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Healthy lifestyle and eating choices for Spring

Spring is finally here and you can feel it in the air as everyone begins to peek out from their winter hibernation in anticipation of beach days, sunny walks and summer socialising.

Spring is the time that we seek to rejuvenate our body and mind after a long winter of comfort eating and inactivity.

During spring our energy increases and as the weather improves it is a perfect time to spend more time outside absorbing vitamin D from the sun and starting a gentle exercise program to build up fitness. It is a good time to start doing daily walks, join a yoga class or begin working with a personal trainer.

In spring we start to crave different, lighter foods and we may even want to do a gentle detoxification program. According to Chinese medicine our liver requires extra support during this season so eat plenty of green foods like kale, asparagus, spinach, sprouts, lettuce and mint, and sour food like lemon,  tomatoes, yogurt, kimchee and sauerkraut. Minimise your exposure to chemicals, medication, alcohol, refined and greasy foods as much as you can. Try to lightly grill, steam or stir-frying your vegetables if possible

Some wonderful fruits and vegetables come into season in the spring, like cucumbers, zucchinis, peaches, asparagus, avocados and mangoes. When buying mangoes make sure you get those that are slightly firm but not hard. Avocados are the “goldilocks” fruit because they tend to have a short time when they are good to eat and can go off before you know it. Storing them in the fridge will slow down the ripening process, but if you are going to eat them soon then store at room temperature or in a paper bag so they may ripen faster.  

Cucumbers and zucchinis have a high water content which makes them a wonderfully refreshing ingredient to a spring salad. You can also buy a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles which are tasty, gluten-free, filling and healthy!

Sources

http://www.theweeklyreview.com.au/eat/14-spring-food-tips-tricks-hacks/