seasonal diet
 

This isn't strictly veggie or vegan but applies to it most I think.

I was reading some of the thread on the raw diet and one thing that crossed my mind was that I might be able to do it in the summer but not in the winter.

Quite a few of my beliefs are based on what life was like when we were evolving. For instance by pagan beliefs are very much based on a cycle of seasons that affected our lives when we were much closer to the land.

Anyway I digress. One of the reasons I don't think I could live on a raw diet all the year round is because it doesn't feel natural. I live in a country where there would have been few fresh fruits and vegetables in the winter.

I am also aware that although my body is happy with raw stuff in the summer, in the winter it craves carbs and stogy stuff.

This got me thinking... would it be better (for me) to live on a diet that is as in keeping with the seasons as my faith is? Should I honour my need for stodge in the winter as that is what people would be eating... veg and pulses, grains and the like that have been stored over winter?

At the moment I am still managing to eat my salad stuff at work, but I am sure there will come a time when it is not so fulfilling.

So, what do people think to a diet that is based more around the seasons?

Of course it needs to be kept balanced and should include all the necessary vitamins that maybe people from the past didn't have access to. And for the record I am almost veggie, pescatarian (sp?) so it sort of fits in here....

HI Tilia

I have a few friends who live more like what you describe; with a seasonal diet. I don't myself, but there is definitely a lot of wisdom in it. I've been told, for example, that the body will be much better prepared for autumn and winter if we let it know that it's coming, so to speak. At the same time, this food paradigm doesn't really go well with other alternative paradigms such as raw. But that's always the case.

If we choose based on what is "natural", then it depends on how far back you go really. I definitely agree with you that those of us who have, for example, northern European constitutions that are based on a very changing diet through the seasons, will definitely be able to extract more nutrients this way. On the other hand, we can go further back in human evolution and claim that humans are vegeratian by nature and point out that we evolved mostly in tropical and subtropical climes with access to fresh greens and other vegetables all the time. When you look at our recent history, though, the case for meat and milk products is pretty strong :icon_cyclops:

The more I learn about food and nutrition, though, it becomes obvious how different people are. We react in very different ways to different ingredients. The best way to go, in my mind, is to listen to our bodies (what makes us feel healthy and energised and not what we crave) and go for that.

I'd love to hear more about the experiences from people on a seasonal diet or who sees the world differently from me, though. There's always more to learn when it comes to our fuel source.

I think your idea would be alot more suited to me. I am a meat eater and it is something i would find very difficult to give up - other than the fact i enjoy eating it.

However i have been looking for a change and maybe a seasonal diet would be the way forward for me.

You're right. In winter there are few products and they are expensive. But you can freeze them in the freezer for the winter.

Sounds like you should look into the Paleo diet