Seasonal Eating – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

Food Confusion and Eating Seasonally

I know some of you who read this regularly may not eat eggs. But some of you do. I’ve personally waxed and waned about eggs and many other foods over the years but ultimately have come right back to my initial conclusion: Eating is personal. And over time you change, go through phases, or learn more of what is needed to sustain you.

One thing that is very personal to me about eating is seasonality and locality. It’s what helped me through a time when I was as perplexed about what to eat as some of you – when I was following too many food trends and afraid of what to put in my body or of eating “too much.” I compared myself to everyone around me but I didn’t know how to gauge my own hunger, symptoms of imbalance, or simply get out of my head and into my body.

William began keeping hens about three years ago, and prior to that I had largely avoided eggs for several years. That phase where eggs didn’t sound good, I didn’t like spending $7+ per dozen for local eggs, and didn’t like the conditions involved in the traditional egg production industry. But also that phase where I was following trends and wasn’t entirely eating for me.

And so, slowly, two new chicks each spring that began laying a few months later and brought such big personalities. I grew up on a farm with lots of various animals but in the years in between that time and the introduction of our first two hens, Marge and Pepper, I had somewhat forgotten how every animal comes with her own personality and desire to please.

It’s normal for hens to stop producing eggs over the winter due to less daylength and it being cold outside. Though this winter has actually been the first for ours to take a break. Not being a daily or often even a weekly egg-eater, the winter egg break was just fine at first. But as it went on for weeks and then became a few solid months, I started to realize how I was dropping even more into the quiet of the winter season – and eating even more that way too.

Eating seasonally traditionally means less variety and abundance in the winter. It also traditionally means a change in gut microbes that can help us break down the foods that are in season.

As the first eggs began to arrive back in the laying box and our hens began strutting around, proud of their golden tokens, it made me more aware of the gifts of each season.

Which is all to say, whether you choose to eat eggs or not, I encourage you to look for signs of the changing season as you’re out and about in your neighborhood or community, and especially next time you’re shopping. I encourage you to choose at least one new seasonal food each week–and if you struggle with confusion about what to eat, really pay attention to how you feel physically and mentally in the hours after you eat your chosen new food.

Just notice what comes up.

Quick Egg Flatbreads with Bitter Greens + Gold Spice Dressing, Serves 1
I use two things that make this super quick. A ready-made dressing and some leftover veg to add in and round out the meal. Otherwise, you can steam what vegetables you have on hand while you’re cooking the rest. Or skip the extra vegetables, but it will be a fairly light meal and may not be enough – this of course depends on the person.
One other note about the method: this late winter/early spring time of year is marked by a season of cold and wet in most regions (in the northern hemisphere). To counter that and retain balance in the body, it’s best to eat meals that are warm and cooked, and to start to add in more astringent greens like kale, chard, and spinach, while avoiding excess foods that cause mucus and damp in the body such as dairy and rich, heavy meals or sauces.

1-2 Tbs. Gold Spice Dressing
1 handful of seasonal bitter-ish greens, chopped or torn
splash of water
2 small (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 eggs, scrambled one at a time
salt and pepper

toppings/add-ins to accompany:
leftover roasted or steamed vegetables OR roasted/steamed sweet potato, daikon radish, etc.
cilantro, parsley or dill

Make dressing or prep it ahead.

In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of the Gold Spice Dressing and a pinch of salt, and wait until the spices are just beginning to smell. Then add in the greens and a splash of water. Stir and then cover to steam-sauté for just a minute or two. Remove from the pan and set aside for a minute.

Wipe the sauté pan clean and then add another small splash of the dressing. Pour in the first scrambled egg and a little sprinkle of salt. Don’t stir. Let it cook for 30 seconds to a minute and then set the first tortilla over the top of the egg. Cook another minute or more, just until the bottom is set. Then flip and cook 1-2 minutes more until the egg is cooked all the way through and the tortilla is warm.

Repeat with the remaining egg and tortilla.

Finish by layering your plate with the egg / tortilla flatbreads, the sautéed greens, and the steamed or roasted vegetable add-ins and herbs. Drizzle a little extra dressing on top as desired.

