Dietary guidelines for the Winter - According to Ayurveda.
Oct 25, 2021

Reading time 2 min.

Dietary guidelines for the Winter - According to Ayurveda.

As winter arrives, we should be on our guard as the warm summer days are behind us. It’s time to prepare our body for the cold weather of the winter season. To remain healthy and stay in harmony with nature, it is highly recommended to make lifestyle and dietary adjustments.
Ayurveda considers a seasonal routine as an important aspect of health-care.

The desire to eat more during winter is a natural instinct of the body designed to put on additional weight and insulate itself. Mother Nature gives us what we need by providing us with a whole range of healthy cold-weather food like nuts and a variety of winter vegetables. With these winter foods, the blood and skin become thicker to protect the body from the cold.
Vata Guidelines for the Winter

Vata is usually not comfortable in the cold months unless they follow a nourishing Vata reducing diet. So the Vata more than any other dosha needs to follow their Vata reducing diet strictly during the winter months. This is because the Vata diet is moist and warm, the exact opposite of the cold and dry qualities of winter.

For the Vata to stay balanced, it's better to adopt a very nourishing diet. Ayurvedic practitioners advised that a diet with warm and cooked foods is essential for the Vata. During the winter the Vata can also add additional oil and butter to the diet. Warm soup cooked with organic coconut oil or ghee will nourish the sensitive Vata during the chilly winter. A good breakfast for the Vata in the winter is cooked oatmeal with warm milk and butter. The Vata always does well with cooked vegetables and lentil soup with whole wheat bread.
Pitta Guidelines for the Winter

Pitta dosha is comfortable in the winter, but they still need to avoid hot spices, hot curries, chilies, and too much garlic. The cold air of winter makes the Pitta stay cool both emotionally and physically. It is recommended that a Pitta uses Ghee for cooking instead of butter which is the most favorable oil for the Pitta. In order to keep Pitta balanced, it is optimal for them to eat foods that are naturally sweet, bitter and astringent. Cooling herbs and spices like coriander, cilantro, fennel, and cardamom are perfect for the Pitta all year around. In fact, winter is a good time for the Pitta to exercise and build muscle.
Kapha Guidelines for the Winter:

For the Kapha person, winter is a difficult time to lose weight. The goal for the Kapha during the winter months is to not gain extra pounds and wait for spring to lose any extra weight. To keep the Kapha metabolism active and burning fat, the Kapha needs to consume pungent spices like chili, black pepper, ginger, and other stimulating herbs. Additionally, the Kapha should fast one day a week or skip dinners two or three times a week to manage their weight. To keep the Kapha dosha balanced, teas such as lemon ginger with a pinch of freshly-grated ginger will help. Processed and oily food should be eradicated from the Kapha diet. Furthermore, it is not optional to have heavy meals since Kapha gets more sluggish and slow. It is recommended that Kapha people mostly eat dry foods that are prepared with minimal oil to stay balanced during winter months.
The key to staying healthy year around is maintaining the body's balance through the seasons.


Leave your comments / questions for this practitioner

To write a comment please
or
Services
Category filter
Concern filter
Type filter
Sort
 

All categories

Nutritional Therapy
$10 USD
coaching session
Nutrition for your Neurodivergent Brain

If you have ADHD or other brain differences you know how challenging it can be to live up to your potential. I can help you gently re-nourish your brain while helping you connect to your intuitive eating wisdom (yes, you do have it!). As a Registered Dieitian with a Master's in Ed Psych and over 30 years of experience with neurodiverse individuals, I can help you reduce anxiety, hyperactivity, fatigue, brain fog, sleep problems and other difficulties.

Sign up for a discovery session to see how individualized nutrition can lead to a happier, more fulfilling life!

*Note: Young people between the ages of 13 and 18 must bring a parent or parents.

Laura May
Nutritional Therapy
$10 USD
consultation
Discovery Call

Whether you’re looking for feeling in control of your life and food habits, making peace with your body and falling in love with it, dropping stress burden, develop toned body, drop some weight or eating healthy everyday, learning to plan and prepare healthy meals for yourself and your family, I’m here to help you every step of the way.
Each of my coaching sessions are designed for you reaching your goals and living your happiest and healthiest life possible.

Book a discovery call and see if this is the right fit for you.

Nora
Nutritional Therapy
$150 USD
consultation
Nutritional Therapy Consultation

Hi my name is Aria and I am the founder of Heal with Nutrition. I am a registered Nutritional Therapist and a Naturopath who has a passion on Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle, combining alternative medicine with food.

The key to my success is the holistic approach I offer. My focus is to investigate and address the root cause of imbalances in the body. I can help you understand the importance of nutrition and how it can positively or negatively influence your quality of life. I can support you through your nutritional journey to achieve your goals; these can be weight loss or gain, improved overall health or helping address a pre-existing condition. I can also teach you how to use natural, home remedies to help prevent and treat seasonal illnesses and ailments.

As a mother of 3 feeding my children healthy and nurturing food was my number one priority. Over the years, I have become creative with different food options to satisfy everyone’s taste buds. I can educate you on how to feed your whole family and keep them as healthy as possible.

I love inspiring people and helping them find the right food for them, a regime that will support their individual state of balance and happiness.

Aria Alexandrou
Nutritional Therapy
$100 USD
consultation
Be Well Nutrition and Wellness Counseling

Hi my name is Bea! I am a Registered Dietitian who believes diet is a lifestyle and that wellness is a journey. In my free time you can find me hiking, reading the latest in nutrition science or creating something in the kitchen.

My specialty areas include: weight management (weight loss, weight gain, muscle building), disease prevention and management, food allergies, meal planning and more. Metabolism and food sensitivity/allergy testing help me identify a client’s needs and develop a custom wellness plan.

I believe that everyone deserves personalized nutrition care. My goal is to help clients develop a positive relationship with food and understand how eating patterns can support their wellbeing.

I am excited to help clients set realistic and achievable goals.

Brenda Viens

Related Articles

View All
Nutritional Therapy
Feb 8 2021
An Introduction to Bitters: How to Use, Pros, Types, and Recipes

If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works.

Not just for cocktails Bitters is — as the name implies — an infusion that’s created from predominantly bitter ingredients. These ingredients comprise aroma…

Demi Powell
Nutritional Therapy
May 2 2023
How Your Diet Affects Liver Health: Essential Foods to Consume and Avoid

Maintaining a healthy liver is crucial to our overall well-being. The liver, which is the second largest organ in the body, performs several functions such as removing toxins, blood purification, and protein synthesis. A healthy liver is essential for our…

PAULINE MBATHA
Nutritional Therapy
Apr 17 2020
The 8 Best Supplements To Improve Your Health

You eat right and exercise, but you still feel like something is missing. And, with all the vitamins and powders on the market, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and confused. Luckily, there are several supplements that have been shown through research to incr…

Jenn Livingston
Nutritional Therapy
Jan 30 2023
Health Benefits of Kefir

As a nutritionist, I am always on the lookout for foods that provide both taste and health benefits, and kefir is one such food. Kefir is a fermented dairy product that originated in the Caucasus Mountains and has been used for centuries for its many heal…

Alison Birks
Registered individuals enjoy all the possibilities of Core Spirit.