According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the Wood element and is connected to nourishing the liver and the gall bladder. Spiritually, it is a time to get connected with your true nature, self-awareness, and self-expression. It is a time to start seeing the fruit of one’s labor done in the wintertime.1 With the start of the new season, it is time to leave behind the old and start discovering your new path!
This season is associated with the liver which makes it an excellent time to “cleanse the body of fats and the heavy foods from winter.” Best part? This can be done with the power of whole foods and be completely conducive to your athletic goals and training!
Special Foods for Spring
Foods that are emphasized for the Spring and supporting the live include foods that have sweet and pungent flavor profiles.
Sweet Foods
Beets, carrots, sweet starchy veggies such as sweet potatoes, honey and regular potatoes.1
Pungent Foods
Onions, ginger, garlic, mustard greens, kohlrabi, radishes, turnips and organic raw spinach.2
Herbs
Basil, fennel, dill, rosemary, caraway, bay leaf, tumeric, cumin, and chamomile.1
(Check out my blog post for more information on some of these!)
Flower Power: Support Immune Function This Spring with Flowers and Herbs.
Spring Cleanse
As mentioned above, Spring is the perfect time to cleanse the body. This means supporting the liver to support our athletic endeavors. Why is that? Not supporting it may contribute to liver stagnation. Liver stagnancy (potential) can manifest as sypmtoms of poor digestion, rigid and tight muscles and potential muscle weakness. Are these always attributed to issues with the liver? I am not saying that. Yet, stress from training and exercise can increase the production of inflammatory protein and oxidative species which add an extra stress on our body. According to the principals of TCM, added stress may effec the ability of blood to flow proper through the body, which may inhibit those vital nutrients from getting to the joints for support. This can significantly impact trainind and recovery! This particular “meridian” is known as the spleen qi, or one’s life force. To support this, foods listed from above such as beets, leeks, onions and starchy root veggies may decrease stress placed on the body and improve blood flow. Other beneficial foods for this include chickpeas, oats, brown rice, mung beans, adzuki beans, mollasses, dark cherries, dates, leeks onions and spices such as turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. Best part? ALL of these are part of my Spring 21 Day Ignite!
As mentioned above, sweet and pungent are the flavor profiles for the season. Sweets are typically craved when feeling down and pungent flavors can help to cleanse the liver, particularly that of vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can help to further assist the liver to clear out debris from training and external compounds as well as improve digestion and assimilation of nutrients due to it’s ability to help in the production of hydrochloric acid. To nourish both flavor profile, 1 tsp of honey + 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar added to 1 cup of water is recommended.1
So ask yourself these questions! Are you feeling fatigued? Lethargic? Are you ready to start chasing full force towards your athletic goals and improving energy and stamina using the power of whole foods? This Ignite is for YOU! The program runs from May 1-22, 2023. Spots are limite to 10 and sign ups end Wednesday, April 26, 2023. For more informaton and to sign up, click the link below. (Note: There is a bonus for the first two participants that join!)
References:
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Pitchford, P. Healing with Whole Foods. North Atlantic Books. Berkeley, CA. 1993.
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Pungent Flavors. Banyan Botanicals Website. 2023. https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/diet/six-tastes/pungent-taste/. Access March 21, 2023.
