Eat for Spring: Nourish Your Body with TCM and Ayurveda

As winter’s cold stillness gives way to spring’s vibrant energy, our bodies undergo a natural shift, mirroring the changes in nature. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda teach that spring is a time of renewal, detoxification, and growth. Adjusting our diets to align with the season’s energy can support digestion, boost vitality, and promote overall well-being.

Spring Foods in TCM and Ayurveda

Awakening the Liver and Reducing Kapha

In TCM, spring is associated with the Wood element and the Liver organ system. The Liver governs the smooth flow of Qi (energy) and blood, crucial for detoxification and emotional balance. Ayurveda recognizes spring as the season of Kapha, characterized by the qualities of earth and water—heaviness, moisture, and dense accumulation.

As snow melts and temperatures rise, your body may feel sluggish, congested, or weighed down. After a season of heavy, warming foods, it’s time to stoke your digestive fire and lighten your diet. Reduce heavy, oily, and dairy-rich foods that can contribute to stagnation and mucus buildup and favour light, dry and warming foods and foods that gently cleanse and nourish the Liver.

Try These Foods in Spring:

Lightly Cooked and a Little Sweet:

In Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, the natural sweet flavour helps to nourish the body. Lightly cooked spring vegetables like asparagus, zucchini, carrots, and beets are easy to digest and support healthy tissues and blood.

Bitter Greens and Sprouts:

Dandelion, arugula, radicchio, and mustard greens help support detoxification, clean the blood, and circulate and rejuvenate Liver Qi. You can also include foods with upward-moving energy, such as green, sprouting vegetables.

Radishes:

Radishes are an excellent food choice for spring because their sharp, pungent taste helps counterbalance heaviness, congestion, and excess mucus that tend to accumulate during spring. They also regulate Liver Qi, stimulate digestion, and aid in detoxification.

Add Some Spice:

Use stimulating, pungent and warming spices such as ginger, black pepper, turmeric, and mustard seed which help to stimulate digestion and clear mucus. 

Lighter Grains and Legumes:

Switch out heavy grains like wheat and oatmeal for lighter and drier options like millet, quinoa, barley and buckwheat. Spring is also the best time to eat more legumes. They are lighter, easy-to-digest protein options, and their drying quality helps counteract excess moisture at this time of year. Try lentils, black beans, and white beans to start.

Astringent and Sour Fruits:

In Ayurveda, the flavour we call astringent helps cleanse the system and remove excess earth and water (Kapha), which tends to build up in spring. In TCM, we recommend the sour flavour, which has astringent qualities according to TCM. Sour helps stimulate the liver and encourages bile production. (In Ayurveda, the sour flavour can refer to fermented foods and some dairy. These are best avoided in spring.)

Sour or astringent fruits and foods that are sour and sweet are generally good choices, such as apples, pomegranates, prunes, citrus and berries.

By aligning your diet with the rhythms of nature, you can step into spring with renewed energy, clarity, and balance. Honour your body’s needs, savour the fresh abundance of the season, and enjoy the vibrant renewal that spring brings!

Chinese Medicine for Yoga Online Training

Chinese Medicine Food Therapy Online Course

Share This Post:

More To Explore

blog post seasonal cycles expand into summer jennifer raye

Seasonal Cycles :: Expand into Summer

According to many ancient healing systems, we can look to the seasons and the natural world to fine tune our diet and ...
Read More →
blog post everything you ever wanted know about juicing jennifer raye

Everything you ever wanted to know about juicing

I LOVE juicing. To be clear, I’m not talking about conventional store-bought fruit juice, which is often full of processed sugar, colours, ...
Read More →
blog post chinese medicine for anxiety jennifer raye

Can acupuncture and Chinese Medicine help anxiety?

How to treat anxiety with Traditional Chinese Medicine Did you know that acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can help with anxiety and ...
Read More →

Healing the Liver for Emotional Harmony: TCM Insights & Remedies

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the Liver is more than just a physical organ; it is the master regulator of Qi (vital energy) throughout the ...
Read More →
blog post yin yoga sequence for the heart and lung meridians jennifer raye

Yin Yoga Sequence for the Heart and Lung Meridians

Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Heart and Lung Within our yin yoga practice we can practice sequences of poses that directly target areas of the ...
Read More →
blog post feeling slugish and heavy support your spleen qi jennifer raye

Feeling Sluggish, Heavy and Bloated? Support your Spleen!

In Taoism and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the power of the Spleen is vital for digestive health and overall energy. In TCM, the Spleen is ...
Read More →
Scroll to Top