Supporting your body through the Spring to Summer transition

Talking about spring, do you feel lethargic, depressed or have lack of energy during spring season? Lets talk about better ways of supporting your body. 

These symptoms could be linked with some imbalances in the body. It could be hormonal issues, such as blood sugar imbalance, low energy or lack of some important nutrients. Moreover, often we find ourselves lethargic with no motivation. We can also experience sleepiness and drowsiness. It’s important to be supporting your body through these periods of time. 

However, another reason for the above symptoms could be transitioning from one season to another, most likely winter-summer time.

The body is trying to adapt to the climate changes and adjust to the new season. It feels more difficult for us to escape from winter to enter summer, rather than enter winter from summer. It could also be kind of a psychological link of how our brain and body adapt to those changes.

In fact, if you feel the change and if you experience some of the symptoms above, it might be a sign that your body requires additional support to transition easier form one season to another.

I always think about rainbow colours when I think about spring. There are beautiful trees and flowers with their unique colours. Birds are singing. The days are longer and the weather is nicer and warmer. In my opinion, nature is at its best power.

Although, all the good aspects spring brings us, our bodies need to adapt to those changes. But how?

What is the right approach to keep you fit and recharged during change of seasons?

The truth is that there is no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ in the Nutrition world. Do you wonder why we (Nutritionists) say that? Because we are all different and unique individuals and we need a tailored/customized approach in terms of individual needs at any specific time of our life’s. These all depend on our genetics, health status, medical history, family history, diet, lifestyle and environmental factors.

We will pull out some useful general suggestions on how we can support ourselves during seasonal change and go through these changes with more energy and increased vitality.

We like to say nourish your body and change your lifestyle with the right approach. This technique will help you to adapt to the environmental changes, related to the climate, we are exposed to.

Is there any link between how we feel and our diet?

The answer is yes, there is a strong link with our diet, lifestyle and nutrient status of our bodies.

Let’s imagine you are eating a huge pizza with a can of coca cola. Have you ever noticed how you feel after? You may become more tired and you can find yourself napping straight after. This happens because the foods and drinks, we mentioned, give you mostly empty calories and not much nutrients for your body. This can lead to blood sugar imbalance, obesity, depression, low immunity.

Relatedly, this diet can easily trigger the inflammatory processes in the body.

We suggest the following dietary recommendations to help with supporting your body

Seasonal fresh organically grown vegetables and fruit from local farms, where possible to reduce and avoid pesticide exposure and increase nutrient intake.

Quality protein, sourced from local farms, organic or grass-fed animals.

Loads of fibre foods, such us nuts, seeds, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas). This group includes fruit and vegetables as well.

Omega 3 rich foods like oily fish (salmon, anchovies, herring, trout, sardines, mackerels), chia, linseeds, walnuts.

Fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, yoghurt, sauerkraut is a great source of prebiotics and probiotics.

Is diversity important for your body?

Diversity is very important for the digestive tract and immune system health. Thereby, feeding ourselves with all of the above vital foods play a huge part of our general feeling of wellbeing. Also, having a variety of different colour group foods is a great way of getting different nutrients, which our bodies deserve.

How vital is hydration?

Drinking water is crucial for all bodily processes and will help you with supporting your body. Good hydration is important for the immune system, blood circulation and transportation of nutrients to every single part of the body. It is also vital for mood, sleep, stress response and lubrication of joints. Water is also needed by the kidneys in order to eliminate the waste products, through urinary tract system. Hydration is essential for regular bowel movements as dehydration is very common characteristic, seen in people with chronic constipation or prone to constipation.

Are the fizzy drinks and coffees hydrating the body?

Although, many people drink fizzy sugary beverages, caffeine containing drinks and they feel like they are getting enough liquids throughout the day, but the reality with these drinks is different. None of the above drinks count as hydration liquids, in fact quite the opposite, they are dehydrating your body. For example, coffee has diuretic properties and when you drink black tea or coffee you should be drinking extra water to prevent hydration.

There are many people, who don’t like the taste of water and that prevents them from drinking enough water. If you are one of them, you can add some fresh pepper mint leaves, strawberries, fresh lemon juice or any herb on your choice in order to improve the taste and drink more water.

Keeping up water intake is highly recommended for everyone at every stage of their life.