A while back, I received a timely message from a reader: “With the weather warming I am digging out summer clothes and finding that some things are a bit “snug.” My diet is healthy and I run several times a week, but I would love to shed a few pounds around my waist. If my diet is already good, what would you suggest to take a few pounds off?” 

Let’s look at this request from a seasonal standpoint. Unlike the warm-weather growing season, winter is not typically thought of as a time of caloric abundance. Centuries and millennia ago, food was markedly more scarce in the winter. Nature made up for this predicted annual caloric shortfall with the final ripening, at the end of the growing season, of carbohydrate-rich produce such as squash, pumpkins, beans, and potatoes. Think about how, as the growing season comes to a close each fall, we enjoy dishes like acorn squash, pumpkin pie, zucchini bread, and stews made sweet with root vegetables. These foods were a gift from Nature, one last chance to increase the likelihood of surviving through the coming winter. These crops, and others like them, served as an insurance policy of sorts to fend off the possibility of starvation during the sparse winter months. 

When spring arrived, finally, we began immediately to restore our nutritional reserves with the first crops to appear: small green shoots like asparagus, and then leaves like lettuce. Low in calories but rich in nutrients.

Fast forward to the 21st century. Unlike before, we eat in abundance straight through the winter, and arrive at spring with our winter insulation intact. The solution? This is the best time of year to eat in season. Spring is a great time of the year to eat seasonal, local produce. Greens, parsley, asparagus and rhubarb are coming up. There’s thyme, and rosemary and sage, too, to sprinkle on salads. Eat plenty of greens all year round, but especially in spring. And don’t forget about green smoothies.

A couple more ideas:  If you’re looking to improve the way your pants fit, it’s best to get some form of exercise every day. It doesn’t have to be running; you can walk some days, or do yoga, or just stretch. And, finally, do a careful evaluation of your diet for hidden sources of processed sugar. Do your very best to limit added sweeteners. If you can’t find any, then take the next step and switch out your diet soda for club soda or unsweetened iced tea. Let me know how that works.