Let the Rhythm Lead: Reconnecting to Seasonal Eating and Living

Seasonal living isn't a diet. It's a rhythm we forgot we belong to. On this episode of Illuminating Being, my co-host Dr. Keith Somers, a pediatrician in Pittsburgh, and I dug into what it means to eat, move, and rest with the natural cycles that governed human life long before anyone invented a food trend.

Keith remembered the winter tomatoes of his childhood, pale and flavorless, nothing like the juicy sun-ripened ones of summer. Globalization and industrialization erased that contrast; now we can get almost any food year-round. But just because we can doesn't mean we should. He pointed to research suggesting a circannual pattern to how humans ate: winters higher in protein and fat, springs rich in protein and fiber, summers heavy on carbohydrates, falls leaning on fats and carbs. Today's food industry flattens all of that into processed fats and carbs on repeat, and our health shows it.

Eating with the seasons is really about alignment with where you live. Summer's cucumbers, tomatoes, and berries are water-rich and cooling, built for hot days. Fall grounds you with squash, carrots, and apples. Winter sustains with dense root vegetables, and spring lightens everything, signaling renewal. Follow that rhythm and you naturally balance your energy and digestion. You also get to know what's growing near you, and who's growing it.

Getting started is not complicated. Walk a farmers market and ask the growers what's in season and how they cook it. I've been using a local delivery service that brings the farm to our doorstep, seasonal guides included, and it keeps putting foods in front of us we'd never have picked. Cook simply; things that grow together usually taste good together. Taste produce raw and actually notice the color, the smell, the texture. And drop the perfection story. The goal is presence, less waste, eating better rather than more.

For a deeper dive we pointed to Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden, who treats summer as early, mid, and late, each with its own foods blooming. The more you pay attention, the more abundant the world becomes. His celery, apple, and peanut salad is officially on our list to try.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify.

This week, let the season pick one meal. Buy what looks alive, cook it simply, and see how it lands. When we live in rhythm, life feels a little more grounded and a lot more connected.