Seasonal Transitions: the ups and downs of spring
5 simple ways to care for your springtime-self through your food
First off, I owe you all an apology. I am writing to you from Brooklyn, NY where I am shifting back into the swing of Big Apple city life (for the next 6 or so weeks) before heading back to Copenhagen. International travel, spending time with family and old, dear friends, and reacquainting with patterns and paces that feel like they’re from a past lifetime, well…it’s all a lot to take in and so I took a quiet week last week without any posts. And, now I’m back. I’m back to a city I love, will always love-perhaps from afar,-but will call home again for the next few weeks (CPH, don’t be jealous, you are my beloved second home and I miss you already). I’ve returned to NYC at the peak of springtime—and it’s A LOT of energy to take in and digest especially when you’ve been away for a good chunk of time. The flowers are in full bloom, cherry blossoms have already shed and dusted the sidewalks, the trees are bursting with green…a necessary juxtaposition to all the concrete and confident skyscrapers. I find spring is always a mix of high-flying joy and a bit of a downer energy-wise. The weather can change in an instant…sunny and stunning one minute, grey, rainy and chilly the next. It’s like a rollercoaster of environmental emotions—and that definitely passes onto us.
For me, I seek out nature, in any/all forms, to combat that rollercoaster and farmers markets around the city work their medicine every time. At the Union Square greenmarket, signs of spring transition are in abundance. I will save my annual unbridled excitement for ramps (ramsons, ramsløg) along with a few recipes until next week’s post, but they are in FULL swing both here on the east coast and back in Copenhagen. Spring herbs like chamomile, mint, lemon balm, lovage and wild stinging nettles are overflowing and making my temporary transition a little easier. Go back to what you love and what makes you feel good…isn’t that what “they” say? (I don’t know who “they” really is, but it writes well). Aromatic herbs and flowers always give me uplift and re-root me to where I am and to the nature around me. They provide energetic flavor and life to so many things you can eat and make (salads, sauces, sugars, salts, cakes, ice cream, infusions for tea or cream, ferments and pickles…it’s a long list).
All this is to say that transitions, in life and in the seasons, can be tough…mentally, emotionally and physically draining as well as fortifying back and forth like the tide coming in and out. I have been readying to do a good long post on food and mood. Talking about periods of “blue” or depression or seasonal affective disorder—and how to feed and nourish yourself through them—is something I think we need quite a lot more of (just move to a country where darkness prevails 5 months of the year and vitamin D deficiency is a real thing and this topic will hit home harddd). Food and mood will be a forthcoming paid subscriber post, but in the meantime, I figured I’d share a few quick and simple ways I’ve been caring for myself recently while sorting through the transition of spring, warming temperatures and a shifting of cities…balancing a lot of output with some inward input. The points I note below all fall under the notion of “regenerative eating” - a concept I’ve been developing over the years: an intentional, intuitive awareness of how we feed our bodies, how we care for ourselves, our communities, and the natural ecosystem and climate around us. When we eat and cook with thoughtful, regenerative intention we have the ability to impact and potentially overhaul our wellbeing as well as the health of the climate and mother nature. Basically it boils down to taking a moment to slow down, listen to yourself and eat accordingly, along with the guidance of mother nature and what’s seasonally at hand (or whatever is nourishing and restorative and available to you). Ok, back to the quick and simple points… ;)
* have a ritualizing morning routine - whatever this means to you, find something that feels good, awakening and grounding to kick off your day. Meditation and hot water with lemon is my personal morning routine. The lemon water awakens the senses and citrus is an automatic mood booster, like a bit of sunrise in a mug. Lemon water is also excellent for sluggish digestion, a gentle morning cleanser.
* watch caffeine and alcohol - I am the first to say that I love, love my morning coffee, it’s most definitely part of my AM ritual, but I’m also caffeine-sensitive particularly in times when my body is sifting through change in temperature/climate/season and emotional/hormonal changes. Caffeine can exacerbate anxiety and over-stimulate digestion…just something to be mindful of if you find yourself sensitive. Same with alcohol…when your body is working its way through a state of slight compromise, you probably don’t want to compromise it even further (sleep disruption, dehydration, tanking of blood sugar and thus, mood). And y’all know I like my wine/cocktails/beer, just saying it’s good to rest when the body is asking for it.
* eat a salad (with some springy stuff in it) - salad greens, crunchy veg and aromatic soft spring herbs may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking gentle, slow periods, but vegetables and things from the ground will reboot and perk you up…chlorophyll, it’s an internal, life-giving transfer of sunlight (and sunlight typically makes us happier). Chlorophyll is in green things, so eat them.
* cook something that makes you smile - that’s it, a very simple piece of advice. (like this ramp/ramsløg pasta with miso-ricotta, peas & cured egg yolk). happy, well-balanced food will nourish you through and through.
* be kind to yourself and add in some good fat - act towards yourself as you would act towards a friend, likely with a fair bit of kindness. As I mentioned, we begin to output a lot of fiery energy during spring, it’s the restart of growing season, and that’s tiring sometimes! Add in some steadying fat (maybe some avocado or egg yolk, tahini or nuts, or a gorgeously creamy cheese). Hug yourself in some good fat.
* bonus pro-tip if you’re allergy prone… - spring allergies were bananas this week, at least in NYC, (and I don’t even really have them…or maybe I do?) if you’re suffering right now, consider skipping foods that will inflame allergy symptoms. Dairy comes immediately to mind..consider skipping milk, cheese, yogurt, ricotta etc for a few days and see how you feel, hopefully less stuffy and sinusy.
Thanks for reading…until next week.
x, M
