Winter is the season that confronts our body with the greatest tasks. The change to cold challenges all regulatory forces.

What should we pay attention to in order to get through the winter well? Which foods should we prefer and avoid at this time of year?

How do we protect our mind from winter depression?

Maharishi AyurVeda helps you to get through the dark season well, healthy and cheerful with clear and simple instructions on food selection and preparation.

Winter is traditionally a time of retreat. Cold and darkness hardly allowed for outdoor work a hundred years ago. Extra rest allowed the body to recover, strengthen the immune system and recharge the nerves. The harvest that was brought in during autumn contained everything that served to invigorate the mind and body. To preserve all this, the harvested fruits, vegetables and grains were dried, fermented, boiled down and cured.

Today, the annual rhythm of nutrition has been largely lost. Everything is available in the supermarket at any time. Yet food that suits the season is so important to strengthen the immune system by supplying the right microbes that reforest the intestinal flora.

Ayurvedic recommendations for winter

The learned rishis (seers) who founded Ayurveda thousands of years ago based their recommendations on sound observations of nature and spiritual scientific principles. They noted that in winter the qualities of Vata - cold, dry, harsh and light - increase everywhere in nature. Autumn fruits contain the opposite qualities and thus bring balance. Grains, nuts, fruits and root vegetables nourish us, as do oilseeds and dairy products.

Foods that taste sweet, salty and sour nourish us now because they balance the cold dry and harsh qualities of winter. Salt and sour can melt the snow through their warming properties, and also give us inner warmth. That is why well-seasoned soups are so beneficial now, but also citrus fruits, which unfold their warming effect as fruit or as an ingredient in punch drinks.

That is why we should avoid overly bitter and tart foods now. They have cooling and drying properties and put an additional strain on our system. Therefore, reduce salads, raw vegetables and bitter kitchen herbs in your diet.

 

 

To balance the rough and dry quality of Vata, which we feel in the rough skin and dry mucous membranes, we need plenty of fluids and oily foods . Warm foods and teas are the order of the day now. Every meal should also contain plenty of healthy fats and oils. Use gheefor cooking, linseed oil or hemp oil on ready meals.

Natural Vitamin C

Sufficient vitamin C intake is especially important now to protect the supplied fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins from oxidation. Only then can they develop their full effect. In addition to citrus fruits, Amla fruit, which is contained in many Ayurvedic preparations, is an important source of vitamin C. The following Maharishi Ayurveda products have the highest content of Amla fruit: MA 1 (Sportsman Rasayana) tablets, , Maharishi Amrit Kalash, , Maharishi Chyavanprash.

Nourishing roots against the winter blues

Winter depression is an annual phenomenon for many people. Light therapy and vitamin D are increasingly recognised natural methods to escape the mental darkness.

With the current pandemic, more people than ever are suffering from anxiety and worry. The Ayurvedic answer is called ashwagandha. The "sleeping root" is an excellent remedy to strengthen and protect the mind and soul in times like these. Ashwagandha is available as a single remedy and in combination with other roots. These include MA686, which additionally contains Shatavari and thus supports the female soul in particular. MA1403 contains 9 other roots besides Ashwagandha and is traditionally used especially for fatigue and exhaustion.

Summary

Nature now offers us exactly the foods that balance Vata and protect us from imbalance and illness in winter. Prefer foods with the flavours sweet, sour and salty and the qualities heavy, warm and oily now. Ayurvedic supplements such as ashwagandha and amla fruit contain the micronutrients that calm and strengthen the mind and protect the body from oxidation.