Eating with Spring Time
We are all connected to nature and as humans we have evolved for centuries adapting to the seasonal provisions (vegetation and animals) available during the earths growing cycles. We have evolved with nature and if you start to look more deeply you may even find strong correlations between seasonal shifts and our human behaviors. In fact, we are in a harmonious existence in relation to the surrounding environment!
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) really are the ones who, imho, have figured it out best. So to relay some of their ancient studies:
Spring : Wood Element / Liver / Sense of Sight / Anger / Blue-Green color / Sour Taste (seek spicy/pungent)
Summer : Fire Element / Heart / Sense of Speech / Emotion Joy / Color Red / Bitter Taste (seek Salty foods)
Late Summer : Earth Element / Spleen / Sense of Taste / Worry / Yellow Color / Sweet (seek
Fall : Metal Element / Lungs / Sense of Smell / Emotion Grief / White Color / spicy & pungent taste (seek sour foods)
Winter : Water Element / Kidneys / Sense of Hearing / Emotion Fear / Blue-Black Color / Salty Taste (seek bitter flavors)
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Spring 🌱 belonging to the Wood element and is the season of growth, rebirth and new beginnings. Energy is moving in outward trajectory! In spring time we move from Yin (cool, moist, dark, quiet, still) time of year towards Yang (warm, hot, dry, bright, active) and you can see it all around too, when the temps get nicer more and more people get more active and energized. Cleaning out and making way to rebuild a new foundation for our body and minds. It is dominated in the body by our ultimate filtration organ, the Liver and gallbladder. They are associated with vision (sense of sight) and the emotion of anger.
The liver is associated with planning for the future. It’s companion organ, the gallbladder, is all about making decisions and judging wisely. When liver and gallbladder Qi are moving freely, it is easy to engage with the growth and change of springtime, but equally easy to feel stuck and frustrated if our associated organs are blocked up. Anger can be a helpful emotion if it drives us to make necessary changes in our lives, but it can be harmful too, if we are not able to convert anger into action.
Spring is the time to detoxifying the body and ridding it of all the potential substances (toxins) that would be weighing your body down. By choosing ways to assist the liver in its detoxifying function with serve your greatly (take part in an elimination diet or program that focuses on detoxifying),
If we chose not to adapt to the changing season, we may encounter imbalances and be susceptible to common ailments; seasonal allergies or hay fever, migraine headaches, vertigo, PMS, more colds or flu, pneumonia, or you could encounter a relapse of chronic diseases or illness. Or perhaps you’re feeling more short tempered than normal having bouts of anger, feeling stuck, stagnant or frustrated.
By choosing to embrace this season shift and consuming foods that help to enhance the Wood Element (and the Liver) you would be serving your body well with much love.
Body Parts involved: Gall Bladder & Liver - These are such important organs as they are responsible for so many of life processes; Filters and stores blood from our arteries and digestive tract, neutralize and remove toxins the body ingests, create and store bilirubin & bile to aid digestion, maintains bloods sugar storing and detoxifying the blood and help regulate menstruation.
These organs govern over muscles, tendons, and nerves meaning they control our muscular activity (flexibility, agility of tendons and ligaments. They also govern our emotional states, influencing out ability to make judgements and decisions.
And most of all they regulate the smoothing flow of Qi (chee) our “life force” or “energy” that flows thought all living being’s. If Qi channels are blocked then energy can not flow which this is the cause of much human despair. If your emotions are not flowing and you can not feel them that is a great lack of body communication as emotions are our guiding compass as to what we really want and need.
By promoting proper health and functioning of the liver & gall-bladder we can keep the body, mind and spirit harmonious and pain free.
Whys To enhance:
Engage in a detoxification program to really nourish and repair your organs to allow for new life/healing. Not only will this support our liver but it gives your whole body a break from the constant influx of aggravators that lead to inflammation and blockages in Qi flow. I recommend this one!
