Seasonal food: food features for the seasons. Off-season - behavioral and nutritional features in traditional Chinese medicine Nutrition in the off-season

To maintain health and always have a good figure, it is not enough to eat healthy food. It is also necessary to take it in due time, that is, to observe the natural routine.
Three thousand years ago, Eastern doctors and astrologers noticed that different products, depending on the time of year, have different effects on the human body.
As a result of centuries-old observations, ancient nutritionists came to the conclusion that in each season of the year, the activity of a particular organ or body system is activated.
In order for the organs and physiological systems to work without failures and for the benefit of the body, it is necessary, depending on the time of year, to eat products of a certain
taste. Only in this case, food will be beneficial, not harmful, and be a medicine, not a poison.
In the East, unlike the Western countries, the year was divided not into four, but into five seasons. Traditionally, winter, spring, summer, autumn and off-season were distinguished here, i.e. a very special time, a transitional period between winter and spring, spring and summer, summer and autumn, autumn and winter.
Five seasons correspond to five tastes:
– spring the liver and gallbladder function well, the main taste is sour.
– summer - the season of activation of the heart and small intestine. Bitter taste becomes the main thing.
– autumn the main load falls on the lungs and large intestine. At this time, foods with a spicy taste are recommended.
– winter the kidneys and the associated genitourinary system work most actively. The main taste is salty.
- v off-season the stomach, pancreas and spleen are activated, therefore, foods with a sweet taste are useful.

According to Eastern medicine, all organs in the human body do not work by themselves, but are connected into a single system, and therefore support and stimulate each other. So, the lungs activate the activity of the kidneys, the kidneys - the work of the liver. The liver, being a hematopoietic organ, stimulates the activity of the heart, which determines how well the stomach, spleen, and pancreas work. In turn, the stomach, spleen and pancreas make the lungs work more actively.

In each period of the year, the main, dominant taste operates. In addition to it, there is a complementary taste, which also has a positive effect on the body, but not as strong as the main one. In addition, there is a neutral taste, it is not harmful, but it will not bring much benefit either. Finally, there is the negative taste. If you eat a lot of food with this taste, it will suppress the vital activity of the body and adversely affect health.

Spring - the main taste is sour, complementary salty, neutral - bitter and sweet, negative - spicy.
Summer - the main taste is bitter, complementary - sour, neutral - sweet and spicy, negative - salty.
Autumn - the main taste is spicy, complementary - sweet, neutral - sour and salty, negative - bitter.
Winter - the main taste is salty, complementary - spicy, neutral - sour and bitter, negative - sweet.
Off-season - the main taste - sweet, additional - bitter, neutral - spicy and salty, negative - sour.

FOOD IN SPRING \ from February 19 to April 21 \
In the spring, the liver and, associated with it, the gallbladder become the most active. These organs need food with a sour taste - sauerkraut, lemons, all kinds of cabbage soup and saltwort. It is allowed to use fermented milk products - cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, yogurt. Cow's milk should be excluded from the menu, although it is permissible to drink goat's milk. As for cereals, preference should be given to products made from wheat and rye, all kinds of pastries, pasta and bread kvass are allowed. It is recommended to diversify the table with seeds and nuts.
Apple seeds are very useful. On the table must be root vegetables - carrots, celery, beets.
For cooking meat dishes, it is better to use chicken, duck, turkey. The diet should include liver (pork, beef, chicken), it is this by-product, and not fruits, as it is believed in Europe during the spring beriberi, that gives the body strength. For the same purpose, you can eat black pudding.

In the period \ from March 21 to April 20 \ it is better to switch to vegetarianism. Very useful at this time are vegetable soups of sour taste, herbs, as well as fish with lemon sauce. In spring, not only sour taste is good for the liver, but also salty, which is considered complementary. Therefore, in the spring, you need to eat foods that are allowed in winter, but in smaller quantities. Food of a neutral taste \ sweet and bitter \ can be included in the diet in a minimal amount (only to spice up the dishes and diversify the table as a whole). Forbidden in the spring are products
spicy taste - game (meat of roe deer, wild boar, deer, elk and musk deer, as well as venison, goat meat, horse meat), sprouted onions and garlic. During this period, especially
germs of wheat and rice have a bad effect on the body. Adjika and all kinds of spicy sauces are strictly prohibited.

