Amazingly, in only one short, quick, week my mind has gone from summer to fall in a blink of an eye.
When we got back from Vegas, the weather was beautiful here in Vermont, so nice and warm that we actually swam twice in our new pool. I grilled a lot and wanted salads for lunch, yogurt for breakfast.
Suddenly, as the temps started falling along with the leaves, I started baking, braising, and cleaning. Just in the last two days, Sam and I made sweet potato Belgian waffles for Sunday breakfast. Yesterday, I made a batch of soft dinner rolls to go with a pot of beef stew. I grabbed a big bowl of pears from the walk-in fridge and whipped up a pear crisp. Right now, as I type, I am baking pumpkin chocolate chip bread. I also made a figgy cream cheese to spread on it for breakfast tomorrow.
Figgy cream cheese spread
How can a simple drop in temperature during the change in seasons makes me change everything I am doing and what I want to eat? The official holiday food season isn’t quite here yet, so I can’t blame my food shift and cravings on that.
Is it the bombardment of fall comfort foods and recipes that keep appearing on my newsfeeds? No, this has been happening to me long before social media or even cell phones & computers.
Some people experience hormonal changes during the seasons and even more so with sunlight exposure. These changes can impact levels of stress, appetite, and the ability to sleep. People sensitive to these changes could have cravings for sugary, energy-dense, comforting foods. I am highly sensitive to the sun and moon, along with other kinds of energy…so this makes sense now.
For some people, there are also changes in the food that is available seasonally. The price of food fluctuates with the seasons, sometimes dictating what we choose to buy and eat.
According to the University of Georgia:
“Colder weather can create biological changes that make us want to eat more. When the temperature drops, it’s natural that we want to crave foods that provide us warmth. Oftentimes, the food we choose in the winter months is higher in sugar and fats than we would otherwise consume.” Said Dr. Laing.
So cooler temperatures can have more than one effect on our cravings. Colder weather is a large factor in how we decide to fill our plates. Is it mother nature telling us to bulk up and get ready for wintertime hibernation?
The weather isn’t the only thing to blame, as winter also brings seasonal celebrations. We have an abundance of holidays, celebrations, traditions, and other events all centered around food. “These alone can impact our eating habits. These cravings are guided by our physiology and the environment around us.” Dr. Laing reported.
Ok…so the fall and winter months trigger biological changes that stimulate hunger and increase cravings. The biological changes also explain the need to tackle fall cleaning and organizing as a way of getting our caves ready for hibernation and hunkering down with a warm drink, a throw blanket, and a good book.
For me, my drinking is also affected by seasonal changes. My rum and tonics, crisp white wine or Malibu-based cocktails, turn into hot buttered rum, Bailey’s Irish cream, red wine, and bourbon. Drinks to warm the body as opposed to summery, ice-cold cocktails.
So I think that I am almost ready to finally say, “Au Revoir” to my petunias and get out Mr. Scarecrow. I see some mums and pumpkins in the very near future. Fuck, the next thing I’ll be doing is untangling our front porch Christmas lights! 🤦🏻♀️
Happy Autumn! 🍂 🍁
OMG pumpkin chocolate chip bread with figgy cream cheese spread?? Recipes!
(BTW those are some good looking shutters on that house next door to you. What color green would you say that is? Asking for a friend 😉)