When choosing new seed varieties late last winter for the upcoming growing season, I somehow convinced William I needed another type of winter squash to grow. He hates winter squash. But somehow, I won him over and then our late season garden became a sea of squash. I chose the Robin’s Koginut variety from Row7 Seeds. It’s a variety that has gotten a lot of press in the last few years, for chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill, who also wrote one of my favorite books, helped develop the variety in partnership with his local farmers and seed breeders. The result is a combination of a butternut and a kabocha squash variety, and I quite like it. But I also like nearly all winter squash.

Relatedly, over the course of the last few days, I’ve been taking a cooking class on using cooking techniques from Ayurveda. This means an emphasis on getting all six flavors in every dish, balancing the meal so that no flavor stands out over the rest, and that the end result is balancing to the body. One of the other tenets of Ayurveda is eating seasonally, i.e. what is in season, where you live.

One of the other person’s in the class asked about fruit, since I have virtually all types of fruit available to me where I live, she said. Our instructor reminded her that what’s at the store does not always represent what’s in season locally, as most well-stocked groceries carry fruit and other produce from all across the globe at all times. Unless a banana grows outside your door right now, it’s probably not in your best health interest to eat a banana, our instructor said, and advised the person to visit her farmers market instead.

I agree with my instructor wholeheartedly on a personal level. As many of you long-time readers know, I’m a big advocate of eating locally in season, getting to know your local farmers, supporting your community and economy, voting with your fork for sustainability and climate resilience, and of course, because what’s in season is often better for our health.

But for anyone that works with me with nutrition, I take a much more individualized approach. Not all of us come ready and able to make dietary changes that are so vastly different than what we’re currently doing. Not all of us live in a bounty of locally available all the time. Some of us need gentle guidance without judgement to get started where we are.

I have a book on healing with whole foods on my shelf that is nearly falling apart. When I first began really getting into holistic/integrative health, I read it from front to back, a little at a time, night after night. The pages are textbook size and there are nearly 800 of them. When I got done, I started reading again. Over years, yes years, I very slowly incorporated practices encouraged in the book. I tried meditation. I incorporated chlorella and spirulina (years before these would become more mainstream). I learned about types of oils and when and how to use different sweeteners. I learned about the effect of different foods on the body. It was an incredibly slow process and along the way, I slowly shed the way of eating that leaned heavier on the cheese, yogurt, ice cream, baked goods, convenience fast-food, and then all the “skinny” diet crap products, and more into trying new and then seasonal foods. Part of what really pushed me further was the second of three health crises, but I eventually figured out a way of eating that is intuitive and right for me. In the process it also helped heal the first, second, and third health crisis, the last of which I now believe to be both a reaction to a multi-year stint in a moldy apartment and emotionally related, leftover from the first.

This is all to say, for personal sustainability-sake, I don’t believe everyone needs to completely ditch their mainstream big-box grocery immediately and only shop at the farmers market from here on out. Or never again eat a banana. But I do think it can be life changing if you research a couple ways to seek local food where you live, and try a couple new in-season foods to start

If you come across the Koginut Squash, I encourage you to try it. Or if not, seek out a Butternut or Kabocha Squash instead. For learning about local farms and markets near you, try “Local Food Near Me” as a google search, or check out Local Farm Markets as a start. Or if you’re ready or in need of some extra food and nutrition guidance, please reach out to me for more personalized support.

Creamy Koginut Squash + Sage Pasta, serves about 4
1 medium koginut (or butternut) squash
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water or vegetable broth (low/no sodium)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs. dried sage leaves, plus a few more to serve
salt and pepper to taste
12 oz. gluten-free pasta, preferably a bean/legume based pasta unless you’ll be adding chickpeas or other beans
3-4 medium handfuls dark leafy greens such as spinach or kale, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Halve the squash and take out the seeds. Then put the two halves, cut side down on a baking pan, along with a couple splashes of water. Cook for 40-45 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
While the squash is cooking, heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the oil and the onions. Cook until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In an upright blender, combine the squash, onions, and garlic, water or broth, nutritional yeast, vinegar, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend on high speed until the ingredients become silky smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and keep warm over low heat until ready to use.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain it, and then combine it with the sauce. If you’d like some extra greens, tossing in a couple handfuls of spinach or another soft leafy green (such as kale or swiss chard), is ideal at this time.
After you’ve dished up each serving, sprinkle with a couple pinches of minced sage over the top.