Flavours for Valentine’s Day

I’ve noticed over the years there are 2 main types of people when it comes to Valentine’s Day: the Celebrators and the Conscious Abstainers.

I don’t think it matters which camp you’re in.

‘To each their own’ as Mum used to say☺

And- for me- I’ve never really been into it.

There’s something about someone else telling me when I ‘should’ be romantic and loving that makes me instantly want to rebel.

How about you?

Are you a Celebrator or a Conscious Abstainer?

What I prefer to do instead is dial up the self-love on Valentine’s Day with food.

And since I live with my family and we eat meals together (mostly) the self-love instantly overflows to them anyway.

Did you know there’s a lot more to Japanese yoga than seasonal yoga poses?

Japanese yoga embraces seasonal foods, flavours and cooking styles, too.

The good news is you’re probably already doing a lot of this instinctively.

Don’t you find you naturally crave lighter salads and faster cooked stirfrys in summer and slow-cooked, heartier foods in winter? 

Me too.

I dive deep into the connection between seasonal Japanese yoga, foods, cooking styles and flavours in my online course, Japanese Yoga for U.

Approaching your health from this perspective not only helps you thrive in each different season- it can also support and in many cases heal specific health challenges.

And because Valentine’s Day (for me) falls on the cusp of summer to late-summer season, I like to focus on the cooking styles and flavours that fit these times of year:

SUMMER COOKING STYLES:  Sauté, Grill, Stir Fry, Roast, Toast, High Steam

SUMMER FLAVOUR = Bitter

LATE SUMMER COOKING STYLES:  Well-Cooked Food, Casseroles, Soups, Boiling

LATE SUMMER FLAVOUR = Sweet

I think it’s no ‘coincidence’ the two seasonal flavours around Valentine’s Day are ‘bitter and sweet’;-)

However you chose to celebrate your day (or not) – I wish you a delicious Valentine’s Day with a balance of bitter and sweet in all things.