Spring is the season that most fills me with awe and wonder.  After the quiet and stark landscape of winter, beautiful colors start to appear one-by-one.  First it was the daffodils, which started to peek out of hiding in January.  (We did have a warm winter up until February or March.)  Then some purples started showing their true colors in February.  And this week has brought us buds on trees and a seeming explosion of pinks and reds and even more purples and yellows. It fills me with awe because I can walk the same route every day and see such huge differences in a mere 24-hour period.  It’s almost like each year I forget just how amazing this time of year is – which I am thankful for, because this way I get to be astounded over and over again.  Daily dog walks change from something I have to do (in winter) into a great opportunity to marvel at nature (spring).  Yes please!

So let’s talk about this upsurge of energy that is Spring and the Wood Element in Chinese Medicine.  This is also the same energy as Aries of the Zodiac.  Think about the energy it takes for a tiny sprout to crack its seed casing.  Think about the blade of grass that, against all odds, has cracked the pavement.  The Wood Element is all about this upsurge of energy after the dormancy of winter.  (Keep in mind that without the “dormancy” of winter, nothing would have the energy required for this radical upward shift.  The quiet resting of winter leads to the upsurge.)

This is the time of new beginnings.  The seeds that we have sown all winter are ready to burst forth.  Winter is a time of rest and introspection, and spring is the time to act.  We see how people shift on the first few nice days of the year.  People are out and smiling, talking to the neighbors they have not seen all winter.  You probably feel increased energy and vigor, that you are wanting to do more.  You feel enlivened after a period of deep, wintry rest (assuming you allowed yourself to do what the rest of nature does in winter – rest, relax, and replenish).

All of this energy is fantastic and appropriate for the season, but it can also get out of control.  When you think of Aries, you probably think of a battering ram, someone who is so focused on her own will that she just keeps going and going, even when she should be acquiescing.  But this is only Aries (or the Wood Element) in its dysfunction.  Think of the nature of Wood.  Go outside and look at a tree.   Right now.  Is it static?  No, it is moving with the wind.  And the more wind that comes its way, the more it must bend in order not to break.  This flexibility is essential for the proper function of the Wood Element.

A Wood imbalance can also go the other way – it can show up as the person who really has a hard time standing up for himself or making decisions.  This is when someone has too much flexibility and not enough of a solid wood trunk.

So right now is the perfect time to ask yourself, “Where in my life can I have more flexibility?  Where am I too rigid and unable to bend even when I need to?”  You might also ask, “Where in my life am I not asserting myself when I should?  How can I assert myself in a healthy, balanced way?”  And the perfect way to reflect on these questions is to get outside and enjoy – you guessed it – a spring-time walk!

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Food is about nourishment and enjoyment, and should be viewed this way.  Something to savor.  A meal by yourself, or a meal with friends – it doesn’t matter.  Food is about communion – between us and what nourishes us.

I have not always had a healthy relationship with food.  It seems that most of us, especially women, have not.  I dieted in high school, and experimented with purging.  In my 20′s I over-exercised and under-ate.  I learned that fat was bad, and that low-fat, highly-processed fake foods were good for me.  I still see this anti-fat mindset with many patients I work with.  At age 19 I could sit down with a whole box of Snackwells and inhale the entire box.  And I was still left empty inside.  This is because our brains and bodies need fats.  Some of the amazing processes that healthy fats contribute to include: building our cell membranes, making hormones, giving us radiant and healthy skin, cushioning our internal organs, and helping the body use fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K).  There is also a slew of research pointing to the importance of fats for our brains – both the cognitive and emotional parts.  Those sound like really important functions to me!

Back to the lack of satisfaction with the “foods” I was eating.  A big reason for the lack of satisfaction was that my body was not getting this important nutrient it needed – healthy fats.  It was however, getting a lot of insulin spikes from the high-carb, low-fat diet I was on.  And why has diabetes become such an epidemic in the midst of all this low-fat eating?  Exactly!  So began the endless cycle of elevated blood sugar, the resulting sugar crash, and subsequent reaching for more sugar.  What a roller-coaster!  Serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood, becomes elevated as well after a sugary snack.  (The “sugar high.”)  Then we crash and crave more sugar to elevate our mood.  So we have both of these processes going in our bodies when we eat high-carb foods.  No wonder I kept reaching for more!

It took a long time for me to break out of society’s demonization of fats and embrace a healthy relationship with real food.  It has been a process of paying attention to how I feel when I eat certain foods, and of learning to be comfortable in the body I have.  I eat a lot of fats – nuts, seeds, avocados, coconut products, local, humanely-raised meats.  They taste good to me and I feel well when I eat them.  I don’t eat grains because they make me feel horrible.  Sometimes I eat refined sugar – in the form of ice cream – but I know that I will feel tired and sluggish the next day, and will also have horrible sugar-cravings for a few days afterward.  When I choose to eat ice cream, I choose to feel less-than-my-best the next day.  I don’t do it when I am working the next day.  I eat a ton of fruits and vegetables.  I am thankful that I have cultivated a relationship with food where I feel empowered and nourished by the choices I make.

All of this talk about food is making me hungry for dinner.  Of real food – local eggs, and a “cauliflower rice” (grain-free!!) and veggie stir-fry.  And these for dessert.  Delicious, savory, satisfying real food.  A communion where I will not be wanting for more.

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