I’ve always loved the winter months – that snap of crispness in the air, the soft drizzly rain, the excuse to stay inside with my stack of books.
Although it can be dispiriting getting up in the dark and no one likes being cold, I think there are lots of compensations. But winter can be a tricky time to stay well. There are ills and chills about, it’s depressingly grey and it’s easy to let things like a healthy diet and outdoor exercise slip. Even more importantly, winter can be a time when your mental state dips, with the dark and cold leaving you less cheerful and less motivated. So how can you tackle the winter blues?
BODY
Eat well
Who feels like eating salad in winter? Not me, that’s for sure. It’s all too easy to let go of healthy eating habits in the colder months, especially with the temptations of sticky date pudding, creamy curries and saucy pies to contend with. But getting ample nutrients during winter is key.
Liz McNamara, naturopath and cosmetic chemist at HealthPost, New Zealand’s largest online wellness retailer, suggests embracing seasonality. Root veggies, pumpkin, dark leafy greens and brassicas all come into their own over winter, and they’re an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamins and fibre. Plus, they lend themselves well to winter cooking.
“It’s such a lovely season for heart-warming food,” says McNamara. “Getting that slow cooker out, looking into recipes for soups and casseroles and bringing colourful vegetables into dishes to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need… winter is such a beautiful time of year for food. What’s in season is just so right for making warming, nourishing food.” Eating seasonally – and locally, where possible – means you’re getting the very freshest produce, so your body can absorb the maximum nutrients. Plus, it’s eco-friendly: eating food grown nearby saves on travel miles and refrigeration.
In winter, it’s also key to choose warming foods. When it’s cold outside, we naturally gravitate towards foods which raise our internal temperature – and we shouldn’t ignore that instinct, says Ayurvedic practitioner and director of Sattva Soul Retreats and Sattva Soul Supplements, Celine Wallace. “Winter is kapha season, cold and chilly with a lot of moisture,” she says. “To combat that, it’s important to eat foods that are warming and grounding, like warm bread and butter, soups, oats, curries, hot teas and drinking room temperature water, not cold water. Basically, to focus on things that balance the
