Happy first day of winter!

Every year when the leaves start to fall, a chill possesses the air and darkness blankets us before we even realize, I catapult into hibernation mode. Without fail, every fall into winter my body wants to move less and eat more. By Thanksgiving Day I am forced to mourn the end of farm stand season here in the Northeast. While fresh veggies are always a part of my daily intake, my body starts to crave root vegetables, warm grains and hot soups-really any “heavier” food than that of spring and summer.

While this transition always makes me a bit sad, I have also come to embrace it as natural. My body is gearing up for winter, feast or famine. I've realized, now that I am wearing heavier clothes on my body and putting warmer blankets on my bed, it only seems biologically appropriate to want warmer, heavier foods. So with mourning, comes embracing change and the knowledge that food choices, likes the seasons, are always rotating.

In modern society with mega stores and the ease of importing, we have access to all types of foods year round. However, today of all days, the shortest day of the year, I encourage you to listen to your body and eat with the season. After all, from this day on, lighter skies and lighter foods are making their way back to us, so let’s make the best of what we have in the present.

Kindly yours, Carolyn