Winter is a time of rest and going inward. Metabolism slows down, energy levels drop slightly, and a need for sleep is increased. If you find that you crave warm, hearty foods, your body is responding to a natural seasonal rhythm. Listen to that instinct! Winter is a time for eating warming foods and drinking hot tea. During cold weather, protect yourself from the wind with a scarf and stay warm with a good jacket (just like Mom said).
In Chinese Medicine thinking, the focus is to nourish and warm the "kidneys" during the winter. Dietary choices have a large influence here. The properties of foods effect the body based on the type of food we eat, the way in which it's prepared, and the spices used for flavoring. Below is an overview of the recommended winter diet: In the cooking realm, it is best to broil, slow bake, roast and slow-cook foods in the winter season. Soups and stews are an excellent and easy way to incorporate all of the dietary elements of the TCM winter diet. Soups cooked in a slow-cooker are ideal and can be made a base of the diet through the winter season. Roasting or baking vegetables and meats will give the added benefit of warming your home and enlivening it with an aroma that will nourish your spirit.
Winter Spices: The taste associated with the kidneys (and therefore used in winter) is salty. The recommendation here is to support the kidneys with a bit of salt, but not too much. For added beneficial minerals, use sun-dried Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt. Seaweeds are another good source of nutritive saltiness. In addition, warming, but not excessively hot spices are recommended as part of daily cooking. Avoid using excessive hot spices such as pepper, cayenne, chili because they can create sweating, which results in cooling the body. Instead, flavor food with these gentile warming spices: Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger, Garlic, Cumin, Turmeric, Fennel, Fenugreek, Sesame Seeds
Winter Fruits: Grapefruit, Longan, Lychee, Pears, Apples, Apricots, Dates Winter
Vegetables: Root vegetables, Squashes, Cabbages, Kohlrabi, Bok Choy, Bamboo Shoots, Kale, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Mushrooms, Leeks, Onions
Winter Meats: Buffalo, Lamb, Duck, Goose, Venison (yes, these choices are a bit strange, however this is the Traditional Chinese advice).
Winter Grains and Legumes: Oats, Basmati Rice, Quinoa, Black Beans, Kidney Beans
In addition, there are quite a few things you can do to keep your immune system strong during cold season. The basic points are:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Be careful not to touch your eyes and face with unwashed hands.
- Get plenty of sleep and a moderate amount of exercise to keep your immune system at peak performance.
- Eat your fruits and veggies and keep dietary intake of refined sugar low. Refined carbohydrates (like breads and rice) act in the same way as white sugar in your body. When blood sugar goes up in an uncontrolled manner your immune system does not function as effectively.
- Stay warm - A blast of cold air can cause body temperature to drop, this causes the immune response to drop as well. Consider using a scarf in cold and windy environments.
- Take 500mg of Vitamin C twice each day and 25mg of Zinc once a day.
About the Author: Eric Schmidt, L.Ac, Dipl. O.M. is the founder of Meridian Health Clinic. He is an accomplished acupuncturist and herbalist, holding a Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Additionally, he has California (L.Ac.) and National (Dipl. O.M.) Acupuncture Board Certifications.
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