Spring Renewal: Your Complete Wellness Checklist for Mind, Body, and Environment

Part 1: Nutrition

Spring is here. Finally. I’m not sure about you, but I am so ready to exit the winter doldrums. I mean, it’s not instant … you don’t go from the winter hibernation to the renewal and rejuvenation of spring in a day or even a week, though it may feel like it.

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. I don’t mind the rain—I mean I don’t love it—but I love the lush greens and gorgeous flowers in bloom, always have. But, when you live in California, you absolutely treasure the green while you have it … before it all gets its tan and turns gold (aka dead-looking and dry). The rain, the flowers blooming … it reminds me that beyond the seeming dormancy of winter there’s actually a tremendous amount of growth and chaos happening and with spring’s arrival, we get the final, somewhat violent (have you seen those timelapse videos?!) push of transformation as seeds germinate and bloom. So much like the change and transformation of life and how much pain and discomfort happens during growth.

There’s a reason spring cleaning is a thing. I see it as one of ways we mimic nature. Hibernate and turn internal in the winter, grow and change in spring until you finally shrug off the intermediate trappings of your late-winter and early spring cocoon, emerging transformed in your new form, be it blossom or butterfly … whichever metaphor suits you. But part of coming out as this transformed being is letting go of the things that no longer serve us … as cliche as it sounds, the butterfly doesn’t hold onto the cocoon and the flower doesn’t hold on to its original seed form. All of the most important parts of what it needs from those critical support systems are so deeply integrated and ingrained into it that it can never be truly separated from them, so some things become necessary to shed, whether the cocoon, older leaves of a plant that may otherwise inhibit new growth, or even the complete skin of a snake. So much of nature is much better at letting go than we mere mortals.

While I don’t necessarily think we need to become brand new, transformed beings every year (in fact, if you find this being you, I invite you spend some time understanding the why behind the need, desire and/or frequency), I am a firm believer that your external and internal environments are often mirrors for each other. Whether your external environment is a manifestation of your internal (mental, emotional) environment or the state of the external environment helps shape your internal environment—whether it’s chicken or egg—they have a symbiotic relationship.

In the spirit of spring, I put together a Spring Cleaning Checklist in 3 parts. Because I’m a practitioner who believes in addressing the entire ecosystem of our bodies, minds, and environments—all spaces that contribute stimuli our body has to process/digest—I’ve created several categories: Nutrition, Supplements, Medication, Body, Mind & Mindset, and Environment.

Note that I’ve separated Supplements from Nutrition … that’s because Supplements should be exactly that: supplemental. If it helps, think of them like scaffolding: Temporary support.

But first, a diatribe on holding on to things.

Holding on to Things

I’ll say this, as a general rule, much like clothes in a closet, if I haven’t used a packaged food or kitchen herb in 2 years regardless of the actual expiration date, I toss it or donate it (when it’s appropriate). Why? I have a history of holding on to some REALLY expired foods—literally have found 10-year old protein bars from an old desk drawer from a previous job hanging out in cabinets … I’ve had friends roast me about this. But, really, if I haven’t touched something in 2 years, the chances I will magically start using it again now is pretty slim.

It’s easy to justify holding on to something, but why? Sure, maybe it doesn’t take up much space, maybe you don’t want to be wasteful, maybe there was something sentimental about it at some point. But here’s why I don’t buy that … simply being unwilling to throw it out doesn’t mean it holds any value in your life today. What’s the point of having things that just collect dust in the back corners of your cabinet in the hope that you’ll eat it or use it “one day”. All that clutter adds up. I’m not saying ditch every little thing, but if you can’t come up with a single decent real reason why to keep it, why are you holding on to it?

And while I’m not an incredibly sentimental person, I’m also someone who paid to have their grandmother’s piano (well-battered by several generations of kids pounding away on it) transported across several states because it would have otherwise been junked. No, I don’t play piano. And, no, in the decade we’ve had it, we haven’t gotten it restored. There are still keys that just don’t function. I hold on to it because the preservation of its legacy and the memories it represents are that important to me.

