Go Spring!

 Spring’s harvest naturally offers us the foods that we need to cleanse and stimulate our bodies to enhance fat metabolism after a long, cold winter.  In the Winter it is appropriate to eat more warming and oily foods to keep us warm.  It is often common to put on a few pounds during this time of high protein and high fat winter foods.  In the Spring then, fresh greens sprout up and offer us exactly the low fat, detoxifying and mucus removing foods that we need!  To the extent that we get dried out in the winter by not eating enough warming and oily foods, to that extent will we produce excess mucus which will express itself through spring colds, coughs, allergies, asthma or the proliferation of yeast in the intestines.
Being mindful of the seasons’ harvest brings health and variety into or diet.
Bitter greens and roots such as onions, garlic, echinacea, goldenseal, burdock root and chicory scrape the mucus off the intestines and clean the blood while helping the liver to do it’s big spring cleaning job.  Signs of a happy liver are better sleep, less indigestion and gas, a more relaxed mid back and clearer and less dry or oily skin. Pungent vegetables like onions and chillies increase metabolism and digestive strength to burn off excess protein and fat.
Dark leafy greens are nutrient dense, packed with minerals and vitamins and high in fiber.  Some benefits from eating greens are blood purification, improved circulation, strengthened immune system, promotion of healthy intestinal flora, improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function and cleared congestion, especially in the lungs, by reducing mucus.  Dark leafy greens also promote a subtle, light and flexible energy that lifts our spirit and helps eliminate depression.  In Spring there is an abundant array of greens to choose from:  kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe, arugula, beet greens, napa cabbage, green cabbage, endive and more.  Find the one’s you love!  Once you integrate greens into your diet on a daily basis you’ll never will want to miss them again.
My two favorite Spring greens are dandelions and stinging nettle.
Dandelion, a diuretic, has compounds that may improve liver function, promote weight loss, and improve blood sugar control.  Overall dandelion has a toning effect on the body.  It has a slightly bitter taste, delicious as a salad by itself or mixed in with other lettuce, but also delicious steamed, drizzled with a little oil, or wilted with salmon.  The name Dandelion comes from the French “dent de lion” meaning: tooth of the lion, referring to the shape of the leaves of the plant.
    Eating stinging nettles is much less known in America.  My mother in law, who is German and 86 years old, goes out every Spring to pick stinging nettles when they first shoot up.  She wears gloves, of course, and so do I when I give them a rinse before lightly sautéing them with a little olive oil and tamari.  They quickly wilt and have a very delicate, tender taste.  You can prepare them as you would spinach, or use them in a soup.  Cooking and drying nettles for tea takes away the sting.  Stinging nettles are a kidney tonic with diuretic properties.  They relieve allergies, enrich the blood because they are very high in iron and thicken the hair.  Nettles are good for hypoglycemia, as they help reduce blood sugar levels, and they also ameliorate high blood pressure.
    As we know, nature has enormous wisdom.  This is exemplified by the foods nature offers us in each season.  Now is the time to start enjoying the spring greens.  Go for it and enjoy!

~Claudia