Now is the Time for Blood Building in Preparation for the Winter Months

Did you know beets are an excellent source of many nutrients including calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, manganese, folate, vitamin: A, B, and C, plus many more. Their high iron content makes them a great blood builder, and they are known to be great for the liver, lymphatic and digestive systems. If you don’t like their taste (true confessions; I don’t!) try your best to cultivate a taste for them, if you can.  Perhaps pickled, steamed, or baked beets will be more to your liking than raw ones. I’ve learned to enjoy them juiced with carrots and ginger. It’s wise to try them various ways including raw since cooking them results in losing most of their vitamin A, C, and B-complex nutrients.

As the days get shorter and we turn inward, now is the time to “blood build” in other ways by spending time with our kin and community. Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving are the typical November kin rituals. Hanukkah and Christmas are common December rituals, and of course humans have been acknowledging the Winter Solstice in some manner for millenia. But, perhaps your family doesn’t celebrate holidays, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own autumn traditions of spending more time with your nearest and dearest, whether it’s the blood family you inherited or the one you created. Be grateful for all those in your life who you love and who love you. Try to spend quality time with them and create memories. Life is much too short not to, and times are challenging. We never know when we will have to depend on each other. It is much easier to ask for and offer help when we consistently spend time with each other. The support from and association with our friends and family is powerful medicine; never let fear prevent this.

 To a wonderful Holiday Season.
 ~ Shalina