CATERING IN THE SUMMER \ from May 21 to July 22 \
The dominant organs in summer are the heart, circulatory system and small intestine.
They are stimulated by the bitter taste. To improve their work, you must first of all choose greens with a bitter taste, including plants available in the house (aloe leaf) and in the summer cottage (wormwood, dandelion). It is useful to make salads from barely hatched sprouts, dressing them with vinegar and sunflower oil. From cereals in the summer it is better to use millet. According to Eastern dietology, mutton has a bitter taste from meat products, and heart from offal. Meat should be flavored with horseradish and mustard.
Vegetables with a bitter taste include radishes, swedes, turnips, onions, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and beets.
Pumpkin crops are useful - zucchini, squash, as well as the pumpkin itself. All these vegetables can be added to various dishes (fritters, porridge, etc.).
The same applies to young potatoes (old ones should be eliminated from the diet as early as possible).
Dried fruits from prunes, dried apricots, dried pears and apples are considered summer products - it is recommended to cook compotes. You can also just eat dried fruits, chewing them thoroughly. Of the drinks in the summer, preference is given to beer, as it has a bitter taste. Shrimps are suitable as an appetizer.
As for salted fish, nuts and roach, in the summer it is better to refuse them altogether. For summer, the salty taste is considered negative, as it can cause interruptions in the work of the cardiovascular system. Complementary taste during this period is sour, and neutral - spicy and sweet.
In the summer, chicken, sauerkraut, and pastries (which are sour foods) are allowed. Jelly, pork and beans should be excluded from the menu, as they are difficult for the stomach in summer.

FOOD IN AUTUMN \ from August 23 to October 22 \
In autumn, the maximum load falls on the lungs and large intestine. Their activities
stimulated by spicy taste. Therefore, it is recommended to use horseradish and garlic as the main seasoning at this time of the year.

From meat products, preference should be given to game (elk, venison, wild boar, bear meat, etc.). The offal most suitable for this time of year is light. It should be extinguished as long as possible so that the water accumulated in it completely disappears. The main cereals in the autumn menu should be rice and buckwheat. Sweet is considered a complementary taste for autumn, this season you can enjoy fruits, goat's milk, and beef. Neutral tastes for autumn are sour and salty. But products that have a bitter taste (mutton and millet porridge) are not recommended to be included in the diet. Seeds, nuts and fruit seeds during this period should be consumed as little as possible. Wheat pastries are also considered non-seasonal food.

FOOD IN WINTER \from November 22 to January 21\
In winter, the kidneys show maximum activity. During this period, they should be given special attention - take care of them, do not destroy them with alcohol, and most importantly, properly nourish them. In order for the kidneys to work well, they must receive enough salt.
This means that in winter, you need to especially ensure that foods with a salty taste are present in the diet. At the same time, it must be remembered that salty taste and salt are not the same thing. It is not necessary to add table salt to all dishes. In Eastern cooking, it is regarded as the most harmful to the body - it is difficult to excrete and contributes to the formation of kidney stones. It is better to use foods that have a salty taste. Salt can be replaced with extracts from plants that have a salty taste, such as soy sauce.

In winter, you need to eat fatty, satisfying food. In addition to pork, it is permissible to include lard, bacon, brisket, loin, etc. in the diet. Oriental nutritionists do not recommend eating cold meat in winter. In our conditions, an exception can only be made for jelly with horseradish, as it strengthens the skeletal system. The most valuable product in the East was considered not meat, but animal liver. Until now, there is a belief that it is in it that the “wind of fate” is concentrated - the vital forces of a particular season. In winter, kidneys should be included in the menu. It is not recommended to use the head and brains. It is extremely rare, as a festive delicacy, you can serve the tongue on the table. From cereal crops, beans, lentils, peas, beans, buckwheat should be used. There must be potatoes on the table. You can drink juices without preservatives. If the main taste of winter is salty, then the complementary one is spicy. In addition to adjika and pepper, to products
spicy taste includes rice, garlic, meat of wild animals - venison, bear meat, and elk. In winter, sour and salty foods are allowed, but sweets are forbidden because they inhibit the activity of the kidneys. It is not recommended to include beef and milk in the menu (these products have a sweet taste). Oriental medicine considers jam and canned compotes, as well as greenhouse vegetables and fruits, as harmful.
products for the body. Herring is a winter delicacy.

Features of nutrition in the OFF-SEASON.
The transition from one basic taste to another does not occur immediately. This requires an intermediate period of time, which is called the off-season. And since there are 4 main seasons, there are the same number of off-season periods. Their duration is:
- winter-spring period - from January 22 to February 18;
- spring-summer period - from April 22 to May 20;
- summer-autumn period - from July 23 to August 22;
- autumn-winter period - from October 23 to November 21.

In the off-season, taste is considered the main one, which activates the spleen, stomach and pancreas. The more sweets are included in the menu at this time, the better for health. In addition to sugar and honey, sweet-tasting foods include fresh fruit and beef. At this time, they should be consumed as much as possible. It is allowed to enjoy cakes, pastries, marshmallows, marmalade, marshmallow, ice cream and sweet cereals.
Complementary taste in the off-season is considered bitter. Bitter-tasting foods include mutton, millet, dried fruits, etc. In very small quantities during the off-season, it is permissible to consume food with a spicy and salty taste. Do not include lemons, wheat, poultry meat, fermented milk products (kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt) in the diet - these are sour-tasting products, they have a destructive effect on the spleen and stomach. As a rule, for all periods of the off-season, the main recommendations are very similar, but each of them has its own characteristics.

