In Staying Healthy With the Seasons, based on the Oriental Five Element Theory, five seasons are discussed. Yet here we have only four seasonal menu plans. The “fifth” season the Chinese call the “doyo,” meaning transition. It relates both to late summer as well as to the two to three weeks of seasonal change around the solstices and equinoxes. These are the times that I make some shifts in my diet—at least I take a closer look at it and ask myself whether it needs any changes to best support my energy and health and adaptation to the next season. Often I will write down a plan encompassing what I am doing and outlining the changes I wish to make. The equinoxes—moving into spring and autumn—appear to be the most significant shift periods of the year. At these times I usually will do a cleansing diet to rest from food and lighten myself up so I can be more aware of shifts happening in my life. In spring, I do a ten-Day Master Cleanser fast and then, in autumn, I usually take a few Day s or a week for a fast or cleansing diet of fruits and vegetables. Most people, unless they are too nutrient deficient, weak, or ill, can follow this type of program. It is outlined in Chapter 18 in some of the later programs, specifically Fasting and General Detoxification.

Prior to the menu plans, recipes, and seasonal food lists, “some basics” will be provided by Ms. Manzolini and myself to help in creating our healthy diet. Simple utensil and shopping lists, basic cooking and storing ideas, and some general tips and shortcuts will also be included. A specific nutritional assessment will follow our seasonal menu plans, generated by recording each diet as it might be eaten over a seven-Day period, and then entering it into a computer to quantify the nutrient values. It then will print out the daily levels of fat, protein, and many vitamins and minerals, which I have summarized in the chart. This chapter ends with a glossary of new and unusual foods that may be found in some supermarkets and most health food stores. Natural food products have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, and there are some very good products available (also some “junk”).

We hope all of this information will help you on your path to a new way of eating, or will allow you to fine tune your already health-oriented diet. Enjoy!