The Spring Diet

Spring is the season for a lighter, cleansing diet in Ayurvedic practice. This is because the foods that nature provides during these months, just before summer, are all of the lighter variety. The ground is full of moisture and water during these months, and foods such as berries and green vegetables begin to thrive. They are fat free and mucous free, and Ayurvedic healers believe that this is part of nature’s cycle. These fruits and vegetables are available immediately after winter when heavier foods with greater amounts of fats, such as dairy products, nuts and red meat are consumed.

Spring offers us a wonderful opportunity to apply nature’s way of cleansing the body after months of increasing fat levels in the cold winter months. Indeed, the kapha balancing diet, which is adhered to in spring according to Ayurveda, really is about changing our diet according to the season which we are in. For a long time, people have lived off the land and taken what nature has provided them with, according to the seasonal cycle. Rather than following a strict, low fat diet plan, Ayurveda is more concerned with ensuring you are eating the right food all year round, rather than the same type of food.

When you eat a diet in accordance with the principles of nature, you are taking a sensible approach to keeping your weight at a healthy level. So the season of spring, with vegetables, beans, and berries, is the ideal time for eating lighter foods to balance out other parts of the year, ensuring a “balanced” diet rather than a “constant” diet, which so many weight loss plans are prone to recommending. You may also support your “spring diet” with exercise and particular Ayurvedic herbal formulations like the popular triphala. When you take triphala as a supplement to your meals, you aid proper digestion and elimination. Triphala also promotes healthy eating habits and cravings as it promotes healthy absorption and assimilation of nutrients. It helps to keep your body feeling properly nourished and balanced, which is an important element of any diet.