“When we adjust our diet and lifestyle to match the season, health-promoting digestive microbes dramatically change. Winter microbes support balanced immunity, digestion, mood, energy, blood sugar, weight, sleep – and much more. Winter is also associated with the qualities of ‘Vata,’ which are cold, air, dry and light. To stay balanced, focus on food and activities that are warm, moist, heavy and oily.”

–   John Douillard

Winter is the dark and cold season of the year. It is a time to go inward, time of reflection, slowing down, nourishing the soul and supporting immunity. Winter according to Auverada is associated with water, flow, tranquility, restoration and rest. Water in the body is associated with tears, circulation of the blood, the bladder and kidney. In winter, everything slows down and saves energy while some animals hibernate. Humans conserve energy and build strength as a prelude to spring.

According to Chinese Medicine, winter is associated with the most Yin aspect (slow, dark, inward energy) kidney, which holds our most fundamental energy.

“The kidneys contain the root energy of all your organs and spark the energy of the whole body.”

Harmonizing ourselves with the season helps you to be healthier and prevent diseases, so nourishing the kidneys is one of the most important things you can do during the wintertime. Hyperactive kidneys inhibit the heart, which leads to palpitations, cardiac pain, limb coldness, and fatigue.

To keep the kidneys healthy, you should keep them warm and well hydrated. I remember my grandma used to say “ Wear your jacket and cover your kidneys when you go outside so, so the wind and cold are not going to hit your kidneys,” – that is one of the worst things you can do during the winter. During winter activities make sure to keep your lower back warm.

At the same time, you need to drink plenty of liquids to cleanse the bladder and kidney, avoid ice water, which can be too cooling.

During the winter in Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and in my country Poland, eating seasonally is very important. Eating according to the seasons helps us to be in harmony with nature, the environment and it helps us adapt to changes in season and stay healthy. The fundamental principle is “nourishing yang in spring and summertime and nourishing yin in autumn and winter time.”

During the winter season, we want to focus on cooked foods for their warming effects and eat fewer raw salads, smoothies, and other uncooked dishes.

We want to favor root vegetables, winter fruits, cooked whole grains, and warming spices for their balancing and grounding effects during the colder months.

Our body during the winter will appreciate warming foods like hearty stews and soups, whole grains and roasted nuts, roasted vegetables, or steaming cups of ginger or cinnamon tea. To further support the kidney, eat red adzuki beans, black beans, kidney beans along with lots of seaweed (nori, dulse, arame, etc.) and steamed or wilted dark leafy greens.

Eating more food with bitter flavors is preferable and going easy on the salt(unless it is a Celtic or Himalayan salt) to promote a healthy heart and reduce the workload of the kidney. A moderate amount of salty food can help nourish the kidneys, but remember that excessive salt damages them.

Foods with bitter flavors include apricot, asparagus, celery, cacao, tea, grapefruit, hops, kohlrabi, lettuce, radish leaves, kale, vinegar, and wine.

Seafood is a great source of protein at this time of the year. We should consume an appropriate amount of high protein food and fats. Grass-feed beef, Bison, goose, mutton, eggs, duck, rabbit meat, wild game, yam, winter squashes, sesame, glutinous rice, dates, longan, mushrooms, leek, and nuts are great for a wintertime menu.

Remember everything has to be in the balance– when people eat too many high calory foods during the winter, it can cause excessive heat to accumulate in the stomach and lungs. Because of that, they may experience bronchitis, skin problems, peptic ulcers, sore throats. That is why you need to balance high calories food with a certain amount of cool, fresh dishes and water in winter.

During the wintertime, our appetite increases and our metabolism slows down and for this reason, our bodies can absorb more nutrients. To energize our body, we can use herbs, such as wolfberry, ginseng, medicinal mushrooms, angelica, astralagus, and Rehmannia.

During winter we conserve energy, but that doesn’t mean you should not do anything and exercise. When you observe the water that moves downhill, we should choose the path of least resistance and practice fluid movement. Yoga, qigong, Tai chi, dance are lovely practices for the winter months.

Winter is a fantastic time to pay attention to your dreams because of associated introspection and receptivity. Write your dreams in your dream journal and try to process them.

As I mentioned, paying attention to one element at a time is an excellent way to begin noticing their effects. Ultimately though, it is advised to balance all five elements within the body because they work together in a vibrant, rich and complex system.

Finding more balance will help you to feel better and be more vibrant.

TOP SEASONAL VEGETABLES FOR WINTER:

Enjoy these veggies cooked, preferably in a healthy fat like coconut oil, olive oil, or ghee

Acorn squash

Artichoke hearts

Beets

Brussels sprouts

Carrots

Leeks

Onions

Pumpkin

Turnips

Winter squash

TOP SEASONAL FRUITS FOR WINTER:

Enjoy these fruits, preferably warmed or cooked.

Apples

Cranberries

Dates

Prunes

Figs

Grapefruit

Lemons

Limes

Oranges

Pineapples

Tangerines

Try incorporating more of these foods into your regular eating routine. Look for recipes that feature these ingredients, or swap them out for some of the non-seasonal foods that you might be currently consuming in your favorite meals.

Country bison stew

Serves 4 people

1 tbsp. avocado oil (cold press)

1.5 lbs. grass feed bison stew meat, cut in 2″ cubes

1 small onion

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp. sage

1/4 tbsp. ground allspice

2.5 C chicken broth

3 tbsp. tomato paste – Bionaturae Organic

1 medium bulb bok choy

1 carrot

1 parsnip

1 small celery root

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. basil

1 tbsp. arrowroot starch

salt to taste

Stir-fry meat, add onion and garlic. Stir-fry for 5 min. Chop the veggies into 1” cubes. Add the rest ingredients and cook either in the pan or slow cooker for at least five h. Dissolve arrowroot starch and tomato paste in cold water and add to the stew on end.

Check out my Gentle Winter Detox design according to seasons! Click on the image!

In Health,

Angie

References:

https://experiencelife.com/article/five-elements-for-five-seasons/

Shoshanna Katzman, founder and director of the Red Bank Acupuncture and Wellness Center in Tinton Falls, N.J., and author of Qigong for Staying Young (Avery/Penguin, 2003).

https://www.chinesemedicineliving.com/nutrition/seasons/winter/