It’s a new beginning, the time of year to rise early with the sun.
In Chinese medicine, Spring is the season when the Liver and Gallbladder work to their optimal level.
Therefore, we should naturally eat less and even fast to cleanse the body of the fats and heavy foods of winter. Your diet should be the lightest of the year and contain foods that emphasize Yang and the ascending, expansive qualities of spring. Cook food for a shorter period of time, but at higher temperatures. If cooking with oil, use rice bran or coconut oil. If cooking with water, light steaming or minimal simmering.
Sweet and pungent flavors are appropriate as a means of creating a personal spring from within.
Pungent cooking herbs are: basil, fennel, marjoram, rosemary, caraway, dill, bay leaf, turmeric, cardamom, cumin, ginger, black pepper, horseradish, mints, and lemon balm, garlic and all members of the onion family.
Foods to eat during this time are: legumes, seeds or grains that are sweet and can be sprouted such as: amaranth, quinoa, rye, millet, alfalfa and mung beans; young beets, carrots and other sweet starchy vegetables, mustard greens, watercress, taro root cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, romaine lettuce, asparagus, radish leaves, citrus peel, celery, seaweeds, lettuce, cucumber, tofu, mushrooms, radishes, chestnuts, pine nuts, cabbage, turnip, kohlrabi, strawberries, peaches, cherries, blackberries, huckleberries, raspberries, dark grapes and plums.
Switch from refined sugars to sweeteners like honey, stevia, unrefined cane juice granules, whole sugar cane, licorice root, barley malt, date sugar, molasses and rice syrup.
Chlorophyll rich foods accelerate Liver rejuvenation; wheat or barley grass, wild blue green algae, parsley, kale, watercress, alfalfa, and collard greens. Spirulina is also a great supplement if you were never breastfed. Those who were not breastfed are more likely to develop immune deficiencies, allergies, difficulty with weight management, digestive disorders and asthma. It supplies the body with Omega 3’s and GLA.
Eat less and eliminate foods high in saturated fats (with the exception of coconut oil), hydrogenated or poor quality fats, excesses of nuts and seeds, chemicals in food and water, drugs (including prescription), intoxicants and highly processed and refined foods.
One Day Liver and Gallbladder Flush:
If the Liver is consistently stagnate, sediment often settles out of the bile and forms accumulations in the Gall Bladder. Since the Gall Bladder is a reservoir for bile, it becomes less efficient when clogged. A great one day cleanse of the Gall Bladder is to eat at least 4-5 green apples, and drink lots of water, green teas and apple juice starting in the morning and continuing throughout the day. At bedtime, warm up (low hea2/3 cup of Virgin Olive Oil to body temperature and mix with 2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice. Sip the mixture and immediately go to bed lying on the right side with your right leg drawn up. In the morning, sediment and stones, if any, should pass through the stool.
If you have a Liver imbalance, don’t eat late at night. Eating late can inhibit regeneration of the Liver and Gall Bladder during their peak hours, which are 11-3AM.
Happy Spring!
Christina