Flourishing in Late Summer
My teaching of Macrobiotics isn’t about a new fad diet or exercise regime but is based on wisdom that has been around for thousands of years. It is the approach that I have used to help thousands of people reclaim their health. This information has always made such common sense to me, and I hope it will for you too.
My approach to health is one that is firmly based on the relationship of the natural rhythms of the body to the planet we live on. The cycles of nature, the changing of the seasons and the rhythm of our daily life and using that insight to create a healthier and happier way of being. It is also an approach to health and healthy eating that is environmentally sustainable, an aspect that is very important to me. We need this approach now more than ever since we seem to have lost touch with the lessons that nature has to teach us. No matter how much time we spend indoors, protected from the elements in our offices and homes, it is still our relationship with nature that rules our health. It is the natural world that is our home.
Nature Rocks My World
We don’t often hear about late summer as a unique season, but this hasn’t always been the case. In many countries around the world the transition from summer into autumn was seen as a very specific time of year. It was the time after the harvest and extended through September, but in some places only up until the end of August depending on the local weather. It is that time when the first hints of autumn are present, but the leaves have not yet fallen. Nature is undergoing its last burst of growth and the energy of this season corresponds to the nurturing Earth element as taught in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Stomach and Spleen resonate with Late Summer's energetic vibration. It is therefore a time for settling in and achieving balance; the dramatic energies of spring and summer are waning, and things are beginning to quiet down. The focus here is on strengthening, stabilizing and getting both feet solidly on the ground.
This is the time of year when “sweet cooking” is recommended. This means that there is more roasting of vegetables so that they caramelize, and the sugars are released. Late fruits, such as pears and apples, are fresh and work well in desserts.
White bean dishes and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are good choices. In late summer we should be feeling energetic, strong and confident, because rising yin energy has plateaued, relaxed and surrendered to the descending yang energy. It is the time of year when we prepare ourselves for the coming of cooler weather and the winds.
General Considerations
Delight in the flavours of late summer cooking and learn how to create delicious dishes using the fruits and vegetables of the season. Learn how to apply the Eastern wisdom about late summer in your own cooking for optimum health, nourishment and vitality.
There may have been a tendency to eat more sugars in the height of the summer in the form of fruits or desserts, so the pancreas needs to be soothed. There may also have been a tendency to drink more and deplete mineral stores. The focus on sweet-tasting foods containing complex sugars takes the stress off the pancreas and calms the system. Problems with blood sugar can often be improved very simply by adapting a healthier diet.
The biggest culprit is the overconsumption of simple sugars, such as white sugar, fructose, molasses and honey. Many men and women with type II diabetes have recovered completely by establishing the kind of diet I am suggesting here and getting good exercise daily.
Something Like Late Summer
As the energy of this season is nourishing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and to the immune system, it is a good idea to use the natural sweetness of squash and other sweet vegetables. The immune functions and lymphatic system of the body need activity to operate at peak function. Both pancreatic health and problems with the immune system respond very well to increased levels of exercise. Seaweeds, especially when eaten in miso soup, are also helpful when the immune system is challenged.
Marlene’s Late Summer Tips
Reduce your consumption of raw foods and juices as we head toward the Autumn and Winter months.
- Do not overeat, as this prevents the stomach from digesting food properly and constant nibbling and eating too fast does not give the stomach enough time to digest food
- Eating too late at night causes the body to use its Yin Energy
- Eating on the run or while standing up is not advisable as it can cause the stagnation of stomach energy
- Under-eating due to strict diets lacking in basic nourishment can weaken the stomach and spleen energy
- Foods to strengthen the stomach and earth element include millet, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, beans, apricots, apples, chickpeas, cherries, courgettes, dates, grapes, greens, oats, peaches, pears, plums, pumpkin, raspberries, rice, strawberries, and walnuts to name but a few.
- Nishime Style Vegetables are the perfect foods for this element. Simply water braising chunks of carrots, onions, squash and daikon in their own juices makes for a delicious lunch or dinner.
Along with a wholefood plant-based vegan diet, certain foods can help to cleanse your lymphatic system. These include the herbs, nettle and dandelion, leeks and onions, cabbage and artichoke together with seaweed. Beetroot is another excellent food for building blood as the spleen has an important role to play concerning blood.
Essential Oils
Bitter Orange has an affinity with the spleen and stomach can help to regulate the ‘chi’ where there is stagnation.
Lemon – can help to reduce lymphatic congestion, cellulite and obesity, Clears mental sluggishness and strengthens the intellect and mental faculties. Anti-viral properties allow it to support the immune system. A pancreatic stimulant.
Flower Remedies
Yellow Foxglove – FF15 is referred to as the sugar balance formula and yellow flowers are thought to help balance the pancreas function and the digestive enzymes.
Daisy Orange –can help to balance the stomach and spleen when combined with yellow foxglove.
Marlene’s Recipes
Late Summer Sweet Miso Broth
This basic miso soup should be a daily staple of your diet. It encompasses the use of sea vegetables to mineralize the blood, and a variety of fresh vegetables. The balance of these ingredients creates a strengthening energy, vital to life.
