Ah, Spring. It’s a wonderful time of year. The sun shines, the snow melts, and the flowers bloom. We tend to mimic the transitional state of nature and come out of our depressive winter mood to focus on cleansing. Whether it’s our house, wardrobe, or body, we are in hot pursuit of finding new energy to fuel us through the summer.
With spring, comes a lot of pressure to create our ideal summer bodies. But with so much focus on weight-loss and the outward self, we forget to actually nourish our body and mind. If the goal is to shape our body, then we are likely to be tempted by unhealthy food because we believe we can “burn this off at the gym later”. Instead, the goal should be to take care of our inward self by eating food that lightens our mood and provide energy. What better time to start cleansing your diet than spring?
What are some practical ways to incorporate clean eating into your diet?
Morning – Forgetting Coffee
Substitute your morning coffee or tea for these fluids instead.
Water + Lemon
Benefits: The citric acid of lemon can flush out toxins from your body and improve your digestion. Start your morning by drinking a glass of warm water with lemon.
Power Smoothie
Benefits: A smoothie filled with ‘superfoods’ and additional “kicks” is a great alternative to coffee that will give you the energy you need for a productive day.
Recipe:
8 oz almond milk
1 frozen banana
1⁄2 cup frozen strawberries
1 Tbsp. hemp seeds (source of protein)
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp Maca powder (helps increase stamina and endurance)
Dash pink Himalayan salt
(Source: Sakara Life)
Afternoon – Forgetting Snacking
That mid-afternoon slump can kick in if you haven’t fueled your body with the right nutrients at lunchtime. This often leads to unhealthy snacking habits, which can make you feel sluggish and lazy leading to decreased productivity.
Eat your Spinach
Benefits: Fatigue can be caused by a lack of iron. Spinach is a rich source of iron and unlike red meat it has a loss less calories, fat, and cholesterol. Try to incorporate spinach into your lunchtime meal as a salad, in a sandwich, or a smoothie.
Smart Snacking (Almonds, Blueberries, Pumpkin Seeds)
Benefits: almonds, blueberries, and pumpkin seeds are some snacking options that have been proven to improve cognitive function and memory.
Evening – Forgetting Pizza
We can forget our coffee, we can forget our salty snacks, but will we ever know how to forget pizza?
Sweet Potato Pizza
Benefits: Sweet potatoes, besides being delicious, have been linked to reducing stress, and ensuring the proper function of the immune system. Avoid pizza withdrawal by trying pizza-like meals, such as the Roasted Vegetable + Pesto Pizzette with a Sweet Potato Crust.
Full recipe can be found here.
(Source: Sakara Life)
Her Campus Wilfrid Laurier wants to know what your tips and tricks are for getting fit this summer. Tweet them to us, @HerCampusWLUCA.