So, in the winter-spring off-season, from January 22 to February 4, it is recommended
eat salty-sweet food. The best option is salted watermelon. After February 5, it's time for sweet and sour dishes. Pickled cucumbers and peppers are useful, and it is desirable that they be sweeter. Products with an exceptionally sour taste are contraindicated for this time.

In the spring-summer off-season from April 22 to May 5, sweet and sour dishes should be served on the table, and from May 6 to 20 - bittersweet.
From July 23 to August 5, products with a bittersweet taste, and from August 6 to 22 - sweet and spicy. Also from October 23rd to November 4th. And from November 5 to November 21 - sweet-salty.

Of course, depending on the circumstances, some deviations from these recommendations are permissible. However, during the off-season on the table, be sure to
beef or, in extreme cases, lamb must be present. Cheese should be added to the meat, and fruits and sweets are recommended for dessert.
It should be said that fish and various seafood, which are a natural source of iodine, should be on the table all year round.

Thus, the seasonal nutrition system is based on a variety of consumed products and allows you to correctly, and most importantly with maximum
benefits for the body to eat at any time of the year.

Along with the doctrine of yin and yang, which almost everyone has heard of, in Chinese philosophy there is also the doctrine of Wu Xing, less known in the West. In accordance with it, in addition to the four seasons familiar to us, there is an off-season, during which such organs as the spleen, stomach and pancreas are activated. And if you believe the ancient Chinese sages, seasonal exacerbations of gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis and other diseases of these organs are not at all accidental: this is retribution for nutrition that does not correspond to the “fifth season”. Moreover, we also have four off-season transition periods: from winter to spring, from spring to summer, from summer to autumn and from autumn to winter. In the off-season, great importance is given: it is believed that the health and good functioning of the stomach ensure the timely replenishment of vital qi energy, and the spleen is responsible for immunity. And with improper nutrition in this “fifth season” you can seriously harm yourself, and with the right one, on the contrary, you can significantly improve your health.

So, consider the diet from the point of view of Chinese medicine. The main taste of the off-season - "sweet" - corresponds to honey, fresh sweet fruits, beef, butter and sunflower oil, rice, corn, buckwheat, oats, legumes, peanuts and pine nuts, mushrooms, dates, vegetables - pumpkin, potatoes, beets, cabbage, carrots. "Sweet" foods should form the basis of the diet. The complementary taste should be “bitter”, which improves the functioning of the spleen, stomach and pancreas (it includes lamb, millet, onions, lettuce, radish, walnuts and almonds,

different types of hot peppers, mustard). "Bitter" foods can also be eaten quite a lot, but less than "sweet". “Spicy” (for example, garlic, green onions, radish, bran, soybean and rapeseed oil, cinnamon, cardamom) and “salty” foods (pork, beef and pork offal, cheese, seaweed, soy) can be eaten a little , but “sour” (sour-milk products of “long exposure”, sour vegetables and fruits) are best avoided altogether. Other off-season rules: do not eat at night, do not eat cold dishes, reduce the amount of dairy and raw products to a minimum (the exception is sweet apples, which can be eaten in any quantity), since the spleen “loves” sweet food, it is advisable to add to all dishes sugar or honey. In general, such a Chinese diet is not so burdensome, especially since you only need to follow it for three weeks - this is how long each off-season period lasts. And what do Western luminaries of science and medicine advise?

More vitamins

At the end of winter, the main problem of our diet is the lack of vitamins. But do not rush to run to the doctor and complain about beriberi! In most cases, we are not dealing with the complete absence of any vitamin, that is, beriberi, but only with hypovitaminosis - its deficiency. The situation is not critical, but unpleasant.

According to statistics, by the end of winter, 85-90% of the population of developed countries suffer from a lack of vitamins and useful microelements. The list of the most deficient includes “sunny” vitamin D, vitamins A, C and group B. Due to the lack of vitamins and trace elements we need, the already small reserves of which were used up by the body during the winter to fight viral infections and frosts, we we suffer from drowsiness, fatigue, bad mood, loss of vitality, sleep disturbances ... Yes, and the reflection in the mirror ceases to please: due to a lack of vitamin C and K, the complexion deteriorates and spider veins appear, a lack of B vitamins makes the skin dull and flaky, on lips appear jams and cracks that do not heal for a long time.

