Sitting in the sunshine, wearing a sweater, getting sun on my face + eating this soup is my whole spring being. And, helping tiny little Leo learn to slurp broth from a chubby soup spoon. All of that.
Spring is HERE, and with it comes the invitation to make subtle changes to our routines and practices to help our systems adjust, align and balance. And there is no place where that’s more apparent than in the ways we eat for the season.
“What does that even mean, lady, I just want to make a healthy dinner.”
I know I know. Let’s break it down so it’s clear to see that thinking about these principles DOES help you to make any meal healthy!
Spring is the time when Kapha dosha (made of earth + water elements) is at its peak in the environment and in our bodies. The seasonal change signals a major metabolic shift, and the diet adapts to support what your body is already trying to do naturally. Through this season, the kapha that has accumulated in our bodies through the winter (to keep us warm) starts to melt and loosen resulting in moisture, mucus, dullness + heaviness. Our digestion weakens, and our bodies long to “clean house,” and we tend to feel congested, puffy, sluggish or low energy, and emotionally heavy or foggy.
But, shifting our diets can help all of that!
In Ayurveda, spring is the season when Kapha dosha dominates—cool, damp, heavy, and slow. It’s the time when the body naturally wants to shed the stagnation of winter and reset digestion. So, the diet in spring should help lighten, dry, warm, and mobilize.
Even though the warm sun is begging us to prepare our minds for the heat of summer ahead, this is NOT the time to chill out. Cold drinks, meals and raw vegetables will stagnate digestion and put a halt to the melting of kapha we want to happen in our bodies. Soup, soup my friends is a great answer to keeping ourselves healthy, well and fit through this season of rebirth.
Avoid:
Favor:
Favor spices that warm and boost digestion, clear digestive toxin and reduce mucus
ginger, black pepper, cumin, mustard seed, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, fenugreek
…and this beautiful Veggie Pho – our favorite – checks all the boxes!
Features all of the foods we want to favor through this season of letting go and lightening up. It’s warm, light but grounding and nutritionally dense, full of bright and pungent flavors to keep the body warm and functioning well, and it’s just…delicious. Leo LOVES forbidden black rice noodles, but if you don’t love them or can’t find them any rice noodle will do. The veggies here are seasonal this time of year for us here in Colorado, but there are a few (like the mung sprouts) that I source from the grocery store instead of the farmer’s market because they’re just so perky and fresh. And the broth is a boosted version of our favorite bone broth, because we all feel so good sipping broth with this lighter soup but if you’re not a bone broth consumer, you could use whatever broth you love instead. You *could* skip seasoning the broth with spices, but they are truly a secret ingredient that makes the soup shine and truly beneficial during this time of year.
Enjoy this one on a sunny day, when it doesn’t feel *quite* warm enough to peel off the layers just yet. Trust me, it will help keep you healthy and well long into summer.
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