Miso is a fermented soybean paste used to flavour various dishes, but most widely as a stock to season soups. Miso’s natural fermentation process creates a combination of enzymes that strengthen and nourish the intestinal tract. As a result, the blood that nourishes the balance of the body is much stronger. The quality of our blood creates the people we are and the health we possess. Miso has been used for centuries in the Orient as a remedy for cancer, weak digestion, low libido, several types of intestinal infections, high cholesterol, and so much more, and is one of the world’s most medicinal foods.
2 dried shitake mushrooms
1 tsp wakame flakes
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 finely diced spring onions
½ pack silken tofu, cubed
4 rounded tsp sweet white miso paste
Garnish
Chives
Few sprigs parsley
In a soup pot, soak the wakame and shitake mushrooms in two cups of water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the water and thinly slice the caps, discarding the stems. Return the mushrooms to the pot and add another 4 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil and then cook on low simmer for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, spring onions and tofu cubes and cook 10 minutes. Place the miso paste into a small mesh strainer and lower into the broth, using a spoon stir until the paste is dissolved. Garnish with chives and parsley.
Tip: do not boil the miso – it has so many living microorganisms living inside which is a wonderful digestive tonic.
Caramelized Roasted Sweet Butternut Skewers
Butternut squash tastes so good when you simply toss it with your favourite herbs, some sea salt or roast it with garlic and serve as a delicious side dish. Soups, casseroles, and stews all made with sweet and golden butternut squash are always a winner.
1 large organic butternut squash
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. dried rosemary or thyme
Preheat the oven to 160/320°. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Cut into equal size slices and place in a large bowl. Mix well with the salt and herbs, I prefer to use my hands to do this. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure the pumpkin pieces do not overlap. Spritz the squash with some water. Bake for 25 minutes and remove from the oven. Turn all the slices over, spritz again with some water and bake on the other side for equal amount of time. The sugars will be released, and the slices will start to caramelize.
Nishime Vegetable Stew
Nishime, or water braising of vegetables, calls for large pieces or chunks of root vegetables cooked over a low heat until they are tender and sweet. The steam generated by this method of cooking allows the vegetables to cook in their own juices, eliminating the need for anything more than just a little added water. A light seasoning towards the end of cooking brings out their full-bodied flavour and natural sweetness.
Vegetables cooked in this manner are quite soft and juicy, giving us a very warming, strengthening energy. This is one of my favourite macrobiotic dishes, which I use with all my clients. This dish has the ability to strengthen the body’s core organs, such as the pancreas and spleen. This enhances the whole digestive system. A great dish for creating vitality and one to be incorporated into your diet over the long term.
A small piece of kombu in the bottom of the pot brings out the sweetness of the vegetables, naturally tenderises them by virtue of its glutamic acid and lightly mineralises the dish, helping to create strong blood.
3-inch (7 cm) piece of kombu seaweed
1 dried shiitake mushroom
¼ cup filtered water
1 small cabbage
1 small butternut squash
1 large carrot
1 red onion
1 white onion
Shoyu
Soak the kombu and shiitake in the water for 15 minutes, then place in a heavy pot. Peel and chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and arrange the vegetables in the pot in individual sections. Check there is enough water to just cover the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 25–40 minutes. Season the vegetables lightly with shoyu and simmer 10 minutes more, until all the liquid has been absorbed by the vegetables. If the water evaporates too quickly during cooking, add a little more and reduce the heat (because it is cooking too quickly). Transfer to a bowl and serve. For variety, use Brussels sprouts, leeks, parsnips, turnips, green cabbage or whatever vegetables are seasonally available. Makes 4–6 servings.
Marlene’s Home Remedies for Late Summer
Sweet Vegetable Tea
This tea is good for relaxing the body and muscles. It is especially beneficial for softening the pancreas and helping to stabilize blood sugar levels. A small cup may be taken daily or every other day in the mid to late afternoon. The tea helps to satisfy the desire for something sweet and reduce cravings for simple sugars and other stronger sweets.
Use equal amounts of four sweet vegetables, finely chopped (e.g. onion, carrot, cabbage and sweet winter squash). Place three to four times as much water in a pan, bring to a boil and add the chopped vegetables. Allow to boil uncovered for up to 3 minutes, then reduce the flame to low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the vegetables from the broth and drink at room temperature.
Late Summer Exercise Sequence
The movement, deeper breathing and heat, generated by certain types of exercise are believed to help cleanse and revitalize the meridian channels, thereby enhancing the flow of ‘chi’ to our organs. To achieve this my Late Summer ChiBall classes use the principles of Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Yoga in dance-like sequences, which vary in pace from being slow and gentle (yin) to being energetic and fast (yang). The focused breathing and repetitive fluid moves aid the release of muscular and emotional tension and dislodge blockages to the flow of our chi.
As the organs function in good health, digestion improves, blood sugar regulates, and overall good health is promoted. Yoga can provide renewal and rejuvenation to the body’s energy centres, and a meditative and mindful practice brings awareness into an inner world and sharpens self-reflection and insight.
Balasana – child’s pose, Supta Baddha Konasana – supine bound angle, Simple Supported Twist and Savasana. The Liver and Spleen sit on the sides of the abdomen, so lateral bending and twisting can activate these meridians. Liver and Spleen energy travels up the inner legs, so hip opening poses like Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana – Pigeon, Baddha Konasana – Bound Angle and Upavista Konasana – Wide Angle Seated Forward Fold activates these meridians.
In good health
