[metaperl]

Hello, I have lived in California (Southern), Las Vegas, and Florida for most of the past 6 or 7 years of my life.

I am currently in Columbus, OH and am worried about surviving through my first winter. One part of my worry has to do with the fact that I have spent quite a bit of time on fruit... which is a cooling food. As a result, I dont have much ability to digest cooked food. I suppose soups would be OK, but then I wonder what nutritional value exists in cells that have been altered by fire.

So, I'm thinking of making my escape back to a warm area but was wondering if there was something useful to the human body about cold.

I know that warmth is very good for sweating out toxins. I know that if the body is not kept warm it will die. But I don't understand cold weather. I am a black Amercian, so I suppose having African roots has something to do with it - in Africa, as far as I can tell, there is only summer... sure it gets a little cooler at night, but it's pretty much warm there year around from what I know.

Oh and macrobiotics? Yes, I love tofu with tamari sauce. But I had to stop all cooked foods. I did aggressive colon cleansing and went all fruit because I was tired, bloated, and constipated at work. But reading these recipes about steamed cabbage and warm soups is tempting.