Another anecdote: A couple family members hate wasting food. Which is admirable. I also don’t like wasting food. But, every year they’re gifted any number of consumable items that 1) they shouldn’t eat because they are quite literally bad for their health based on their body’s needs and/or 2) they don’t consume those items (like alcohol … they’re not drinkers, never have been). But, because they’re good people and excellent neighbors, they’ll eat the things they’re not supposed to simply because they don’t want to waste them by throwing them out or because it feels rude when the gift was delivered with thoughtfulness and good intention.

Or, what occasionally ends up happening is they (re)gift these things to me. And then I throw them out (shhhh: that’s our secret; I’ve never told them that’s what I do). What am I going to do with 8 pounds of cookies? I can’t have gluten. But I have no problem introducing them to my trash can (or my husband’s squadron, when he was still in the military). For the record here, donating is not generally an option for reasons I won’t get into right now.

It’s one of our unique human quirks: We, ourselves, don’t often want to make an uncomfortable decision, even if it’s simply throwing something out or donating something that we know we won’t use because it was gifted to us. So, it’s just easier to re-gift it to someone else. And, maybe it’s because you truly think they’ll appreciate it—maybe they really will get use out of it. Or, maybe it’s just a “ha ha, sucker” moment. Either way, it’s no longer your problem. I mean, how many of you have been the recipient of someone else’s polite problem (aka the unwanted gift)? I know it’s not just me.

But at the end of the day, what’s more important: Your personal health, your neuroses around needing to not throw things out, or the feelings of your neighbor (who never needs to know you didn’t actually eat their gift)? The “right” answer here is personal to you and may vary. There certainly have been times I’ve indulged my neuroses as an acceptable tradeoff to my health on a given day … I’m pretty notorious for skipping a biobreak to just finish this. one. thing. My poor bladder would like to write me a strongly worded letter.

I could go on and on about this topic of holding on to things and letting go of things; my first book will probably be allllll about it.

About Best By and Expiration Dates

Fun fact, in the U.S., unless you’re buying infant/baby formula, all of those “Use by” or “Best by” dates are related to food quality not safety. Manufacturers have zero legal obligation to tell you when a food is no longer safe to consume. It’s all on YOU to decide when spoilage has occurred and be responsible enough to decide whether or not you should eat the item.

Manufacturers can include a date and if they chose to, the product must be “labeled in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and in compliance with [Food Safety and Inspection Service] regulations.” Manufacturers of meat, poultry and eggs who voluntarily include a date must be sure to include a month and day of month along with a description of what that date means, like “Freeze by” or “Best if Used By.” If the product is shelf-stable, the manufacturer must also include a year.

Descriptions that you may have seen may include:

• Best if Used By

• Best if Used Before

• Sell-by

• Use-by

• Freeze-by

Again: These dates are not actual expiration dates that indicate food safety. These are quality-related dates; the date by which the manufacturer suggests you consume something for peak quality.

The only exception to this is for infant/baby formula.

Manufacturers can include an expiration date. So, if a product you purchase has an actual “Expires by” date, know that it was voluntary for the manufacturer to include, so maybe take their word for it that the product will expire around the date they said it will. Still, it’s up to you to look for spoilage and make that call.

What About that Date on Canned Goods?

All canned goods require the date the item was canned to be stamped on it, which may be part of a larger string of code that may include letters and number; these are often used for inventory control and may be referenced in the event of a recall; these codes are not meant to be used as a “Best if Used By” date. There may be a separate calendar date stamped on the can, which is usually representative of “Best if Used By” date.

According to the USDA, highly acidic foods maintain their quality for 12-18 months and non-acidic foods for 2-5 years.

Theoretically, as long as the item doesn’t have signs of spoilage, it may be okay to consume and may still have some nutritional value. However, canned vegetables, fruit and legumes are heat treated (cooked at high heat) prior to canning and they often lose nutritional value; especially water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C and B vitamins.

Canned vs Frozen

Because bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol B (BPB), which are known toxicants, line most cans (and waxy cartons), it’s best to opt for flash-frozen foods versus canned goods.

