.
We consume warming foods like the oats in our muesli, chicken and barbequed steaks during the peak of summer.
And likewise in the cold of winter we're dining on cooling foods like tomatoes and lettuce.
Not only are we stressing our bodies by making them work harder to keep us at the right temperature but we're also adding to our bills through the need for air-conditioning in the summer, heating in the winter and all the remedies we purchase to combat those flu's, colds and hayfevers that come with the changing of the seasons.
When we eat more locally and in line with the seasons we're helping our bodies maintain the correct warmth.
We're keeping in balance with our environment.
The growing popularity of our farmers markets is testimony to the positive shift towards local and seasonal produce.
The Five Elements Theory of Chinese Medicine can help us see the relationship between our food and our health as it changes with the seasons.
Fall is associated with the Metal element which relates to the major organs including the large intestine and the lungs.
Between 4 and 6 weeks prior to the beginning of the new season we can start to change our ingredients and cooking styles.
This gives our bodies tissues and cells time to prepare for the cool, dry months of Fall.
It is a time for food storage, for pickling and preserving in readiness for the coming winter.
At this time plants energy is descending towards the roots.
In our food preparation we are aiming to thicken the blood so it can supply more energy for warmth.
By altering the flavors so they become saltier and more astringent we drive warmth from the surface towards the core of our bodies.
This is the time to choose roots over leaves and baking over boiling or raw foods.
Try to cook with for longer with less water and less heat.
The well cooked food we are aiming for is more easily digested.
This in turn helps to build, strengthen and warm.
The following foods can be increased: onions, leeks, kale, collards, sauerkraut, olives, pickles, tempeh, tofu, adzuki beans, sourdough breads, millet, honey, rice malt, lemons, limes.
If you have suffer from deficiency, frailness or dryness it is good to include small amounts of dairy products, eggs, seafood and fish.
These changes should all warm and strengthen our bodies into winter with particularly beneficial effects on our lungs and large intestine.