Vitamin complexes and the most balanced diet will come to the rescue. Vitamins A and E are primarily milk, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts and vegetable oils, B vitamins are cereals, meat and dairy products, seafood, grain bread. Vitamin C - tea from dried rose hips and frozen berries, fruits and vegetables. The easiest way to cook smoothies from frozen berries and fruits: tasty, healthy and low-calorie! And in order to prevent hypovitaminosis, it is worth adopting a fashionable European fad - eating sprouts for breakfast: they contain even more vitamins and microelements than in summer vegetables and fruits from the garden. The most useful are wheat, oat and buckwheat sprouts, which contain a lot of B and E vitamins, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and silicon. Nutritionists advise starting with two teaspoons, gradually increasing to three or four. Sprouts are good to add to salads, muesli and various cold dishes. The main thing is to eat them in the morning: they invigorate and tone up stronger than coffee and strong tea.

Support for immunity

It is at the turn of the seasons that our body most often fails, chronic diseases become aggravated, and often those who have steadfastly held out all winter and have not succumbed even to the flu are suddenly knocked down by an ordinary cold. Cause? Weakened by a lack of sunlight and vitamins immunity, increased energy expenditure of the body, tuning in the spring for natural renewal, and virus attacks becoming more frequent against this background. Therefore, to support the body's defenses, eat the right and healthy food!

Be sure to include fiber-rich foods, as well as “live” yogurts, kefir, fermented baked milk and other fermented milk products in your daily diet: as World Health Organization experts never tire of repeating, our antiviral immunity directly depends on the intestinal microflora. And if harmful bacteria take precedence over beneficial ones, the body immediately weakens. Eat more foods rich in vitamin C (this is the main vitamin for maintaining immunity), and do not deny yourself chocolate. In extreme cases, you can just smell it: as scientists from the University of California found out, even the smell of cocoa beans accelerates the production of immunoglobulin A, which provides the body with protection against viruses. And their fellow immunologists from the UK advise eating a small handful of unpeeled almonds daily: in addition to being rich in vitamins and minerals needed to maintain immunity, recent studies have shown that almond skins contain unique bioactive substances that help the body to resist infections such as influenza and SARS.

No extra pounds!

The motto "Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to the enemy" is perfect for the off-season. In dank and slushy weather, the appetite is played out even more than in the cold, and a bad mood every now and then wants to eat something rich and sweet. And if you do not take action in time, you will have to buy a completely new wardrobe for spring and summer - one size larger! Of course, you do not need to completely refuse dinner, but of all meals, it should be the easiest. We make it a rule to have a hearty breakfast and no later than nine in the morning. In this case, we can afford buns and other sweets without harm to the figure: fast carbohydrates and sugars will be used to generate energy and will not be deposited fat on the waist and hips.

In the opinion of many nutritionists, the ideal breakfast in the cold season must include porridge - hearty and healthy. For example, buckwheat or rice (they have an excellent detox effect and contain a lot of complex carbohydrates), corn (rich in glucose, which will help avoid fatigue and loss of strength), millet or pearl barley (they contain the amino acid lysine, which helps the body resist viruses and at the same time prevents the deposition of fat) . In addition, a warm breakfast warms well, preventing the body from “turning on” the fat accumulation mode. A warm or hot lunch will be a guarantee that by the evening you will not have a wolfish appetite and dinner will be light and correct.

In the off-season, human physiology is especially vulnerable. The ability to properly pass this period, makes it possible to feel good throughout the coming season. Therefore, during the off-season it is necessary:

1. Review your sleep pattern.
It is very important to go to bed as early as possible (no later than 22:00) and wake up around 6 am. At the same time, you should feel rested. If the morning begins with a feeling of fatigue, you should think about and analyze what could be the reason. Perhaps you go to bed late or just have dinner late, perhaps, on the contrary, you don’t eat and wake up hungry, maybe you don’t have enough depth of sleep. All these points must be considered on an individual basis, while understanding that the sleep regimen will be the most important and decisive.

2. Physical activity.
In the summer, many of us felt a lack of physical strength. With the advent of autumn, strength will be replenished. It is possible and necessary to increase physical activity - exercises, gym classes, yoga, etc. This is especially necessary for people with a Kafa constitution. Autumn is the period of Vata, when such phenomena as wind, cold, dryness prevail in nature. The same phenomena will manifest themselves in human physiology.

3. Oiling the whole body.
It is very good during this period to carry out oil self-massage of the whole body - “Abhyanga”. This is especially important for those people who have increased Vata dosha, that is, for whom the dominant qualities are mobility, crunching and soreness in the joints, dry skin, changeable appetite and digestion of food, superficial and shallow sleep. During Vata season, Abhyanga should be done every morning before taking a shower.

How to make "Abhyanga" at home, read here:

4. Nutrition.
In the offseason, you need to reconsider your diet. Since at this time of the year the needs of our body increase and we must properly replenish them. Food should be warm, oily, more high-calorie. However, it is very important not to overeat! Breakfast and dinner should be light, lunch should be denser.

5. Meditation.
In autumn, cold windy weather often gives us a feeling of inner instability, sadness, loss - meditation helps each time to find a foothold in ourselves, allows you to touch the area associated with feelings of immutability, stability, invincibility. And these deep psychological experiences will give great support, especially to those people who tend to fall into a state of melancholy. It is also very important to remember that during the transitional periods (autumn, spring) the body is most disposed to cleansing procedures.

