What to Eat in the Autumn Months
Autumn corresponds to the Metal Element and in nature, this refers to the minerals that give the earth, plants and all life upon it inner value and structure.
Dryness is most common in the autumn months due to the wind and the residue of summer heat - dry lips, dry throat, dry skin, dry cough and constipation.
To treat dryness in autumn add moistening foods to your diet, such as tofu, tempeh, soya milk, spinach, barley, millet, seaweed, mushrooms, almonds, sesame seeds, pears and apples.
Food and herbs that are pungent in flavour are beneficial to the lungs. The pungent flavour moves up into the lungs to clear them and encourages wind to move out of the body. Consider Chai tea with it’s spices of cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.
Other herbs such as: bay leaves, caraway seeds, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, dill, fennel, onions and garlic all have an expanding nature and help strengthen the lung, although don’t over use them in autumn.
Good health in Autumn sets one up for good health in the winter.
Try rye bread instead of the typical wheat, as rye helps remove damp.
Leek and potato soup builds energy, improves digestion strengthen the lung liver and kidney; the combination have a warming comforting and calming effect.
Skin Brushing – use a loofah or natural bristle brush to give your skin a brush before you get in the shower. This will strengthen the integrity of the skin, stimulate your lymphatic system and slough away all those dead skin cells, giving you a radiant glow. If you are prone to eczema, consider getting your allergies tested and treated here at the clinic.
I found this recipe from a client’s blog, we were discussing the virtues of Millet and she said how much she also liked it and I asked if I could use it, so thanks to Anthea Amore.
Millet Slice
2 Cups millet (cook in 4 cups filtered water)
2 medium onions, diced
1 tbs cumin seeds
2 tbs coriander powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbs yeast flakes
1/3 bunch fresh coriander, stems and leaves chopped finely (you can use mint or parsley too)
1 dsp salt
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup tahini
½ cup filtered water
Cooking the Millet
Don’t be scared of cooking millet. In this recipe it doesn’t matter if you over cook it or if it goes mushy! So give this super food a go. It’s delicious!
Put the millet into a saucepan of water and bring to the boil. Then turn down to simmer and allow it to cook and absorb the water for approximately 20 minutes. By now chances are the millet has soaked up all the water and should look mostly cooked (yellowish in colour, not much uncooked grain left). Keep the lid on! Now turn off the millet and let it steam in the pot for a further 10 minutes or until you are ready to use it.
While the millet is cooking, you can sauté your onions on a medium heat, along with all the spices, until the onion is soft.
Then place the millet in a large mixing bowl, add the onion/spice mix, yeast flakes, and the chopped fresh coriander. Mix the tahini, olive oil, salt & water together with a whisk, until all the lumps are smooth. Pour over the millet and mix by hand or with a wooden spoon if millet is too hot to handle! Press into a baking dish approximately 20cm x 30cm and approximately 1.5 – 2 inches high. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the slice and scatter sesame seeds.
Bake for 30 minutes at 190C.
Top each piece with a roast pumpkin wedge and 3-4 tablespoons of the Tomato, Artichoke and Coriander salad on top of that.
Serve warm or cold.
Great for a lunch box snack to take to work or for kids lunch boxes.