Kylie McGregor is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, Culinary Nutrition Expert and co-founder of Wellspace Co. After four years working in Toronto as a publicist, Kylie’s passion for nutrition, a desire to learn more and share this knowledge with others led her to enroll in Meghan Telpner’s Culinary Nutrition Expert Program, which provides an in-depth education around the healing properties of various foods and how to prepare them. Upon completion of this three-month program, Kylie decided to further her education and enrolled at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Vancouver, where she completed the one-year diploma program. Kylie hopes to share the knowledge she’s gained on her own journey, and encourage others to take control of their own health, wellness and happiness. Kylie has been a long time friend and I’m so thrilled to invite her to our Lovefest Community! As a way to say thank you, we’re sharing an article written by Kylie on eating with the seasons – something I am insanely passionate about. Read on to find out more about the goodness she has to offer.

Eating for the Seasons

Our bodies are incredibly intuitive. They know what we need in order to stay balanced, and rotating our diets based on the changing seasons is a great way to maintain this balance. I’m sure we can all agree that during winter for example, we crave heavier, more warming foods (lots of protein, fat and starchy vegetables) to counter the cold weather. And then with the shift to spring, we typically find ourselves gravitating towards lighter, cooler foods, no longer needing as much heat, or heaviness to keep us warm while we hibernate. But don’t worry, eating for the seasons doesn’t necessarily mean a complete diet overhaul every few months. Rather it simply involves listening to what your body is craving, and focusing on seasonal (and local if possible) foods that will help you feel balanced and energized.

This changing of seasons is also the perfect time to “spring clean” your diet, and help the body function optimally. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is a time of renewal and an important time for us to support the liver. The liver is responsible for the detox process, which we can encourage by eating detoxifying foods like green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.) and other foods high in chlorophyll (which gives food their green pigment and is an excellent detoxifier and antioxidant) like parsley, green beans, green peppers, Brussels sprouts, green peas, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, cucumber, green apples, melon, honeydew and kiwi. Another great chlorophyll-rich option is matcha, which is also very high in antioxidants, and provides a nice feeling of alert calmness, which is something I think we could all use. And speaking of warm beverages, starting your day with hot or warm water and lemon is a great habit to get into, as it supports digestion and detox by encouraging the liver to produce bile, which helps the body get rid of toxins.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that while it’s easier on our bodies to digest cold, raw foods when the weather is warmer, these foods can still be tough on digestion no matter the time of year. So while you’re likely going to start incorporating more salads, fresh fruits and veggies into your diet this spring, make sure you’re also incorporating some warming and cooked foods as well, or try steaming, blanching, roasting or lightly sautéing your fruits and veggies to allow your body to break them down more easily.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to listening to our bodies. Because of the innate, symbiotic relationship they have with nature, they are always going to be our best guide in terms of what we should be eating and when. Eating seasonally is a simple way to honour our body’s cravings, while also supporting local famers, seasonal food and biodiversity. Really it’s a win-win for everyone.

Check out Well Space Co to see more of what she is up to!

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As a bonus she is sharing their almond mylk recipe done in a french press! As soon as I saw this I thought it was brilliant – such an easy alternative to a nut milk bag!

Ingredients

1 cup raw almonds (soaked overnight)
3 cups filtered water (include more or less depending on how thick you want the mylk)
A pinch of vanilla powder or 1/4 tsp extract
A pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup or a pitted date (optional)
Pinch of sea salt

Method

1. Soak almonds overnight in water (this makes them sweeter and more digestible)
2. Drain and rinse almonds
3. Combine soaked almonds and filtered water in a blender
4. Blend for about 1 minute
5. Pour mixture into french press, let it settle for a few minutes
6. Slowly begin to press down to separate the almond mylk from the pulp
7. Once it’s pressed as far as it can go, pour the strained mylk back into the blender
8. Blend with sea salt, cinnamon, maple syrup or date
9. Chill and enjoy!