Introduction: As the saying goes, "A year's plan starts with spring." Spring is a season of vigorous growth, and proper daily routines and health preservation are crucial for your vitality throughout the year. In this season that symbolizes a new beginning, what foods should you eat to stay healthy? There are many folk traditions and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles regarding spring diet, commonly known as "eating spring." Here is the ultimate guide to "eating spring" for you.
To learn more about delicious spring recipes, we recommend our special feature: Spring is Warm and Flowers are Blooming – Let's Go Out for a Spring Outing Bite-the-Spring Banquet Spring Delicacies: Wild Vegetables
Spring's Number One Vegetable: Spring Bamboo Shoots
When it comes to "eating spring," spring bamboo shoots are a must-mention. Crisp, tender, and delicious, they release a fresh, fragrant, and mellow flavor. Hailed as the "finest vegetarian delicacy," they have been beloved by people since ancient times, praised by writers and gourmands alike, with a saying that goes, "No one who tastes the first freshness fails to praise the spring bamboo shoot." If meat-eaters are considered coarse, then bamboo shoot-eaters are the very opposite. The taste of bamboo shoots is so elegant and enduring. Su Dongpo once said: "Without bamboo, life is vulgar; without meat, one is thin. To be neither vulgar nor thin, one must eat bamboo shoots with meat every day." In TCM, spring bamboo shoots are believed to have the effects of "benefiting the nine orifices, invigorating blood circulation, resolving phlegm, and relieving food stagnation and bloating."
Spring bamboo shoots are thick, flavorful, nutritious, and can be cooked with either meat or vegetables. Different cooking methods yield different flavors; stir-frying, stewing, boiling, or braising all create exquisite dishes. Local famous cuisines often feature spring bamboo shoots, such as "Goji Spring Bamboo Shoots" from Shanghai, "Spring Bamboo Shoots with White Chicken" from Nanjing, and "Nanrou Spring Bamboo Shoots" from Zhejiang. However, fresh spring bamboo shoots are hard to find in the north; if you can only get ones soaked in formaldehyde, it's best to skip them.
Spring's Number One Tea: Rose
"Responding to the spring climate is the way to preserve health." The focus of "eating spring" is not just on "eating"; "drinking" is equally important. Spring's number one tea, which is both a flower and a tea, is the familiar rose.
It should be noted that roses should not be steeped with tea leaves because tea contains a large amount of tannic acid, which can affect the liver-soothing and depression-relieving effects of roses. Furthermore, because roses invigorate blood and dispel stasis, women with heavy menstrual flow should avoid drinking it during their period.
Spring's Number One Drink: Honey
Spring is a time when a hundred flowers bloom, and also the busiest season for bees to collect nectar. Therefore, the sweet-tasting honey water is known as "spring's number one drink." The *Compendium of Materia Medica* has long recorded that honey "calms the five zang-organs and addresses all deficiencies, replenishes qi and the middle jiao, stops pain and detoxifies, cures various diseases, and harmonizes hundreds of medicines. Long-term use strengthens the will, lightens the body, prevents hunger and aging, and prolongs life like a deity." Moreover, as people transition from the cold of winter to the windy season of spring, TCM theory holds that excessive wind can lead to dryness. When wind-dryness invades the body, it can easily turn into internal heat, often manifesting as a sore throat, thirst, and cough. Honey can treat dry cough due to lung dryness, lingering cough due to lung deficiency, a dry throat, and mouth dryness. People prone to respiratory issues should also drink more honey water. If accompanied by constipation, honey water is the top choice.
The spring climate is changeable, with alternating cold and warm weather, making people susceptible to colds. Since honey contains various minerals and vitamins and has the function of clearing the lungs and detoxifying, it can enhance human immunity and is the most ideal tonic in spring. Therefore, in spring, drinking 1-2 teaspoons of honey daily with a cup of warm water or mixed with milk can be beneficial to your health.
Spring's Number One Fruit: Cherry
Everyone says, "Spring sleepiness, autumn fatigue, and summer drowsiness," and it is indeed the season for spring sleepiness. Fortunately, bright red cherries are now abundantly available. Their sweet and sour taste and rich nutritional content make them an excellent remedy for refreshing the mind and relieving spring sleepiness.
Cherries are known as the "number one fruit of spring." They are warm in nature, sweet in taste, and slightly sour. They enter the spleen and liver meridians, can replenish the middle jiao and benefit qi, expel wind and dampness, and are mainly indicated for post-illness weakness, shortness of breath, palpitations, listlessness, poor appetite, dry throat and mouth, as well as rheumatic pain in the waist and legs, numbness in the limbs, limited joint mobility, and chilblains. During the season of spring sleepiness, eating 10-20 cherries daily can eliminate fatigue and refresh the mind. In addition, cherries have been called the "beauty fruit" since ancient times and are especially recommended for women. Ancient Chinese medical texts praised it for "moistening the skin" and "making one's complexion and appearance beautiful." Regular consumption can make the skin smoother and more supple. This is mainly because cherry iron content is extremely rich, ranking first among all fruits.
