Seasonal Eating
Spring has sprung
We here at Alitheia Healing Acupuncture are so excited that springtime is here!
It's hard to believe with the cool temps, lingering and fresh snow here in Utah. Despite the winter cloak you may still feel shrouded by; the earth is warming, the waters moving, and the bulbs sprouting! It’s a great time of year for resetting and beginning anew.
As the warmer seasons begin, we encourage all clients to turn toward Seasonal Eating. While apples, pineapples, and mangoes may still be available on the grocery aisles, it doesn’t make them in season. In fact, many of the products we enjoy on a daily basis are imported, irradiated, and stored for year long consumption.
Seasonal Eating is a process of choosing foods which grow and are harvested in the region and season that we reside, bringing our internal ecosystems more in alignment with the environment we inhabit.
As the northern hemisphere is renewed into spring, our bodies are also asking us to be cleansed and renewed. Seasonal Eating is one way in which we are able to begin our internal ‘temple keeping"‘. The Vernal Season (springtime) is all about the melting of winter layers. Including the layers of food we consume daily in the winter. When cold weather lingers, such as this winter; it's important to mimic the transition nature offers. Soup season isn’t quite done yet! But you may consider steering away from heavier, starchier foods and soups (such as butternut squash) and move more toward a soup made of lighter vegetables, such as sprouted legumes, broccoli, green veggies and spring onions. Look to see what may be popping up or showing green in your garden from last year's crops. Kale? Collards? Thyme? All are great at supporting the body's detoxification process while providing nourishment through minerals and nutrients.
In the spring it is best to load our plates with lighter foods which emphasize the yang, ascending, and expansive qualities of spring. Think about the uplifting nature of how plants sprouts, the fresh tendrils of leaves and the small nutrient dense sizes of new and vibrant life force all gathered in our food sources. That’s what spring eating is all about!
Great examples are young plants, fresh greens, sprouts, and immature wheat or other cereal grasses.
One should avoid too many salty foods like soy sauce, miso, and sodium rich meats (as these support the yin and more internal building of energy)
Pungent herbs used in cooking; such as basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill, and bay leaf, are all desirable at this time.
With spring comes a quickness and lighter step throughout our day. Even food preparation may become simpler and quicker! In the spring, food is best cooked at a high temperature, for a shorter amount of time, so that the food isn’t cooked in the inner parts. That’s right! We’ve returned to a time when it's advantageous to cook al dente! Leave some of the crispness to those fresh tender bites and enjoy the crunch!
Spring is also an opportune time for internal cleansing of our physical temples.
As we round the corner of winter into spring, seasonal allergies arise in many. Histamine production within the liver is often a culprit of allergen sensitivities. By cleaning the liver, thru nutritional and herbal intervention, we are able to reduce the load on the liver.
In many ancient healing traditions, spring is the time to support the liver and gallbladder and the vital work that they do. These emunctory organs transmute metabolic waste into a soluble waste which is able to be expelled. This process plays a critical role in metabolizing toxins, balancing hormones, digestion, and elimination. A properly done cleanse can help us lighten up and clear some psychological and physiological clutter. Thus creating mental clarity, supporting metabolism, and assisting our bodies function more optimally in weight management, blood sugar regulation, blood pressure and cholesterol management, amplifying energy resources and more!
Curious if your liver or gallbladder is in need of a good spring cleaning? Here are some common symptoms of liver imbalance:
Emotional: Difficulty related to anger, impatience, frustration, resentment, violence, belligerence, rudeness, edginess, stubbornness, aggression, and an impulsive or explosive personality.
Physical: The qi (energy) stagnates in the liver and becomes swollen and sluggish.
Swelling in certain areas of the body, most commonly near the liver/gallbladder meridians which traverse the neck/shoulders, side flanks, IT band, groin, inner and outer calves. The chest or abdomen may also become distended, or breasts enlarged. Swelling or lumps can occur in the neck, groin and sides of the body.
Liver rules the eyes and tendons, if fluid and/or energy are congested, then the tendons are not “moistened” and can easily tear, become inflamed, or create a body that is inflexible or rigid.
Cataracts, glaucoma, inflamed, red or dry eyes, night blindness, excessive tearing, near or far farsightedness, and other visual abnormalities may be present.