SPRING Into Seasonal Eating

By Joyce Kawalchuk, L.Ac.

​Do you experience seasonal allergies? Do you find yourself getting sick with each season change? Do seasonal changes affect your mood? Learn what foods can help alleviate these symptoms and keep you balanced throughout the spring.

Acupuncture treatments help regulate the body's natural immune response to make it function optimally when faced with infection, trauma, or allergens. But, did you know that acupuncture is only one of the five pillars that makeup the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine? The five pillars of traditional Chinese medicine include: Acupuncture, Eastern Dietary Therapy & Herbal Medicine, Tui Na Massage, Moxibustion, and Qi Gong/Tai Chi. 

For the sake of this article, I'll be focusing on Eastern Dietary Therapy and the significant role it plays in your natural healing process. So, think about this. Ever go to a spa and have such an amazing service that you find yourself buying all of the products in the retail area to continue your amazing experience at home?

Well, FOOD is that to acupuncture. Food is your continuing care, your take home regimen, your healthy "prescription". Healthy habits can be nourished on a daily basis simply through the foods that you eat. 

Benefits of Eating Seasonally
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, seasons are seen to have profound effects on human health and well-being. Nature cycles through seasons, producing a variety of environments to sustain ecological biodiversity.

Wouldn't it make sense for our bodies to adapt to this cycle so that we can live in harmony with our environment? An example of this would mean eating the foods that the earth is naturally and appropriately producing during a given season.

Part of living with the seasons is eating with the seasons. Seasonal foods are picked at the peak of freshness and offer higher nutritional content to the consumer. These bioavailable nutrients help to support the body’s natural healing and detoxifying abilities.  

Spring Foods
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is represented by the wood element, which is closely related to the liver and gallbladder. A properly functioning liver acts as a filtration system for blood, which plays a crucial role in our immediate immune response to infection. The liver has the same purifying and regulating function for emotions as well; it helps us manage mood swings, stress, anger, and frustration.

Spring is a time where the liver and gallbladder are most receptive to dietary intervention. Supporting these organ functions in the spring can help you transition smoothly from one season to the next. It can also help defend against seasonal allergies, upper respiratory infections, and seasonal mood swings.
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Since spring as a season is vibrant and green, these are the foods you should be incorporating more. Light, raw, and sprouted foods like arugula, dandelion greens, radicchio, endive, radishes, dill, parsley, spinach, and garlic help detox your liver, which help boost overall energy.  

Spring meals should be the lightest of the year to allow our bodies to match the energetic of spring, which is upward and expansive. 

Spring Into Action
Here are a few suggestions on how to incorporate seasonal eating into your daily life.

• Support your local farmers market- The Valley is flourishing with farmers markets all throughout the week. These really take the guess work out of seasonal eating- what's on display is what's in season! This gives you a chance to hand pick your produce, be active, and participate in your community.  
• Join a CSA- Community Sustained Agriculture (CSA) makes it possible for you to buy fresh, seasonal produce directly from a local farmer. Produce is typically available for weekly pick-up or delivery. There are also various share sizes ranging from 1-4 people, depending on the farm.
• Change up your cooking- Spring is light and bright; cooking in the spring should be the same. Food is best cooked for a shorter time, at higher temperatures (raw, sautéd, or lightly steamed).