More about meditation:

6. Purification.
In the autumn period, the best thing you can do for your body is to take a full course of Panchakarma cleansing procedures. Panchakarma cleanses the body of toxins at all levels of tissues, including the deepest layers, strengthens the immune system, improves digestion, relieves chronic health problems, restores the nervous system and gives a large supply of vitality.

More about "Panchakarma":

Be healthy this fall and always!
With love,

Ancient healers and nutritionists of our time, over the course of centuries of observation, made an important conclusion for us. The fact that within 12 months of the year, in each season, a certain system of the body is active, which needs specific nutrition, with a certain taste.
In short, it's seasonal food.

It is seasonal nutrition that gives us the opportunity to always be beautiful and slim. Nutrition that promotes metabolic processes, and therefore keeps the body and body in good shape. This means that both the figure and health will always be normal, according to the followers of such a diet.

According to seasonal nutrition - the year consists of 4 seasons and off-season periods:

• The first season is winter;
• The second season is spring;
• The third season is summer;
• The fourth season is autumn;
• Off-season.

The off-season is an intermediate stage between the seasons, which occupies a certain, insignificant period.

Each season has its own taste and, accordingly, its useful products.

Seasons, food:

• In the spring, the liver is active, the gallbladder is the basis for their sour taste;
• In summer, the heart is especially demanding, the small intestine - the basis of the taste is bitter;
• In the fall, at the working peak, the lungs, the large intestine - a sharp taste of the main;
• In winter, the kidneys need care, the genitourinary system is the main salty taste;
• In the off-season, the stomach is active, the pancreas - the sweet taste is the main one.

Meals for the seasons.

All human organs work together.

But nevertheless, in each period, its seasonal taste prevails. In addition to which there is also a complementary and neutral taste, there is no benefit from them. There is also a negative seasonal taste, which is harmful.

• Spring period - the main sour taste, the negative - spicy.
• Summer period - the main bitter taste, the negative - salty.
• The autumn period is the main pungent taste, the negative is bitter.
• Winter period - the main salty taste, the negative - sweet.
• Off-season period - the main taste is sweet, the negative is sour.

SPRING PERIOD AND NUTRITION

In the spring, the liver and gallbladder require increased care and attention.

These organs prefer the sour taste that is characteristic of:

• Solyanok;
• Seeds;
• Orekhov;
• carrots;
• celery;
• beets;
• Turkeys;
• Liver.

It is important not to drink cow's milk.
In the spring, a vegetarian lifestyle is always held in high esteem. Useful vegetables, sour soups, herbs, fish.
Prohibited products with a spicy taste - game, onions, garlic, wheat germ, adjika, sauces.

SUMMER AND FOOD

Active - the cardiovascular system and our small intestine.

The main one is bitter taste. It is important to use greens with bitterness.

Useful properties are: sheep meat with horseradish, mustard, radish, onion, radish, cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, beets.
It is useful to eat zucchini, pumpkin, new potatoes, squash.
Pay special attention to seasonal berries (and find out in our previous article).
Dried fruits, compotes from them are also important. In summer, a negative salty taste, we exclude pork, beans.
In the summer we eat chicken and sauerkraut with benefit.

AUTUMN AND FOOD

In autumn, our lungs and large intestines are active - they are stimulated by the spicy taste. Therefore, it is useful to eat horseradish and garlic.

Of the meat products, game, beef, rice, buckwheat, fruits are important. But you need to exclude lamb, pastries, seeds, nuts.

WINTER AND NUTRITION

In winter, our kidneys are active. Salt is important during this period.
But you need to know that salty taste and salt are not the same thing. It is not necessary to add salt to all dishes. Soy sauce is the best alternative.

In winter, you need to eat fatty foods: pork, lard, brisket, kidneys, legumes, buckwheat, potatoes, juices, sour and salty. Prohibition - sweets, beef, milk.

OFF-SEASON AND NUTRITION

In the off-season, the main - sweet taste, activates the digestive tract. We use honey, fruits and beef.
An additional bitter taste is dried fruits, lamb. Do not get carried away with poultry meat, kefir, lemons - these are sour foods. For all off-season periods, nutrition is almost identical.

So, in the winter-spring off-season, January 22 - February 4, salty-sweet food, salted watermelon, pickled cucumbers, bell peppers are desirable. Excluded products with a sour taste.

In the spring-summer off-season April 22-5 May, sweet and sour dishes and bittersweet are important.
Mandatory - beef, lamb, cheeses, fruits, sweets.

But regardless of the frequency of the seasons, you should always eat fish and seafood. After all, they are the natural source of iodine.

