Apples Everywhere!

Yes, I know, how predictable - writing about apples in the Fall. But, I wanted to share with you some things that I've learned about apples recently that has given me a whole new appreciation for them. Before, I could care less about apples - I prefer berries and tropical fruits like mango (mmmm.....mango). After listening to one of my favorite speakers, John Douillard, speak about the practice of Ayurveda (the "science of life") and the importance of living in harmony with your environment, I finally got it. When was the last time I saw a mango growing in New England? Mangos are great, but there's a reason why apples grow in abundance in the Fall.

All summer, our bodies accumulate heat. That heat, if we don't do anything about it will dry out and cause digestive distress and excess mucus in the winter. Bad news for the upcoming cold and flu season. So how do we make sure we get rid of that excess heat and prevent accumulation of dryness in our bodies? Just look at what nature gives us - apples! Apples help draw out excess heat from the body and cleanse our intestines of built up impurities to prepare us for the long, dry winter. If this isn't reason enough to eat as many apples as possible in the next month, check out the list of other benefits below:

• helps body cool and disperse accumulation of summer's heat
• high fiber - helps to cleanse the intestines of impurities and heat
• cleanses the body of excessive mucus built up
• sweet and astringent taste - assist in improving intestinal ailments that result from excessive heat
• high in vitamin A, C, and calcium
• benefits low blood sugar conditions and emotional depression associated with it
  

Eat them straight up, chopped up in your cereal or yogurt, dipped in almond butter or honey, enjoy cider, or try baking a delicious pie to take advantages of the medicinal amounts of apples our environment has harvested. Once winter hits, you can still eat apples but they are better eaten cooked with cinnamon - we don't want to "cool" the body down in the coldest time of the year do we?

Happy New Year?

It's that time of year when everything starts to rev up again. School has begun, everyone is back to work from vacation, the new season of "The Office" has started - everybody is getting back into a routine. We have grown so accustomed to operating in the school year cycle that for many of us, September feels more like a time for renewal than January. In fact, I learned last week that in France they even have a name for it - la rentree - literally meaning "the return". It's basically a giant back to school for the whole country. Everyone is coming back from their one to two month break (they really know how to live over there don't they?) and are ready to start fresh.

The Jewish celebration of the new year, Rosh Hashanah, also falls in September. It is seen as a time for reflection on mistakes made in the past year and for planning changes for the year ahead. Although many of us don't refer to September as the beginning, we do things that suggest it is really THE new year.

So forget about waiting for January first, what's your New Years Resolution? Maybe it's finally getting back into a workout routine. Remember that place called the gym? Or maybe you need a health coach to help you kick those cravings once and for all (wink wink). Whatever it is now is the time to buckle down and take the steps to make positive changes in your life you have been wanting to make. The bus is leaving, are you on it?