Chinese medicine tells us that the world is a harmonious and holistic entity – and we as human beings are able to live harmoniously with the world. Part of that harmony is eating seasonal food as it comes to ripeness locally – not importing strawberries from Florida or avocados from Mexico. This is part of the idea held by Chinese medicine that food is medicine which nourishes our body, minds, and spirit.

In Chinese medicine, spring is the season for birth and new growth, and traditionally is a time to cleanse the liver. Many foods that are ripe right now are wonderful liver cleansers. These include garlic shoots, dandelion greens, and nettles.

Not only am I offering a class on March 25th to help you make good and harmonious decisions about food this spring, I wanted to provide you with a list of wonderful seasonal foods that you can incorporate into your diet:

This spring, enjoy local, fresh fare like: dandelion greens, rhubarb, morels, garlic scapes, lettuce, white and black truffles, raw honey, asparagus, edible flowers, fava beans, fiddleheads, green onions, stinging nettle, new potatoes, strawberries, haskap berries, hazelnuts, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and swiss chard.

When you search for these foods in the store, grow them at home, or glean them in local forests, consider that Chinese medicine teaches us to value the quality of the food that we put in our body. Here in America, we eat many foods filled with saturated fats, pesticides, added salts or sugars, and much more. Harmful additives take food out of the “medicinal” category and returns us back to the Western way of considering nutrition. So, keep this in mind as you shop for and prepare your food.

I will be providing more information along this line at our Saturday, March 25th class. However, I wanted to give a sneak preview of some of the wonderful, medicinal recipes available at this class and here at AOM Health. Below is a recipe for Fire Cider that I have developed for you to enjoy this spring. It’s a great immune-system booster and can help you keep your metabolism healthy all season long:

AOM Health’s Fire Cider

You will need:

1-quart mason jar

1 small yellow onion chopped finely

1 finely diced orange/lemon peel

Juice of one lemon

5 diced garlic cloves

1 tbsp of cayenne pepper

1 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of cinnamon

2 tbsps of raw honey

Organic apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp of freshly grated horseradish (optional if you cannot find it)

Instructions

Put all of the above solid ingredients (onions, lemon peel, garlic, etc) into the mason jar. Add the juice of one lemon and then fill the rest of the jar with apple cider vinegar.
Let fire cider ingredients sit in a dark, low-temperature place for 14-30 days. Shake occasionally during this time.

Once the soaking time is over, strain out all of the solids.
Drink a tablespoon a day after meals, diluted with kombucha, tea, juice or water.
Enjoy!

Are you hoping to attend our March 25th class? Here are the details!

The Healthy Eating for Spring class will be held at Authentic Healing PDX on Saturday, March 25th, 2017 from 10AM-1PM. We will go through each step of our liver cleanse in this class, provide you with a healthy meal, and discuss food options that match your particular needs. The class is $50. Contact us today if you would like to attend.

And, if you are reading this after March 25th, 2017 or you are more interested in a one-on-one nutritional experience, schedule an appointment here at AOM Health. We look forward to helping you to improve your natural health.