Ayurveda in winter

Some of us may think of winter primarily in terms of various forms of unpleasant weather with cold, wet, grimy days, sleet showers, fog banks and black ice. But from an Ayurvedic perspective, winter is the time of year when alcohol, sex and good food are particularly good for our health. So the darker days of the year also have their advantages - especially if you love heavy, hearty meals. Cabbage dishes, bean stews and desserts strengthen the body's immunity on cold winter days and can be digested far better than at any other time of year. For those who are neither vegan nor vegetarian, Ayurvedic dietetics also recommends the increased consumption of dairy products, meat soups and honey to increase physical and mental resilience. Those who do not consume this for health or ethical reasons are strongly advised to increase their intake of nutrients and fats through nuts, seeds and high-quality oils.

Winter is also the ideal season for other sensory pleasures: Ayurvedic scriptures explicitly recommend the consumption of alcohol and increased sexual activity as health-boosting measures for the colder months of the year. It is particularly healthy to start the evening with a relaxing oil massage and then take a hot bath in which we enjoy a hot milk with ginger and honey or a good glass of red wine and then allow ourselves to be lovingly and tenderly sexually stimulated and pampered. Ayurvedic medicine explains why this is all the case in its life science Svasthavritta , where the seasons are described in detail with their effects on physical and mental well-being. Winter is divided into two phases, the early winter Hemanta Ritu from the end of October to the end of December and the late winter Shishima Ritu from December to the end of February.

In early winter, from November to December, when our stores are filled with gingerbread, Santa Claus and speculoos, feasting for health is allowed. The rising winds of the early winter months ignite a strong digestive fire that allows us to burn off heavy food easily. At the same time, however, the vata dosha also increases, which can lead to a weakening of physical and mental resilience. This is why we should always make sure that we eat enough warm, cooked and restorative foods in November and December so that we do not run the risk of burning through our energy reserves due to an overactive metabolism. To avoid this, we should mainly eat fatty, oily foods as well as sour, salty and sweet foods. Dairy products, rice and honey are particularly recommended.

However,after Christmas , when the late winter period begins, we should be a little more careful with our food. This is because digestive power is now reduced and the body naturally builds up more Kapha in the form of heaviness, stability and weight to protect itself from cold and emaciation. On the one hand, the increased Kapha gives our immune system a very good boost against all the emaciation of winter, while on the other hand the scales sound the alarm because the many nourishing winter foods are directly reflected in our weight. But as long as winter still prevails, it is the wrong time to lose weight. The body is unwilling to let go of the pounds it has worked so hard to gain as long as the cold and harsh winter weather with its Vata-increasing effect continues to strain the immune system. Instead of a diet to lose weight, January and February should still be dominated by regular oil massages, warming spices and the regular consumption of milk, ghee, almonds, nuts and dried fruit.

Traditional dietary recommendations from the Ayurvedic medical texts Charaka Samhita for the winter:

Regardlessof the type-specific symptoms of the common cold, however, there is also an important commonality: whenever a cold or flu is on the way, the metabolism (Agni) is also weakened and tends to form Ama (undigested metabolic residue), which blocks the Prana-Vaha-Srotas (respiratory channels). This leads to an acceleration of the disease process and quickly turns a simple cold into an infectious cold.