Spring is the season of renewal, it is the time of rebirth and a new beginning.
We begin to emerge from winter lethargy and the energy of nature reaches us.
detoxification detoxifying foods It is the moment of the return to the sun, with the equinox of March 21, the day equals the night, we have more light and this makes us feel happier with more vitality, with more desire to spend more time outdoors, we will feel full of energy and inspiration to do everything we set out to do.
But this is not the case for everyone, not everyone receives the increase in sunlight and the rise in temperatures as something positive.
detoxification For many, these transit seasons, such as spring, make them feel more tired, depressed, without energy, with fatigue and weakness, it is difficult for them to adapt to change due to hormonal cycles or accumulated stress during winter and the change in time that occurs at this time.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, our body is very directly related to climate changes and the food we eat and each organ reacts according to the season of the year in which we are.
The liver and gallbladder are the organs related to spring, they are also the main ones in charge of purifying our body and favoring the elimination of everything that we do not need.
For this reason, there is no better way to accompany this change than doing a detoxification, this will help us eliminate the toxins that have been stored during the colder months and help the whole body work better.
And how is this reflected in our meals?
Perhaps you have never thought about it, but the way we cook our food also influences the way we feel and we can use it to our advantage to be able to better adapt to the changes in season.
Choose detoxifying foods
- To feel lighter, we must choose regenerating and detoxifying foods, such as vegetables, especially green ones, since they act as a tonic to purify our liver and gallbladder from the excesses of food committed during the winter.
- Not perhaps spring is the season that gives us more variety of vegetables that should be the protagonist of our dishes.
- You can eat broccoli, cauliflower, celery, leeks, green beans, cabbage sprouts, sprouts, fennel, cucumbers, artichokes, asparagus, radishes, turnips, and all vegetables with purifying properties.
- Not only will increasing the amount of vegetables in this season help our body to cleanse itself, but the way we cook our food is important.
- To avoid overloading the liver and giving it a break, avoid frying, excess oil and saturated fat.
- For this reason, it is advisable to reduce cooking time, temperature and the use of salty condiments, increasing fresher and lighter cooking times, such as sautéing, blanching, macerating and sprouts.
It is the time for vegetable juices or smoothies, for fresh salads full of colors, for macerates, sprouts and crunchy textures.
To enhance the flavors, and create dynamism in our dishes, the ideal would be to incorporate aromatic herbs and fresh spices such as thyme, rosemary, ginger root , turmeric, parsley, dill, chives, which will give a chromatic and decorative touch to our dishes.
vegetables
Although vegetables are the main food of this season to balance and complete the dish, we must not forget to accompany them with whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and algae.
The flavor that accompanies and helps the detoxification of our liver is the acid like that of lemon and the typical bitterness of green vegetables such as watercress, artichokes, milk thistle, nettle…
We can add these foods to our meals or use their extracts or herbs and make infusions with them.
Adding a splash of lemon juice to our condiments or in our water or juices is a good idea to stimulate our liver.
detoxification I recommend making the change gradually, just as in nature cold days alternate with more intense hot days, our kitchen also has to accompany us, and provide us with an energy that reinforces and balances while stimulating and activating.
Maintaining this balance will help us avoid colds, general itching, digestive discomfort, a feeling of weakness, apathy, typical symptoms of spring asthenia.
One of the “cooking’s” that I like the most in spring is macerating.
It is actually cold cooking and I love it because it maintains the texture of the food and the flavors are enhanced thanks to the seasonings used to macerate.
For example, we can make a carpaccio or a vegetable tartare, leaving the vegetables, previously cut, to rest in a liquid condiment that has olive oil, lemon juice, salt or soy sauce to taste and some aromatic herbs or spices.
The time can vary from a minimum of half an hour to the next day. The longer the food is left to macerate, the more intense its flavor will be but also the softer its texture will be.
One of my favorite recipes that my mother always prepared in the spring is the fennel and artichoke carpaccio, quite common in Italy and very easy to prepare.
