I recently read a blog called “A Season Pattern to Mental Health.”
Macrobiotics plays a large role in this pattern for a couple of reasons:
Our blood sugar follows the suns movement, thus it follows the seasons as well. As humans, blood sugar should slowly start to rise after midnight so that we can wake up early in the morning ready for activity. Gradually, it should start to fall shortly after lunch around 2pm so that we can fall sleep.
Unfortunately, the natural cycles seems uncommon. The opposite of healthy blood sugar is called hypoglycemia. In a hypoglycemic situation (hypo means low), our blood sugar doesn’t rise early enough so that we can get up and go in the mornings. We need caffeine and sugar to wake us up. Most often, eating too much sugar is an overreaction to our lower level of blood sugar in the mornings. Our pancreas secretes insulin and once it is processed, our blood sugar falls rapidly so that we become useless in the afternoon. We suffer from sleepiness, low energy, and slow thinking. As blood sugar dips, we feel anxious and irritable until sometimes we reach a level of anger. When this anger erupts, we can feel our heart rate rise which contributes to a sudden spike in blood sugar. After any sudden spike, we experience a drastic decline. It is very common that blood sugar will fall so low that we feel restless. At this stage, we actually need to raise it to be able go to reach a state of sleep. Overnight we secrete insulin to lower our blood sugar, and when the sun rises we’re not ready to wake up. The pattern goes on and on.
We all know we feel better in the summer, physically, mentally, and emotionally. When the sun is out and the days are bright, it is much easier to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level. When the days are shorter and darker, it makes it harder for our blood sugar to come up in the morning. In the winters, to sustain healthier blood sugar, eating more cooked foods will ward off the urge to raise and lower blood sugar in an effort to gain energy.
In reference to the blog: Certain diseases and problems are much more common in the winter. Depression, anxiety, and chronic pain have been documented as more prevalent during these darker and shorter days. This is exacerbated by a poor diet and chaotic eating habits.
The remedy to this blood sugar problem is simple: Eat quality food in an organized timely manner. The most important meal in reseting this cycle is lunch. Eat lunch every day between 12 and 1pm. It resets the biological clock. Also, walking outside can have this effect as well. Get outside and enjoy yourself as often as possible, even in darker or gloomier days. When these habits become part of your life, it will not take long to notice the change. You’ll feel better physically, feel things deeper, and be more present in your life.