In addition, vegetables and fruits should never leave our diet. While freshly grown in the harvest season, they are the most useful. It is important to use them without restrictions, because the time of freshness is short-lived. And getting a vitamin supply is very important.

The best option is, of course, your own garden, and your own harvest, without nitrates and other chemicals. But not everyone has such an opportunity. Therefore, relying on the agricultural supervision of the Russian Federation, we purchase these useful products from the market or from retail outlets.

But still, it is seasonal food that gives us the opportunity

Everything seems to be done strictly according to science. However, the desired result is not always achieved. In such cases, they usually remember non-traditional ways of eating, based on the principles of oriental medicine or astrology. Knowledge about how to eat properly, taking into account natural rhythms, has been accumulated not even for centuries, but for millennia. Therefore, if necessary, it makes sense to seriously try on the diet below, especially since following it does not require much effort: there is no need to cook any special dishes or force yourself to monotonous food in order to lose a few kilograms. Such a diet practically does not require “victims”: you don’t need to give up anything - it’s enough just to take all food at the right time, i.e. keep a natural routine.

Seasons of flavors

In the East, the problems of nutrition from time immemorial have been treated in a completely different way than in the rest of the world. Three thousand years ago, Eastern doctors and astrologers noticed that different products, depending on the time of year, have different effects on the human body. As a result of centuries-old observations, ancient nutritionists came to the conclusion that in each season of the year, the activity of a particular organ or body system is activated. In order for the organs and physiological systems to work without failures and for the benefit of the body, it is necessary, depending on the season, to eat foods of a certain taste. This is how the fundamental system of seasonal nutrition appeared, which was based on the classification of tastes.

Perhaps this is one of the very first scientific diets. She has a very respectable age, and is still popular in a number of eastern countries. Practice shows that much of what has long been known to Eastern physicians is confirmed by modern medicine. It has been proven, for example, that weight can be regulated by eating sweets.

Proponents of the seasonal food system believe that there is no absolutely healthy or unhealthy food. Any product, depending on the season, can stimulate the work of certain organs or slow it down. Therefore, in different seasons, you should eat differently. Only in this case, the food will be beneficial, not harmful, be a medicine, not a poison.

Basic taste

In the East, unlike Western countries, the year was divided not into four, but into five seasons. Traditionally, winter, spring, summer, autumn and off-season were distinguished here, i.e. a very special time, a transitional period between winter and spring, spring and summer, summer and autumn, autumn and winter. Five seasons correspond to five tastes.

In winter, the kidneys and the associated genitourinary system work most actively. The main taste during this period is considered salty. In the spring, the liver and gallbladder function well, the main taste is sour. Summer is the season for activating the heart and small intestine. The main thing at this time of the year is the bitter taste. In autumn, the main load falls on the lungs and large intestine. At this time, it is recommended to eat foods with a spicy taste. In the off-season, the stomach, pancreas and spleen are activated, therefore, at this time of the year, sweet-tasting foods are most beneficial to the body.

Complementary, neutral and negative taste
Oriental medicine states that all organs in the human body do not work by themselves, but are connected into a single system, and therefore support and stimulate each other.

So, the lungs activate the activity of the kidneys, the kidneys - the work of the liver. The liver, being a hematopoietic organ, stimulates the activity of the heart. How well the stomach, spleen, and pancreas work depends on the heart. In turn, the stomach, spleen and pancreas make the lungs work more actively.

In the same way, tastes can reinforce or suppress each other. In each period of the year, the main one operates, i.e. dominant taste. In addition to it, there is a complementary taste, which also has a positive effect on the body, but not as strong as the main one.

In addition, there is a neutral taste - it is not harmful, but it will not bring much benefit either. Finally, there is a negative taste: if you eat a lot of food with such a taste, it will suppress the vital activity of the body and adversely affect health. The following shows how tastes are distributed by season.

Winter
The main taste is salty;
complementary - sharp; neutral - sour and bitter;
negative - sweet.

Spring
The main taste is sour;
complementary - salty;
neutral - bitter and sweet;
negative - acute.

Summer
The main taste is bitter;
complementary - sour;
neutral - sweet and spicy;
negative - salty.

Autumn
The main taste is spicy;
complementary - sweet;
neutral - sour and salty;
negative - bitter.

Off-season
The main taste is sweet;
additional - bitter;
neutral - spicy and salty;
negative - sour.

The main advantage of seasonal food is that it allows you to regulate weight with little or no stress: there is always a variety and delicious food on the table, and its cooking is not particularly difficult.

In winter, the maximum activity is shown by the kidneys - an organ associated with the genitourinary system and providing water exchange in the body. In winter, special attention should be paid to the kidneys - take care of them, do not destroy them with alcohol, and most importantly, properly nourish them.

