A seasonal chart of tri-doshic foods and herbs to follow for optimal health this Spring.

SPRING, KAPHA PREDOMINANCE DIET

Springtime (KAPHA SEASON) is when the earth becomes heavy with moisture and there is coolness in the ground but the air is warming us up; our bodies reflect this.  When eating with the seasons this is the time of year you will begin craving lighter fare, especially after the fall/winter season of heavier & moist foods. In many traditions & cultures, this is time of year for fasting.  Choose those veggies that clean, detoxify and lighten the body. It’s all about bitter, astringent & pungent tastes. Slowly reduce use of oils, red meats, nuts, sweeteners and other foods that are heavy, oily or cold.  Favor light, dry & warm foods. 

FRUIT

Little fresh fruit is naturally available in the springtime.  Go for the blueberries, strawberries, other berries, and dried fruit like raisins, prunes, and mulberries.  Reduce heavy &/or sour fruits: oranges, tangerines, plums, persimmons, peaches, mangoes, grapes, cranberries, bananas, pineapples, dates, avocados, coconuts, & melons.  Avoid figs & guava.  These fruits increase heaviness and wetness, already abundant in the springtime.  Reduce everything, in brief, that you ate during the winter.  Lighter fruits like apples & pears are better to eat.

VEGETABLES

Lightly cook veggies & eat raw: alfalfa sprouts, bean sprout, carrots, leafy greens, collard greens, kale, lettuce, bitter greens, watercress, mustard greens, parsley, peas, spinach turnips, radishes, wheat grass, celery, cabbage vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, asparagus, bell peppers, corn, endive, green beans, hot peppers, green & dried chilies, garlic, onion. Favor roots like dandelion, chicory, burdock and Echinacea. Reduce water rich & heavier foods like tomatoes, avocados, eggplant, okra, pumpkins, cucumbers, sweet potatoes & zucchini.

GRAINS

Emphasize amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, rye, millet, quinoa, and long grain brown rice.  Reduce wheat & rice.

PROTEIN

Eat your legumes, soak up that water, bring in the cleansing effects of beans, but keep legumes digestible with warming spices and sprouting.  Bean sprouts, goyas, kidneys, lentils, limas, and mungs are best.  Adzuki, garbanzos, favas, and split peas are good. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are good. Reduce tofu; reduce &/or avoid nuts.  White meat from chicken & turkey is fine. Freshwater fish or light seafood like sole, flounder & rainbow trout are good in moderation.  Reduce the deep-sea fish: tuna, halibut, swordfish, shark, mahi-mahi & shellfish. Avoid crab, lobster, pork & red meats.  Eat eggs poached or hardboiled.

OILS

Reduce oils.  Receive EFA’s from your grains & EFA carrying veggies.  Use mostly corn, sunflower, soybean oil & little amounts of ghee.  Avoid peanut oil.

DAIRY

Spring is the time to avoid dairy altogether.  Substitute with soy or rice milk.  Avoid ice cream.  Use ghee & low fat yogurt in moderation.  Eat butter before sunset in small amounts. 

SPICES

Emphasize black pepper, cayenne & clove. Reduce salt intake, which increases spring moisture.

SWEETENERS

Avoid sweeteners, except raw honey.

HERBAL TEAS

Cardamom, chicory, cinnamon, cloves, dandelion, ginger, hibiscus, orange peel & strawberry leaf are best.  Reduce mint & chamomile

SUMMARY

The harvest of spring is mostly roots, sprouts, and bitter greens.  Spring is a time to flush out your system and to feel lightness!