Yesterday was the first day of winter. I have to admit I am not too excited about the idea of being cold for the next couple of weeks. However winter is an important season for preparing for spring.
Macrobiotic and Chinese medicine teach that the organs we need to be careful in this season are kidneys and bladder. When they weaken you may have troubles controlling your body's water systems. You may experience water retention, poor circulation, muscle fatigue etc, as well as endocrine problems.
In the winter you may include more salty flavour. Make sure you are taking good quality salt such as miso, soy sauce or tamari, mineral rich salt (celtic, pink, Himalayan ) as well as seaweek. Winter root vegetables like carrots, burdock, lotus roots, taro are great as well.
Because I am eating quite high percentage of raw foods I have to be careful I am not having too much of cooling foods. The basic rule is to eat seasonally. I still see cucumbers and tomatoes around (they are even organic). I would try to use more produce that grow in winter.
winter fuits-
apple
blood orange
cumquat
custard apple
grapefruit
kiwifruit
lemon
lime
mandarin
nashi
navel orange
pear
persimmon
quince
rhubarb
tangelo
Winter vegetables
Asian greens
beetroot
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cabbage
carrot
cauliflower
celeriac
celery
fennel
horseradish
jerusalem artichoke
kale
leek
okra
olives
onion
parsnip
peas
potato
pumpkin
silverbeet
spinach
swede
sweet potato
turnip
Also include warming spices, such as cinnamon, cardamon, turmeric, ginger, cloves. Be careful not to overdo spicy spices such as chilli and cayenne. They do warm you with a small amount but when it is too much it will induce sweating and cool you down.
If you are cooking, you may decide to use a cooking style that provide you with more heat, such as slow cooking, stew, baking. Even if you are making raw dish such as soup and stir fry it may be warmed to 42 degrees. Don't eat food straight from the fridge or freezer!
I have been finding myself wanting to eat more FAT! coconut butter and other coconut product, cocoa butter, avocado, olives, nuts and seeds... you name it! Because I am small I know this is the way my body is trying to keep warm. So I welcome this craving at this time. But if you are trying not to gain weight be careful not to overdo with fat, even they are in a whole and healthy form of fat. It still adds calories.
Why should we eat more salty food in winter? And how does Winter weaken our kidneys an bladder?
ReplyDeleteThe macrobiotic teaching says that because it is cold you should include more yang energy. salty flavour is very yang (except refined salt) as well as fat and protein in general. I don;'t follow their teaching 100 percent. I still think we do need to be careful with our sodium intake as there are so much food that contains lots of sodium in our food, especially if you have medical conditions.
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