Consume pungent aromatics like ginger, garlic, scallions, sprouts and bitter greens.
Consume seasonal vegetation (see list below)
Rest! Our Liver is primarily working at night while we sleep, ensuring we have a restful nights sleep to allow for rejuvenation and circulation to run smoothly.
Movement t open channels of stagnation. I prefer Yoga especially hip openers (to release stuck emotions) and twisting (detoxifying) postures to enhance the liver.
Clarify or Create a vision for your future. Not just day to day but also long-term goals. Journal, meditate, talking it out with a mentor or good friend, checked into workshops or classes to expand your knowledge.
Express/Release emotions. To really allow for emotional shifts to take place we need to acknowledge what we are feeling. Often we avoid strong emotions like anger, frustration, sadness and depression, pushing them off to “deal with later”…. but when does later come? These emotions are a natural human process and also an indicators of our stuck Liver Qi. When we acknowledge the feeling for what they are, just feeling, we can release them and move forward in a more positive light.
Seasonal Vegetation:
Artichokes (March - May), Asparagus (one of the first to sprout, March), Chinese yams, Fava Beans (May), Leeks, Morel Mushrooms (March - June), Peas, Radish, Ramps, Rhubarb, Scallions, Spinach, Spring onions, Bamboo shoots, sprouts from seed.
Asparagus is especially beneficial in the spring as it is good for aiding digestion and circulation, helps removing plaque in the arteries and easing constipation. For Women, it can ease menopause symptoms and boost fertility.
Fiddlehead Ferns (late April- early June), Mustard greens, Garlic Scape, Arugula, Pea Shoots, Watercress, Dandelion Greens, Nettles (yes the stinging plant).
Herbs: dill, parsley, cilantro
Leftover winter vegetation: including Cabbage, Carrots and winter squashes.
What to Avoid:
Sweet, Salty & Sour flavors (sours like - lemon, vinegar, fermented foods).
Uncooked, frozen and fried foods. These can be highly reactive for our bodies, especially to the spleen and stomach if consumed in large amounts.
Alcohol - Alcohol has a tremendous effect on our liver and emotions. Thought it can provide a temporary shift in Liver Qi, over use of alcohol has become a norm in dealing with complex and recurrent emotions. These emotional states are often result from blockages in Liver Qi! By becoming dependent on this tool to relief symptoms, Qi blockages become greater and require the use of more alcohol to achieve the same feeling of relief. This false movement is very detrimental to the liver and prevents the body from learning coping mechanisms for emotional indicators.
Other enhancements - taper the use of oils, red meats, nuts and sweeteners.
How to grow your wood element in the best way:
face everything, avoid nothing that stands in the way of our evolution
hide nothing form ourselves, repressed desires, emotional needs and pain should be gently extracted from our depths and brought to the surface to consciously release them.
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Recipes to Complement Spring:
Steamed Artichoke
Roasted Asparagus with Sesame Seeds
Mushroom Risotto with Onions & Herbs
Ginger-Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Chicken Bone Broth with Healing Aromatics
Roasted Carrot & Ginger Soup
Asparagus Soup
Split Pea Soup
Chickpea, Turkey and Tomato Stew
Szechuan Zoodles
Vegetable Lo Mein
Pesto Pasta with Ground Turkey and Snow Peas
Spinach Salad with Roasted pine nuts
Creamy Mint-Avcado Pasta
Ginger Cashew Chicken
Pork Chili with Bok Choy
Roasted lemon Shrimp & Scallions
[] http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/lifestyles/food_diet_advice_season.html
[] https://www.thedailymeal.com/cook/spring-foods-in-season/slide-22
[] https://www.chinesemedicineliving.com/nutrition/seasons/spring/
https://www.centerpointhealing.com/hyattsville/regrowth-spring-and-traditional-chinese-medicine/
Stoufer, Stella “Eating According to the Seasons - Dietary Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine” acu4u.com (Dec 3 2018)