Spring has begun early in the Washington metro area. Temperatures are rising and the threat of a snowfall is diminishing.It is a beautiful time of year with the fresh green buds and blossoms of color.

Lighten Up with FRESH Foods

The change in season should also bring about a change in the types of food we eat. Winter is a time for warming foods like soups, stews and casseroles. Spring lends itself to lighter fare that helps the body to cleanse and rejuvenate itself ~ vegetables, lean proteins, leaves and fruits.

The body cleanses or goes through a detoxification process via the liver, lungs, kidneys, bowel, lymph system and skin on a daily basis. We can help that process along in several different ways, but most important, in my view,  is by taking out the foods that don’t serve us (processed food) and by including the foods that our bodies respond to in a favorable way (real foods).

In the Washington, DC metropolitan area, the foods that are abundant in the next few months include: asparagus, spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, scallions, radishes, arugula, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage, and eastern oysters.

Time to Eat More Greens

Greens appear in the spring as nature’s reminder to us that it is time to clean out the body after a winter of storing fat. Do you know what else gets stored in those fat cells? Toxins…from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the products we use. Leafy greens like swiss chard, kale and collard greens are the foods of choice for cleaning out those toxins! Whether in salads, smoothies, steamed or sauteed, dark greens contain the micronutrients that help us to detoxify on a cellular level. Dark leafy greens are super alkalizing and contain chlorophyll which floods the body with oxygen making it difficult for most diseases to thrive in the body.

Spring cleaning is for ALL the houses that we live in!

Smart Choices to Lighten it Up

Now is the time for cleaner eating. Ditch the sugary breakfast in favor of a protein smoothie with greens and fruit. Change up your usual lunch to include local vegetables that are in abundance now (you can include these in a delicious salad). When planning for dinner think lean proteins like pasture raised chicken or wild caught fish and steamed or grilled asparagus and a salad for a perfect dinner.

This spring, eat cleaner, feel lighter and reap the rewards!