Winter Edition: Food
As the seasons change, we should also change our diet to preserve our health and vibrance. Winter is the time where everything rests and thus most of the food we eat must be “calm”. The food must be cooked longer so that it warms and strengthens our organism. Legumes are the ultimate winter-food! They strengthen our kidneys and the whole organism. Feel free to experiment with beans, azuki beans, black soya and other legumes.
Another great winter-food is buckwheat, especially if you like to spend time outside, because it warms and gives plenty of energy.
Although I know many people are not a fan of it (and neither am I :P),Sauerkraut is a great food to eat in the winter and can be prepared in various ways.
Winter is the time for dry fruit, so feel free to indulge in apricots, plums, apples, raisins, figs and other dried fruit. Just make sure the ones you buy are without added sugar, because that is everything but healthy.
If you tend to become less active during winter, make sure you adjust your diet to your lifestyle, because otherwise you won´t be able to spend all the winter food energy and calories. It is also important to mention that the central heating dries out the air, so make sure you take enough fluids (water, soups, teas) and /or reduce the amout of salty food you eat.
A great way to relax in winter are baths. You can find great baths in your local drugstore or you can use some of the natural oils, such as black pepper, rosemary or rose geranium. They are great if you want to improve your blood circulation.
I would also like to point out that it´s important to adjust to the nature and slow down in winter to prevent burn-out, viral infections and other consequences of weakend immune system. Also, don´t forget to work out! ;)
This post here was written with the help of the book “Winter” by Jadranka Boban-Pejic. It´s a guidebook for macrobiotic cuisine and lifestyle. I used to pratice macrobiotics, but I´m not that extreme anymore. I just love to follow some of the macrobiotic guidelines and I just love these books, I think they give great advice :D Hope you liked it too! :)
Xoxo,
Una
