Climate, Seasons and Food Choices
If you can, you should always choose food grown in the same climatic
region and mainly food that has been traditionally available
during the present season. Next best choice is food grown in the neighbor climatic region,
or food grown during the previous season.
Climate consideration and season considerations are especially important
when we are talking about fruits, nuts and vegetable. You don't have
to consider climate and season when it comes to fish, sea food, eggs,
meat, milk products, spices, oils ... Some fruits and
nuts are naturally available during cold winter. There is nothing wrong in
consuming it, even if you would consider it "autumn food".
FAQ - Climate and Foods
Can eating mainly tropical fruits and nuts make me
sick? I live in USA, mid-latitudes - moderate climate?
Answer1: Most likely not, not on the short run, not within
just a few years. Let me make one thing clear: Consuming foods
from different climate may not cause illness or symptoms as quickly as
if you would consume large percentage of processed foods. 1 year of
abusing your body with junk foods may be equal to 15 or 30 years of
abusing your body with tropical foods. Be aware that some people have
so strong genetic inheritance, so strong health, that even 30 years of
processed foods is not enough to cause illness. For such people, it would
take several generations of consuming tropical foods to encounter
illness. There are many factors to health, like physical
activity, love, mind, emotions, ... food is just one part of the
much bigger picture. Just because some people are very healthy and very
strong, it doesn't mean that everybody is! There are people who have to consider climate when
choosing foods, and there are people who don't have to. If you are ill,
you should consider it. Let me make one more thing clear: Just because you
are able to tolerate tropical foods, it doesn't mean that your kids will be!
Food allergies and food intolerance are more and more common between kids. One
of the reasons is: parents have been over-consuming foods from tropical climate. Not all tropical foods are alike. Check
lists for your blood type! Answer2: There is a great difference in
climate of southern USA, and climate of northern USA. If you live in California, Texas, Florida ... such diet
could be the best choice. BUT, if you live in Maine, or Canada, or Scandinavia,
it may not be the the best choice, at least not for longer then 10 - 15 years.
Trust to your body, it will tell you what is right, and what is wrong! If you feel constantly cold, cold feet, cold hands, cold
nose, then one thing is sure: Something is wrong with the foods you are eating
... most likely its too much of fruits and nuts. Coffee can be worst then any fruits or nuts!
Is it bad to consume virgin Coconut oil in USA? I live in
Maine?
Why are climate and
season so important?
Climate is an essential aspect to understanding
the world around us. It is the long term summation of weather patterns for a
region. It affects the region physically (i.e. vegetation and soil
patterns) and culturally (i.e. agriculture and population).
Can you think of a few things in your own life that are affected by
climate? Try the inverse: can you think of anything in your life that is
completely unaffected by climate?
Climate and seasons are the most important physical components of our world that
shape human lifestyles, behaviors, wealth and health.
Different climate classifications are primarily based upon (1) the
seasonal variations in temperature, and (2) the annual rainfall amount and
seasonality--that is, what time of the year the rain comes. Temperature
is determined by the length of time the sun's most intense rays are focused
on a area. Precipitation is the amount of rain and snow a region
receives. The major factors which influence temperature and precipitation,
and therefore shape climate, are (1)
Latitude, (2)
Air Masses & Ocean Currents, (3)Continentality
, and (4)
Topography.
- You are living in polar latitudes (polar climate) or close to it
(Northern Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia, Northern Asia ... ):
- most of the
fruits, vegetables & nuts you consume should be growing in the same climatic
region, not necessary on the same continent. Some of your
food (on average less then 15%) still can be from mid-latitudes, while foods from
tropical latitudes (tropical climate) should be rare, or just a small
percent (less then 5%) of total food your eat. This is especially important
if you are sick! Healthy people may not be very much affected by foods grown
in
distant climatic regions.
- You are living in mid-latitudes - moderate climate (over 50% of
world's population):
- most of the fruits, vegetables & nuts you consume should be growing in the
same climatic region, not necessary on the same continent. Some of your food
(on average less then 20%) still can be from tropical latitudes or polar latitudes.
- Beside climate and season, your genetics, your blood type and your
age are also very important factors, that will shape your food
tolerance and food needs.
- You are living in tropical latitudes (tropical climate) or close to it:
- most of the fruits, vegetables & nuts you consume should be growing in the
same climatic region, not necessary on the same continent.
Some of your food (on average less then 20%) still can be from mid-latitudes
climate, while foods from polar latitudes should be rare, or just a
small percent (less then 5%) of total food your eat.
3 Major Subdivisions of Climate
Based on latitudinal variation, there are 3 major subdivisions of
climate; the tropics, mid latitudes and polar. Each has distinctive
characteristics which make it unique. Vegetation, animal life and people
all exist in each.
- In
tropical latitudes (those near the equator), there is little
difference in the amount of solar heating between summer and winter.
Average monthly temperatures therefore do not change much during the year.
However, amount and seasonality of precipitation vary greatly, and is the
reason that we further subdivide the tropics into Tropical Rainforests,
Monsoon, and Savanna.
- In
mid-latitudes, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle and from
the Tropic of Capricorn to the Antarctic Circle, solar heating is
considerably greater in summer than in winter. Mid-latitudes experience
seasonal shifts between warm summers and cool winters.
- In
polar latitudes, north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic
Circle, the sun never rises during large portions of the year. Therefore,
the contrast in solar heating between summer and winter is extreme.
Summers are cool to mild, and winters are bitterly cold. In addition,
daylight hours in the summer are close to 24 hours and in the winter
there are times when the sun does not rise; short, cool summers; long,
frigid winters.
Another Important Climate Consideration
Not all foods are equal, when it comes to climate considerations.
Grains, seafood and animal products are more or less equal in all
climatic regions (except polar region, where very few plants grow). For
those foods, it is not very important to follow "climatic rules". Vegetable grown in the wormer climatic regions is far more sweet then
vegetable grown in colder climatic regions.
Vegetable tends to be more climatically distributed, and in case of
vegetable you should follow climatic rules: choose vegetable grown in the
same climate. Fruits, berries and nuts seems to be the most climatically
distributed. Fruits, berries and nuts grown in tropical climate should not
represent more then 3% of total food intake if you live in polar climate,
and not more then 10% if you live in mid-latitudes (moderate climate). |