In order for the kidneys to work well, they must receive enough salt. This means that in winter, you need to especially ensure that foods with a salty taste are present in the diet. Any woman usually prepares all kinds of pickles since autumn - pickled mushrooms, cucumbers and tomatoes, zucchini and squash, so there will be no particular problems with the formation of the menu. Another thing is that many European nutritionists are convinced of the negative effects of salt on the body. It is believed that its consumption should be reduced to a minimum, since excess salt in the body contributes to the development of heart attacks, strokes, infertility, cataracts, etc.

According to the Eastern system of seasonal nutrition, salty taste and salt are not the same thing. In order to eat properly in the winter season, it is not at all necessary to add Extra salt to all dishes. In Eastern cooking, such salt is regarded as the most harmful to the body: it is difficult to excrete and contributes to the formation of kidney stones. It is better to use the so-called "rock" salt - large, crystalline, slightly yellowish. It is even better if the basis of the winter diet is foods that have a salty taste. Salt can be replaced with extracts from plants that have a salty taste (for example, soy sauce).

There is a special attitude towards meat products in the East. In winter, it is even recommended to eat fatty, satisfying food. In addition to pork, it is permissible to include lard, bacon, brisket, loin, etc. in the diet. Oriental nutritionists do not recommend eating cold meat in winter. In our conditions, an exception can only be made for jelly with horseradish - a traditional Russian winter dish, which our ancestors loved very much. Aspic is useful already because it strengthens the skeletal system.

There is another feature of oriental nutrition. For a long time in the East, the most valuable product was considered not meat as such (shoulder, brisket, back, etc.), but animal liver - kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and stomach with spleen. Until now, there is a belief that it is in them that the "wind of fate" is concentrated - the vital forces of a particular season. Each type of liver has its own season. In winter, it is recommended to include kidneys in the menu - they can be cooked in all forms (stew, boil and fry).

From cereals, you can use beans, lentils, peas, beans, buckwheat. It is useful to include edible chestnuts in the menu. Potatoes must be present on the table (it is even allowed to fry them in lard). You can drink juices (without pulp and preservatives).

If the main taste of winter is salty, then the complementary one is spicy. In addition to adjika and pepper, spicy foods include rice, garlic, meat of wild animals - venison, bear meat, elk.

In winter, sour and salty foods are allowed, but sweets are forbidden because they inhibit the activity of the kidneys. At this time, you should reduce your sugar intake to a minimum, give up sweets, cakes and other goodies from the dough. It is not recommended to include beef and milk in the menu (according to the eastern classification, these products have a sweet taste). Oriental medicine considers jam and canned compotes as products harmful to the body. In addition, in winter it is proposed to forget about fresh (greenhouse) vegetables and fruits - not their season. A winter "delicacy" is herring.

Eastern healers believe that in the spring the liver and the gall bladder associated with it become the most active. These organs need food with a sour taste: sauerkraut, lemons, all kinds of cabbage soup, saltwort, and so on. It is allowed to use fermented milk products - cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, yogurt. Cow's milk should be excluded from the menu, although it is permissible to drink goat's milk.

As for cereals, preference should be given to products made from wheat and rye, all kinds of pastries, pasta and bread kvass are allowed. It is recommended to diversify the table with seeds and nuts. Apple seeds are very useful (they should be stored in the fall). On the table must be present vegetables and root crops - carrots, celery, beets.

For cooking meat dishes, it is better to use chicken, duck, turkey meat. The diet should include liver - pork, beef and chicken. It is this by-product (and not fruits, as it is believed in Europe) that gives the body strength during the period of spring beriberi. For the same purpose, you can eat black pudding.

In the period from March 21 to April 20, it is better to switch to vegetarianism. Very useful during this period are vegetable soups of sour taste, herbs, as well as fish with lemon sauce.

In spring, not only sour taste is good for the liver, but also salty, which is considered complementary. In other words, in the spring, you need to eat foods that are allowed in winter, but in smaller quantities. Food of a neutral taste - sweet and bitter - can be included in the diet in a minimal amount (only to spice up the dishes and diversify the table as a whole).

Spicy foods are forbidden in the spring: game (meat of roe deer, wild boar, deer, elk and musk deer, as well as venison, goat meat, horse meat), sprouted onions and garlic. During this period, wheat and rice sprouts have a particularly bad effect on the body. Adjika and all kinds of spicy sauces are strictly prohibited.

The dominant organs in summer are the heart, circulatory system and small intestine. They are stimulated by the bitter taste. To improve their work, you need to include as much bitter as possible in the menu. To begin with, you can choose greens with a bitter taste, including plants available in the house (aloe leaf) and on the dacha boundary (wormwood, dandelion).

It is useful to make salads from barely hatched sprouts (they need to be chopped very finely and seasoned with vinegar and sunflower oil). From cereals in the summer it is better to use millet.

According to Eastern dietetics, mutton has a bitter taste from meat products, and heart from offal. Meat should be flavored with horseradish and mustard.

