Spring into Good Health! Simple Recipe for Healthy Eating
Changing with the Seasons
Remember this winter when steaming, hearty soup sounded so-o-o good? It seemed to warm you up inside and out. At the time, that was a great plan for a healthy diet. Now that crocuses and daffodils have begun cropping up, spring is here and it’s time to change our eating habits. As the weather changes, our nutritional needs change, too. Those hearty soups that were so great during colder temperatures can now make way for fresher, lighter fare to keep you on the road to good health.
It’s Springtime, So How do I Eat Healthy?
The easiest way to figure out what to eat is this: eat what Mother Nature provides as she provides it. Need a hint? Take a look out your window and what do you see? A tender green shoot here, a sprout there… You get the idea: sprouts are a great addition to a seasonal, healthy diet. Sprouts (alfalfa, radish, broccoli, etc.) contain phytochemicals which help to ward off disease and they’re rich in antioxidants—not to mention sprouts make a tasty addition to nice, fresh salads.
Green beans and asparagus are also available this time of year, and of course a variety of dark leafy greens like kale, dandelion greens, spinach, Swiss chard and mustard greens, which have cleansing properties, and can add delicious variety to a healthy diet.
As part of the natural process, in springtime our bodies retain water which can lead to the production of excess mucus. As always, nature provides—in this case with harvests of bitter roots (onion, garlic burdock root) which have mucus-breaking properties. Eating a healthy diet in harmony with nature can alleviate the symptoms many of us associate with the changing of the seasons.
Nature Knows Best: Why is Seasonal Eating Healthy?
Spring cleaning isn’t just for attics, closets and under heavy furniture—we require spring cleaning, too, in order to maintain optimum good health. During the spring, when our bodies re-hydrate, the excess fluids flush out toxins which in turn can be processed by the liver. By eating bitter roots and greens, we help our livers stay healthy and strong during this seasonal cleansing.
Make a few simple, seasonal changes and you can begin to effortlessly make good health a part of your lifestyle.
Simple Healthy Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
pine nuts, a small handful
olive oil (organic first cold-pressed extra virgin is best)
sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean asparagus, trimming the tough ends. Place in an ovenproof baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss to coat (do this with your clean hands—it’s great for your skin). Place in oven for eight minutes. Add pine nuts and oven-roast another three to four minutes.
Category: Healthy Eating
April 4th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Thank you for your seasonal reminder. I just recently completed a holistic nutrition course and before that I never really thought about eating with the seasons. It makes perfect sense. The produce of the season is usually local, very fresh, and complements our own internal seasons. Are we contributing to global warming when we have our winter grapes flown in from Chile?? Can we live without grapes until they are available closer to home??? Have we lost or are we losing our ability to really enjoy what is locally seasonably available?
I love oven-roasted asparagus – in fact I am loving most vegies simply oven-roasted with a drizzle olive oil. Thanks for your recipe.
Cheers, Andrea
April 4th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Thanks, Andrea! You’re absolutely right–not only is seasonal produce fresh and local, but because it doesn’t have to travel so far, it gets harvested nearer to optimum ripeness and is more nutrient dense.
Enjoy the asparagus!
~Maia
April 4th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
I made this very simple (and delicious!) recipe with dinner tonight and it was great! I am inspired by Maia’s encouragement to eat with the seasons – this idea is new to me and I feel better when I shop and cook with this in mind. My family does, too. (everthing tastes better, as well) It really harkens back to the way my grandmother cooked … she shopped the same day for fresh ingredients and then made amazing meals that were full of love.
~Susan
April 10th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
It is good to read what others have experienced and to equate their experiences with my own. I have found Maia’s advice to be square on and have learned a lot about nutrition. Eating local seasonal foods makes a great deal of sense, as it is not only good for my pocketbook and my family’s health; it also helps support the local economy.
Now that we are into spring I am excited over plans to raise our own salads for the summer and also for the opening of the farmer’s markets in our area. Thanks to Maia I have learned that a fresh salad makes me feel a whole lot better than a sugary treat does.
July 2nd, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Thanks for the effort you took to expand upon this topic so thoroughly. I look forward to future post.
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