It should be noted that cherries are "heaty" in nature and should not be consumed in excess. People with yin deficiency and excessive internal heat should avoid or eat them sparingly. If you can't eat cherries, strawberries are also a very good choice.
Eight Spring Health-Preserving Foods
The Spleen-Nourishing Delicacy: Jujube (Red Dates)
The ancient Chinese physician Sun Simiao said: "In spring, one should reduce sour foods and increase sweet ones to nourish the spleen." This means that in spring, it's best to eat less sour food and more sweet food. TCM believes that spring is a time when liver qi is abundant. Eating too many sour foods can cause excessive liver qi and damage the spleen and stomach. Therefore, sour foods should be consumed in moderation. In spring, people engage in more outdoor activities than in winter, leading to greater physical exertion and a higher demand for calories. However, the spleen and stomach are relatively weak at this time, and gastrointestinal digestion is poor, making it unsuitable to eat too much greasy meat. Therefore, calories can be appropriately supplied by sweet foods. Red dates are precisely such a spleen-nourishing delicacy for spring.
The Qi-Boosting and Middle-Jiao-Replenishing Raisin
Raisins have the effect of replenishing qi and blood, nourishing liver blood, and are suitable for people who are prone to anemia and often feel dizzy. People who are prone to dizziness in spring often have insufficient qi and blood. Moreover, raisins are rich in iron, which is essential for blood production for women. However, due to their high sugar content, those who are afraid of gaining weight, have diabetes, or are prone to diarrhea should eat them in moderation. It is recommended not to eat more than half a handful per day.
The Spleen-Entering and Blood-Nourishing Dried Longan
Dried longan can calm the mind. Those with insufficient liver blood and poor qi and blood circulation are prone to poor sleep and low energy in spring. Dried longan can enter the spleen and nourish the blood. When the spleen and stomach are well-nourished, the liver blood and liver qi will also be more abundant. People who have trouble sleeping at night or are prone to dizziness can eat more. However, those who often have a dry mouth and tongue, are prone to "heatiness," or have a constitution that is relatively "heaty" should eat less. It is recommended not to eat more than half a handful per day.
The Seasonal Food: Spring Sprouts
Eating spring sprouts in spring is a gift from nature. The classic TCM text, *Huangdi Neijing* (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), advises to "eat the grain of the year," which means eating seasonal foods. In spring, all plants sprout fresh, tender shoots. Among them, many are edible spring sprouts, such as toon sprouts, bean sprouts, garlic shoots, and pea shoots.
The First of the "Four Freshes": Spring Chives
Spring. Tasting freshness. First choice: spring chives. The spring weather is inconsistent, with alternating cold and warm, so it's important to nourish the body's yang energy, and chives are most suitable for this. Chives contain volatile oils, protein, fat, and various vitamins and other nutrients, and have effects such as strengthening the stomach, refreshing the mind, and strengthening the kidneys. Spring chives are the finest among chives, with an especially delicious flavor. Their roots are white as jade, their leaves are green as jadeite, and they are fragrant and aromatic. Spring chives can be prepared in various ways; they can be served with meat, eggs, shrimp, cuttlefish, etc., or used as a filling for steamed buns and dumplings. Adding some spring chives when stir-frying bean sprouts or dried tofu makes them exceptionally fragrant and delicious.
Spinach: Detoxifying and Preventing Spring Dryness
Another vegetable to eat in spring is spinach. Spinach is available all year round, but it is best in spring. "Spring spinach" has red roots and green leaves, is exceptionally tender and fresh, and most delicious. The spinach available in spring is quite beneficial for detoxification and preventing spring dryness. TCM also believes that spinach is sweet and cool in nature, and can nourish blood, stop bleeding, astringe yin, and moisten dryness. Because spinach contains a lot of oxalic acid, which hinders the absorption of calcium and iron, it is best to blanch it in boiling water before cooking.
Onions and Garlic: Killing Bacteria and Helping Spring Yang
Onions, ginger, and garlic are not only excellent seasonings but also have important medicinal values. They can stimulate appetite, help spring yang, and have the effect of killing bacteria and preventing diseases. Spring is the time of year when onions and garlic are the most nutritious, tenderest, most fragrant, and best to eat. Eating them at this time can prevent the most common spring respiratory infections. Scallion eggs or scallions with sauce, which are popular in the north in spring, are both very nutritious and the best way to eat in accordance with the season.
Warming and Tonifying the Spleen and Stomach with Glutinous Rice
Glutinous rice cakes replenish physical strength. Glutinous rice has the effect of tonifying the middle jiao and replenishing nutrition. Eating glutinous rice in the cool early spring can warm and tonify the spleen and stomach, nourish blood, and calm the mind. It is suitable for people with spleen and stomach qi deficiency and frequent diarrhea, or for those who tend to have abdominal pain or a cold stomach when the weather is cold. However, glutinous rice is not easy to digest. If you are prone to indigestion, you can eat about half a handful a day.