Our understanding of the energy of food and eating in harmony with the changing seasons is a sacred pathway to our health and well-being. Our developing consciousness is our greatest asset as we determine which foods and which season of the year will best cleanse and purify us.
I believe it is through understanding the macrobiotic philosophy that reveals the spring season as the optimal time for cleansing, as well as which foods are most purifying and cleansing for us.
For the past 2,000 years, Catholics and Christians have used Lent (during the time period from Ash Wednesday in April to Easter in May) as a time of purification. This was a disciplined mandatory event, in which one was supposed to “quit” or sacrifice something in the form of fasting.
Based on my study of Macrobiotics, a 5,000-year-old philosophy of the natural order of the universe, I think I found a reason for this tradition. I believe that this period of fasting and purification occurred naturally due to the scarcity of food during the spring season. Long ago, we would harvest what we could in the fall (September, October, November), eat our bounty during the winter (December, January, February) and in the spring (March, April, May), we were mostly out of food. . So it was natural to fast until the greens began to sprout again.
Macrobiotics is the study of the order of the universe as an infinite vibratory energy of infinity manifested as yin and yang. Think in a circle.
A circle shows the ever-changing cycle of extreme contraction yang force of winter, rising yin energy of spring, extreme expansion yin force of summer, initial descending yang energy of late summer, and descending yang energy. out of everything
Spring is an upward energy that provides a natural moment of cleansing. It’s the time of year when people have more colds, flus and allergies, as the body tries to cleanse itself naturally. I suggest allowing this cleansing process to take its natural course. I believe that suppressing it with drugs not only makes a lot of money for doctors and pharmaceutical companies, but also deprives the body of natural healing, which eventually results in a worsening of the condition.
The liver and gallbladder in our body are the organs most strongly influenced by the rising spring energies. If one were to superimpose the circle of five (5) transformations on the human body, the liver and gallbladder, which are just below the right ribcage, would be represented by the rising spring energy located at the top of the circle.
We often hear about cleansing and purifying the liver. This is easily accomplished by eating plenty of sprouts and greens, which are the most beneficial. You absorb the energy of sprouting plants, a manifestation of the rising energy of the earth in the spring, and you will purify yourself.
The purification process involves cleansing our bodies of the stagnant fatty, oily, and heavy foods of winter. Feelings of a bad temper and anger during the winter are signs of an imbalance of the liver. Frequent complaints are signs of a gallbladder imbalance. We are generally more rigid and move less. Although we need the extra fat to insulate us from the cold in winter, we don’t need the excess. The excess is generally stored in the liver, usually in the form of toxins, which manifest psychologically as anger and short temper. In health, the liver is strong and vital, manifesting as patience and endurance. As we cleanse ourselves in spring with the energy of foods like dandelions, chives, and chives, we rid the body of unwanted fats, toxins, and compacted or contracted foods. Spring is a beginning time for activation, for the movement of the vital force called “chi”, “ki” or “prana”.
The following foods, mainly from ascending earth energy, help to release the stagnation we experience during the winter season and enhance the necessary activation during the spring season:
o Grains planted in late fall and harvested in the spring, such as soft spring wheat or barley, are energetically beneficial.
o Naturally acidic or fermented foods that break down and break down through bacteria are harnessing the rising energy of the earth and can therefore give us more vitality. These include foods like sauerkraut, quick pickled vegetables, rice vinegar, and umeboshi plum.
o Newly formed leafy greens like cress and especially mustard greens, lamb’s quarters, dandelion greens, and daikon greens are vibrant in the spring. Definitely such power plants are beneficial.
o Sprouts, such as mung beans, alfalfa sprouts, and broccoli sprouts, have an upward energy that helps us cleanse.
o Seaweeds that flow up in the intertidal pool, such as wakame and dulse, not only provide us with various macro and microelements, but also excellent flexibility.
o Sweeteners such as maple syrup produced by the upward movement of sap in maple trees are best in the spring.
As for cooking: Lightly cooking, sautéing, blanching, or quickly boiling leafy greens with sprouts is the way to go in the spring. Try these beneficial dishes.
Nabe Cooking – This dish is always a hit as part of our Friday night dinners. In a ceramic or metal Japanese decorative Nabe pot or a large simple pot with a lid, add the following:
2-3 cups of fresh water,
A 4-inch piece of wakame seaweed,
4 shitake mushrooms, chopped
A good splash of Nama Shoyu, a quality soy sauce.
Note: To keep the liquid in the pot warm, use a small butane stove.
Now finely chop or leave 5-6 of any of the following foods whole:
Alfalfa sprouts
broccoli sprouts
chives
broccoli florets
cauliflower florets
Mustard leaves
chives
Lion teeth
mung bean sprouts
julienne cut carrots
kale
leeks
Fungus
Small Napa chips
fried tempeh
Peas
Chinese cabbage
green head cabbage
Peas.
small cubes of tofu
Thinly sliced pumpkin Etc. etc.
Very thin sheets of seitan
Watercress
Arrange them in a large platter with strips or chopsticks for dinner friends to use while dipping selected foods into the Nabe pot of simmering broth. You can’t get anything else freshly cooked! Tremendous vitality will be received from the freshness of the rising food and the rising energy of the steam.
What combination!
Serve with a cereal mix:
Rinse and soak overnight 1/3 cup sweet rice, 1/3 cup whole wheat berries, and 1/3 cup whole barley.
Place 1 cup of beans and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Add a pinch of Celtic sea salt. Cover with the lid of the pressure cooker. Over medium-high heat, bring to pressure.
Let simmer for 30 – 40 minutes.
Release the pressure or allow the pressure to drop slowly.
Serve piping hot with spring onions or scallions.
NOTE: Start with the grain mix first and then move on to chopping the vegetables for Nabe Cooking.
Enjoy this refreshing spring dish anytime!
For a quick breakfast dish, try this:
Scrambled Tofu with Dulse Toast and Quick Pickled Vegetables:
First, finely chop one cup of Napa, one cup of bok choy, one cup of kale, and grate one carrot. “Sweat” in a pot by kneading with 4 tablespoons of Celtic Sea Salt. Place a plate and a heavy object on top to press down on the vegetables. Set aside.
Crumble and toast dulse in a skillet. This takes about 2 minutes.
In the same hot pan, add olive oil and finely chopped chives or a sweet vadalia onion with chives or dill. Sauté thirty (30) seconds, then add a block of tofu squeezed between your fingers.
Stir quickly like scrambled eggs.
Serve all three immediately.
ENJOY!
David Snieckus graduated from the world-renowned Kushi Institute and has been practicing Macrobiotics since 1977. His passion is sharing his knowledge and experience and invoking self-awareness in others so they can experience optimal health and happiness.