Every year, I notice that at this time of year we tend to eat more sugar. My clients all talk about it the holiday parties, the well-meaning corporate gifts of cookies and chocolates, the holiday meal desserts.

Its not just the November/December holidays, either. Do you know what Im talking about? Your sugar feast actually begins at the end of October, as the weather gets colder, the days get shorter, and you fill your goodie bag with Halloween treats. Then you have Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cookies, and New Years drinks. The sugar intake continues with Valentines Day chocolates, and extends all the way to Easter baskets full of chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. Then the weather gets warmer, the trees and flowers come into bloom, the sun shines a little longer, the clocks spring forward, and sugar plays a lesser role into your life until the next October rolls around and you begin all over again.

Your sugar festivities coincide with winter, which is the yin time of year. Yin refers to passivity, quiet, rest, and introspection. You see winters yin all around you as many animals go into hibernation, the flowers close up shop, and the trees turn brown and dry. All of nature gets quiet and rests, except for us! We humans are anything but yin as we run around doing our holiday errands, traveling, and finishing our current year projects. We behave completely counter to what nature is suggesting we do at this time of year, which is to be yin and rest. Instead, we act complete yang: active, assertive, extraverted, and talkative.

And we eat sugar. Sugar is a yin food. Yin foods elevate levels of serotonin in your brain, resulting in feelings of well being and happiness. Sugar is the most yin of all foods.

So is it a complete coincidence that your sweet tooth kicks in just as we head into this yin time of year?

No, of course not. Its actually your body being very smart, as usual. Your sugar cravings are your bodys way of saying wait, slow down! So as nature tells you to be yin and you continue to act yang, your body will begin craving sugar in an effort to force you to be more yin. See, its all about being in sync with the earths natural rhythm. The more you stray from it (which we do with our electric lights, heating, and social calendars), the more your body will try to compensate. In this case, your body is craving more sugar (yin) in an effort to balance out our yang behavior.

So keep this in mind as we head further into Sugar Season. I invite you to consider what you can do to slow down, take it easy, and act more yin as nature intends us to do. Maybe that means getting to bed earlier so that you can sleep more, postponing a home improvement project, or saying no to the eighth holiday party invitation youve received. Honor your body by getting plenty of rest, good nutrition, relaxation, and sleep, thereby decreasing your need to consume yin foods. Your body will thank you for it, and chances are you will crave less sugar as well!