Summer is the season for vegetables. Bitter-tasting foods include radishes, swedes, turnips, onions, radishes, as well as tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and beets. Pumpkin crops are useful - zucchini, squash, zucchini, as well as the pumpkin itself. All these vegetables can be added to various dishes (fritters, porridge, etc.). The same applies to young potatoes (the old one should be excluded from the diet as early as possible). Dried fruits are considered a summer product. It is recommended to cook compotes from prunes, dried apricots, dried pears and apples. You can also just eat dried fruits, chewing them thoroughly.

Of the drinks in the summer, preference is given to beer, as it has a bitter taste. Shrimps are suitable as an appetizer. As for salted fish, nuts and roach, in the summer it is better to refuse them altogether. For summer, the salty taste is considered negative, as it suppresses the work of the heart and can cause interruptions in the work of the cardiovascular system.

Complementary taste during this period is sour, and neutral - sharp and sweet. In summer, you can eat chicken, sauerkraut and pastries (this is a sour food). Jelly, pork and beans should be excluded from the menu - in the summer they are difficult for the stomach.

In this time period, the maximum load falls on the lungs and large intestine. Their activity is stimulated by a sharp taste. Therefore, it is recommended to use horseradish and garlic as the main seasoning at this time of the year. From meat products, preference should be given to game - elk, venison, wild boar, bear meat, etc. The offal most suitable for this time of year is a lung. It should be extinguished as long as possible so that the water accumulated in it completely disappears. The main cereals in the autumn menu should be rice and buckwheat.

Sweet is considered a complementary taste for autumn, this season you can enjoy fruits, goat's milk, and beef. Neutral tastes for autumn are sour and salty. But products that have a bitter taste (mutton and millet porridge) are not recommended to be included in the diet. Seeds, nuts and fruit seeds during this period should be consumed as little as possible. Wheat pastries are also considered off-season food.

Features of nutrition in the off-season

The transition from one main taste to another does not occur immediately - this requires an intermediate period of time, which is called the off-season. And since there are four main seasons, there are the same number of off-season periods. Their duration is:
winter-spring period - from January 22 to February 18;
spring-summer period - from April 22 to May 20;
summer-autumn period - from July 23 to August 22;
autumn-winter period - from October 23 to November 21.

In the off-season, the main taste is sweet, which activates the spleen, stomach and pancreas. The more sweets are included in the menu at this time, the better for health. In addition to sugar and honey, sweet-tasting foods include fresh fruit and beef. At this time, they should be consumed as much as possible. It is allowed to feast on "delicate" confectionery - cakes, pastries, marshmallows, marmalade, marshmallow, ice cream and sweet cereals.

Complementary taste in the off-season is considered bitter. Bitter taste products include lamb, millet, dried fruits, etc. In very small quantities during the off-season, it is permissible to consume food with a spicy and salty taste. Do not include lemons, wheat, poultry, dairy products (kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt) in the diet. These are products of sour taste, they have a destructive effect on the spleen and stomach.

As a rule, for all periods of the off-season, the main recommendations are very similar, but each of them has its own characteristics.

So, in the winter-spring off-season, when there is a gradual transition from winter to spring (from salty taste to sour), it is recommended to eat salty-sweet food for the first fifteen days (from January 22 to February 4). For example, pickled cucumber is useful to sprinkle with sugar, dip in honey. The best option is salted watermelon.

After February 5, it's time for sweet and sour dishes - for example, sauerkraut mixed with honey. Pickled cucumbers and peppers are useful, and it is desirable that they be sweeter (products with an exceptionally sour taste are contraindicated for this time).

In the spring-summer off-season, there is a transition from sour to bitter taste, which means that in the first two weeks, i.e. from April 22 to May 5, sweet and sour dishes should be served on the table, and in the next two weeks (from May 6 to May 20) - bittersweet.

The period between summer and autumn marks the transition from bitter taste to spicy. Therefore, from July 23 to August 5, you should consume foods with a bittersweet taste, and from August 6 to 22 - sweet and spicy.

The autumn-winter period is characterized by a transition from spicy taste to salty: from October 23 to November 4, sweet-spicy dishes should be the basis of the diet, and from November 5 to 21 - sweet-salty.

Of course, depending on the circumstances, some deviations from these recommendations are permissible. However, during the off-season, beef or (in extreme cases) lamb must be present on the table. To them, as needed, you can choose a wide variety of sauces from sweet-salty to spicy-sweet. Cheese should be added to the meat, and fruits and all kinds of sweets are recommended for dessert.

It should be said that fish and various seafood (squid, crabs, shrimps, mussels, algae, etc.) should be on the table all year round, which are a natural source of iodine, which means they contribute to proper metabolism.

Thus, the seasonal food system has its advantages. It is based on a variety of consumed products and allows you to eat correctly, and most importantly with maximum benefit for the body, at any time of the year.

2012 -2-23 20:53

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