Overall, these menu plans provide a modified, not strict, rotation diet; our suggestions and recipes may overlap some of the common foods. If a strict rotation diet is desired to help with food allergies, it will only take a little more discipline and adaptation from the provided plans. Clearly though, no foods are suggested at all meals, or even daily.

With the common American eight-to-five lifestyle, it may be difficult to have our main meal at lunchtime. Our business schedule does not allow us a 1:00–4:00 p.m. break for lunch and siesta time as in many other countries. Since this is the case, some of the menu plans can allow switches between lunch and dinner; yet, they will still be written as the main meal at midDay because this we believe is best nutritionally. As an example, on Day 3 of Spring, the fish lunch would need to be prepared the night before and taken to work. If this is not practical, the couscous dish can be eaten at lunch and the fish and vegetables prepared fresh for dinner.

Following the sample menus and recipes are seasonal food lists. These seasonal foods are primarily from the vegetable kingdom. Most animal foods are available year round, and in many parts of the world, with modern technology and improved storage, a lot of fruits and vegetables can be found outside their season. If we can consume about 50–75 percent of our foods as fresh and seasonal–that is, near the area where they are grown and at the time when they are naturally harvested—that will be a good beginning.

I am very supportive of vegetarianism, yet I realize that most people in our culture and the world do not choose to eat this way. To be realistic and also supportive of the omnivorous diet, some of the meals in the menu plans contain fish and poultry; I have included no red meats. I believe that if we keep our priorities and food groups in the right perspective, an omnivorous diet can be equal to or healthier than a vegetarian one, and often easier to follow as well as easier from which to acquire all the essential nutrients. Our menu plans and recipes are also low in milk products and eggs, foods that are best eaten only moderately by most adults. At the end of each season, following the menu plan and its specific recipes, I’ve included a few extra vegetarian recipes to replace omnivorous ones, a couple of fish recipes, and some that include eggs and dairy products to provide more choices. These extra recipes are either very unique ones, have special healing properties, or are good ones from books no longer in print. Otherwise, I will provide references for suggested recipes from other popular books.

It is more common now for both vegetarians and omnivores to be finding a new balance that combines many of the wholesome foods of the strict vegetarian with the avoidance of land animals and their by-products milk and eggs. Instead they consume the nourishing water animals, both fresh water and ocean fish. The quality of usable protein in fish is excellent, the nutrient content is high and the digestability is very good for most people. I have termed this diet “pescaveganism”—fish and strict vegetarianism—and it is the main diet I have followed for many years.

Seasonal food lists follow the recipes to help you with shopping and food awareness. These lists are taken from another project, The Seasonal Food Guide poster and booklet, also published by Celestial Arts. Our menu plans and recipes are not taken exclusively from these seasonal food lists; that would be too difficult nowaDay s, and unrealistic. Many foods, such as the grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds store relatively well and are used commonly throughout the year by most people. Mainly, it is the fruits and vegetables that should bring out our seasonal awareness, and our recipes will give the suggestion that we are shopping for fresh, local produce as we hope you will. Many of our recipes will cross over seasonally, depending on the climate in which we live, and some of the additional recipes taken from other books, since they often provide a combination of foods, may likewise be used in other seasons if you wish.