Spring is a time of new beginnings. Ice is thawing, seeds are germinating, and flowers are budding. And although it’s easy for New Yorkers to feel far removed from these aspects of the natural world (especially when it's still in the 30s!), our physiology is still deeply tied to it. In spring our bodies want a fresh start - to cleanse, to lighten up, to restore balance. And luckily, nature gives us exactly what we need to do just that.
In Ayurveda, spring is kapha season - a nurturing time of rebirth and renewal characterized by cool temperatures and wet landscapes. To counter that, we want to focus on light, warming foods. This means avoiding heavy foods and common inflammatory triggers like dairy and gluten, and instead starting to incorporate more raw greens, spices, and detoxifying foods.
Spring detoxes are threefold.
First, eating lighter helps us shed the extra pounds we may have accumulated over the winter. Our Provenance Detox is the cleanse we recommend to our clients for seasonal changes. This detox is NOT a juice cleanse or a form of crash dieting. Instead we like to think of a cleansing as a week of self-care. Yes you are eating lighter, but you are still nourishing your body with nutrient rich foods. The Provenance Detox is designed to help balance your body and keep you satisfied. Each day on the detox includes an omnivore or plant-based meal for lunch and dinner, Be Well Cleanse shakes blended with housemade pumpkin seed milk for breakfast and as an optional afternoon snack, as well as our house-brewed herbal detox tea tonic.
Secondly, the Provenance Detox puts an emphasis on gut health with targeted shakes and supplements, helping to keep digestive fire strong at a time when it may naturally feel more sluggish.
Third, cleansing now can help prevent allergies from developing as we get deeper into spring. Detoxing at the start of spring can help clear up allergy issues later, as well as those pesky change-of-season colds.
As we move into spring we're debuting new dishes and exciting superfoods to help you look and feel your best.
Featured ingredients like turmeric and pineapple help ease inflammation. And the bromelain in pineapple serves double duty - assisting with digestion as well as inflammation of the sinuses. You’ll also find lots of vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and beets that help boost the body’s own detoxification processes.
It's also important to incorporate fresh, fibrous spring vegetables like asparagus, arugula, dandelion, and rhubarb to help cleanse and nourish. Abundant use of warming spices is great too, including black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and garlic. This is why you’ll see dishes like Spicy Chili Cakes, Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Roasted Carrots and Spicy Pepper Jam, and Spaghetti Squash with Broccoli and Harissa on the upcoming menus.
And it doesn’t stop with what you eat.
For a prime start to spring, think about getting outside and moving more. Cardio is particularly great this time of year, as well as power yoga and dance. We love the classes at PROJECT by Equinox, a bonus perk available in our 3 Week Commit to Clean Challenge.
To help ease allergies, we're all about halotherapy aka salt therapy. Another bonus perk in the Commit to Clean Challenge is a salt therapy session at BREATHE. It’s also the perfect time of year for one of our favorite self-care obsessions - infrared saunas. The dry heat will warm you up, ease congestion, and detox the body. If you choose the 3 Week Commit to Clean Challenge or 7 Day Detox you’ll get a 3-pack of infrared sauce sessions from Cryofuel as a bonus perk.
Sarah Hebbel-Stone - Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert
With her focus on holistic health and a passion for cooking, Sarah is our resident health counselor on staff and assists our chefs and nutritionists in developing our weekly menu. In addition to being a yoga instructor and wellness coach extraordinaire, she also manages our customer service and concierge team for clients with special requests and custom needs on their wellness journey.
