Wednesday, August 22, 2012
spring : notes from my naturopath
Last week I went along to my appointment keen to find out a bit more about eating well in the spring time. I was at the tail end of a cold and as soon as I walked in the door my naturopath, Catherine, reminded me that my body was "spring cleaning" itself. "The liver is getting rid of the bulk from winter," she said. "It's a cleanse, not a cold."
Nature is cleansing too - those wild winds that come every August...that's the earth decluttering. It's a good time to remind ourselves that we are nature, experiencing our own regeneration of sorts.
While I listened to Catherine talk about the seasons, the importance of looking to the earth for our food and the benefits of eating with awareness, I took notes. Here they are:
- eat kale, in abundance - raw in salads, tossed through spelt pasta dishes or juiced.
- fennel, celery and beetroot - in season and oh so good for you (fennel is great for breastfeeding mumas - helps stimulate milk production)
- citrus juices
- replace heavy winter foods with lighter, fresher alternatives. raw food!
- root vegetables (roasted with fresh herbs) - eaten with brown rice or salads
- increase vegetarian meals
- nettle tea for cleansing
- ginger tea for restoring
- less dairy, less sugar, less oils
Catherine also offered this "home remedy" for colds:
"...slice one onion, a lemon (skin on), three cloves of organic garlic, two generous slices of ginger and blend with a few tablespoons of manuka honey. You may like to add a bit of tumeric or cayenne pepper. Have one teaspoon neat per day or mix one teaspoon into lemon tea."
She also suggested I burn the following oils in my home (the smell is divine!):
- frankincense - to strengthen the lungs
- eucalyptus - to purify the blood
- lemon - to clear the air and kill bacteria
Spring, it has begun.
Labels: notes from my naturopath , spring - a seasonal series
