Spring Vitality

Spring is the season for awakening the body; our senses, our minds, our every oscillating cell. The foods that grow natively act accordingly to our bodies needs. In the springtime, new shoots of green emerge and share their life-giving, cleansing and nourishing nutrients in abundance. These foods are meant to stimulate a natural and mild cleanse and detoxification of our organ systems, particularly organs of detoxification such as the Liver.

“The sight of the green colour of tender young plants nourishes the soul through the eyes, so the appetite for food decreases and the body naturally cleanses itself…” (Healing With Whole Foods ~ Paul Pitchford)

That is why, according to Chinese Medicine, the spring season represents the Liver and Gall Bladder or Wood element and it is trademarked by the colour green. It is also considered a Yang season; one that has ascending and expansive qualities (think of bursting cherry blossoms). The foods that grow at this time naturally resonate all of these factors. It is important, as natural beings, to honour and embrace these natural rhythms and be in tune with our natural surroundings, emphasizing in our diets what grows natively and seasonally. This benefits our own health as well as the health of our planet.

So, in springtime it is prudent to eat plenty of green vegetables such as a wide variety of salad greens and various sprouts and other ‘early foods’ such as pea shoots. And it is still appropriate to finish eating winter preserves such as apples and pears and root vegetables as we transition into the new season. I like to combine these foods into lighter soups and stews as opposed to the heavier ones of winter.

When I start to introduce salads I do so gradually, also using some of the prior season’s fare as I transition. The reason I do this is because each and every food we eat has a thermal and energetic property to it. Fruit, for example, generally has a cooling and moistening energy, with some exceptions. In a climate which is generally pretty cool and moist I try not to eat too many foods that emit that property because an imbalance can occur within. Uncooked foods in general, if eaten in excess, can weaken the digestion and trigger excessive cleansing reactions.

Spring greens have a cooling dispersing energy, preparing us for the warmer weather to come. When I eat my greens I include some fresh ginger, garlic, cayenne or other pungent warming spices or herbs to my salad dressing to help balance the cooling nature of the greens while the weather is still cool. And in the spring, food is best cooked for a shorter time but at high temperatures, so the food is not cooked thoroughly on the inside, preserving some of its inherent vitality. When using water light steaming or simmering is best.

Many modern people’s livers and gall bladders are suffering. Excessive exposure to poor quality fats (i.e.: hydrogenated and trans fats, highly processed and cholesterol-rich vegetable oils and powdered dairy and egg products), denatured foods and environmental toxins all disrupt the hundreds of biochemical processes that the liver conducts. And the main symptoms of a suffering liver are stress and tension, anger, frustration, stubbornness, aggression and an impulsive and/or explosive personality.

Do any of these sound familiar?

Eating as described above can give a welcome boost to these overburdened organs.

(Parts of this column have been adapted from Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford)

I’d like to share this springtime recipe with you in hopes that it brings you both pleasure and relief and therefore a contribution to the health of your body.

Lisa Marie’s Spring Salad

1 heap of assorted spring greens (don’t forget the dandelion greens + flowers in the garden)

1 sliced pear (drizzled in lemon juice to keep from browning)

½ cup of goat feta or chevre or raw organic cow feta (Jerseyland Organics makes an excellent one)

¼ cup chopped lightly toasted maple and cayenne glazed pecans or other nut of choice

1 handful of pea shoots

1 handful of sunflower/bean/broccoli/garlic or other sprout of choice

edible flowers, seasonal

a sprinkling of chopped lemon thyme/mint/basil/dill/fennel

Lisa Marie’s Dressing/Marinade
(makes about 1 cup)

3/4 cup cold-pressed, extra virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp. stone ground mustard

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. hemp/flax/avocado oil

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Dash of unrefined sea salt

Optional:

Herbs/spices to taste: garlic, ginger, cayenne, thyme, mint, fennel, basil, rosemary, dill, coriander, sage…experiment

Method:

Add mustard, salt and maple syrup to vinegars, whisk with fork, add oils gradually whisking together then add optional ingredients if desired.

Don’t over-whisk or leave dressing out to be exposed to heat, light or oxygen too long as oils are sensitive to these. Transfer into dressing dispenser and shake before use. If storing in refrigerator, store in an air-tight opaque or dark, glass container.

Add hemp/flax/avocado oils before serving to preserve their delicate omega fats.

**This dressing can also be used as a tasty marinade but please skip the use of hemp/flax/avocado oil as they are not appropriate for long-term exposure or cooking.

May you live with vitality…Lisa Marie