Winter Food - Do's and Don'ts

By Rippan Sandhu

One of Ayurveda's key principles is to live in harmony with the seasons. It recognises that each season has unique characteristics and qualities. In winter, the environment is dominated by cold, damp and heaviness and this can make us feel dull and sluggish in ourselves.

Therefore, to bring the body back into balance, Ayurveda recommends seasonal lifestyle and diet changes with opposing qualities to the season whilst avoiding things that can cause further aggravation.

The good news about winter eating is that our inner digestive fire tends to be stronger in winter – which makes it a great time of year (and excuse) to enjoy slightly heavier, richer foods.

Food to favor in Winter
• Warm and nourishing food: hotpot, stew, pasta, casseroles, milk products (e.g. rice pudding).
• Porridge and pancakes are great breakfast options. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom as these spices are known for their warming and flushing actions.
• Stewed or cooked fruit.If you eat raw fruit, eat mid-morning on a warm, sunny day to minimise its adverse impact.
• Snack on dates, raisins and figs.   Roasted almonds, cashews, walnuts and pine nuts.
• Warm drinks such as herbal spiced tea, warm water with lemon and ginger or Herbo vit- a natural alternative to tea or coffee.

Foods to Avoid in Winter
• Any kind of breads as they are sticky, heavy and damp.
• Cheese, butter, white sugar, bananas, cold meat, cold drinks - all have heavy, cold, damp, moist qualities.
• Tinned/frozen foods – are cold and lack prana (life force).They can cause heaviness to spread in our nervous system making us gloomy and lacking in motivation.
• Carbonated drinks when combined with deep fried, oily foods can makes the oil adhere to mucous linings in the throat and lungs, causing sore throat, bronchitis, sinus and hay fever.

Eat well and take care,
Rippan and the Team at Spa Ayurda