Even cans that say they are BPA-free tend to use BPB, BPS, BPF or other forms, which are all known endocrine disruptors. Also, canned vegetables and beans are often packed with sodium and fruit may be packed with sugar or syrup. Flash-frozen is still your best choice, but if you go with canned, make sure the cans are free of dents and make sure the veg/fruit was canned in water without added sugar or salt.

I will almost always be an advocate for fresh in-season fruit and veg. When it comes to out-of-season fruit and veg, I actually think flash frozen is a smarter choice than fresh. The reason is that a lot of vegetables and fruit are frozen at peak freshness; though many must be blanched first, which may reduce nutrient density, they are still more nutrient-dense than vegetables and fruit that travel for days and then sit on the shelf for days prior to landing in your fridge on on your shelf. Peas, for instance, can go from being picked to blanched and flash frozen within 2 hours; it takes fresh peas much longer to reach stores and your grocery cart.

All vegetables and fruit are freshest at harvesting which means the longer they sit out on a shelf, the more likely they are to lose nutrients.

Without Further Ado, a Spring Checklist for You

For any food items you throw out, consider emptying them into green waste trash bins or a compost pile and recycling the packaging as appropriate. Where possible, also please consider donating unopened items to your local food bank, pantry or other community organization.

Guiding Questions

If you’re hesitant to throw something out, ask yourself:

1) Why haven’t I touched it in the past 6 months?

2) Why am I holding on to it?

If you don’t have a real reason—not an excuse—ditch it. Scary, maybe. Emboldening, for sure.

Nutrition

Refrigerator or Freezer

• Toss

  • Open jars, cartons or containers that are past their expiration date, their use instructions, or show signs of spoilage

    • As a rule: If it has anything growing in it or on it, toss it

    • Some products like almond “milk,” bone broth, or stock may say something along the lines of “Consume within 7 days of opening.” It’s always up to you to determine if something is safe to consume, but manufacturers include these statements for a reason (and not just CYA on their part)

  • Open freezer items that have freezer burn

  • Open shelf-stable, packaged food you haven’t touched in 6 months regardless of Best By date … if you haven’t eaten them at all in the past 6 months, there’s a big chance you won’t get around to eating them in the next couple of months

• Donate: Unopened foods you haven’t touched in 6 months, regardless of Best By date. Again, if you haven’t eaten them at all in the past 6 months, there’s a big chance you won’t get around to eating them in the next couple of months

Pantry

• Toss

  • Dented, rusted, or swollen cans … they have a much higher risk for contamination, bacterial and otherwise

  • Anything past an actual expiration date

• Donate: Canned and unopened packaged goods older than 6 months

  • As noted in the About Best By and Expiration Dates section above, they probably haven’t gone bad, so no need to toss them, but if you haven’t used them in 6 months consider why you haven’t

  • Be sure not to donate items past an actual expiration date

Kitchen Herbs

• Toss: Any herb that no longer smells strongly like the herb on the label of the container

  • The volatile oil compounds that give the herb its scent are also where a lot of the nutritional or healing properties lie; if your rosemary smells like the Ghost of Rosemary Past, ditch it

• Replace: Replace the herbs as you go and be mindful of the size of the container you get

  • If you tossed out a bunch of herbs, don’t feel the need to simply go out and replace them all; replace them as you go

  • If you tossed out a mostly full container, consider replacing it when you need it with a smaller container

Current Eating Pattern vs Desired Eating Patterns

Unless you’re super-intent on truly going all-in and committing to big eating changes, I’m not generally an advocate of the complete rip-and-replace. Why? Because it’s spendy and, often, just results in food waste. There are times it is appropriate, but, in general, simply moving the things you don’t want to consume to the back of your cabinets is sufficient. It’s astonishing how motivated we are by what’s in immediate reach and right in front of us. We truly often are: Out of sight, out of mind.

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Part 2: Supplements and Medications coming soon!

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References

USDA. Food Product Dating. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating