How winter affects your digestion
There are many things we can do to make winter more enjoyable.
We have one more month of winter, how is everyone holding up?
I feel like I am part of the minority, the people who actually really enjoy winter – anyone else with me?
It seems that the Sunshine State and its inhabitants are much more attune to summer than they are to winter, am I right?
I, however, am of Danish blood and was born and raised in Canberra, so I certainly lean toward loving and thriving in winter. (And working in a greenhouse in summer at 6000 degrees is hard yacka, my friends).
In my observation, people tend to “suffer” in winter, but unduly so – there are many things we can do to make the winter experience much more enjoyable. So with that said, allow me to share some of those with you here.
Winter brings cold air and wind, that results in dryness in in the body, and that includes: your hair, your skin, and your digestive system. Which means, to combat the dryness you need add more moisture. So my top tips here are:
Drink warm liquids, avoiding too much caffeine (being a diuretic, it will only dry you out more) and completely (and I mean completely) cut out cold drinks of any kind.
Eat warm foods, like soup, casseroles and curry. And cut out eating any foods directly from the fridge, and limit salads.
Drink more water, which we tend to drink far less when we are not feeling the thirsty cues we are accustomed to in summer. So if you need to set a timer as a reminder, do that, it’s a helpful cue!
Eat lots of good fats, ghee, avocado, olive oil – but not too much, as that will land on ya butt.
Eat grounding foods to combat the flightiness of the wind. The wind creates more air in your system, which results in a rattled nervous system and gassy digestion. Lean toward grounding foods like root vegetables and avoid foods that over stimulate – like caffeine and refined sugar.
Hate to state the obvious - but keep warm. Pay particular attention to your feet, neck and lower back. Wear a long jacket, shoes, and a scarf (sometimes I feel like Queenslanders may have missed the memo about how in winter we wear more clothes – including Farmer Zac who is still wearing thongs some days. Hashtag shockhorror).
Sleep more and rest more. Winter is a time for increased quiet and more hibernating, you only need to look at the trees, they’re completely resting, no leaves in sight (unless they’re evergreen, which means they don’t count in this analogy).
Treat yourself to warm showers and baths and follow up with a regular oil massage. This can be done at home, no need to go all fancy at a beauty salon (but if you do want to, then please – be my guest). In Ayurveda we call this abhyanga and this is what you do:
Choose an oil of your liking, I suggest coconut oil and if you can hack it – sesame oil (I find that pretty intense, my preference is coconut oil).
Heat the oil up.
Add some essential oils if you like. I am quite partial to the Perfect Potion brand.
Rub the oil all over your body. Starting from the legs and moving upward.
Be mindful, the oil will get on your clothes, so make sure you choose your at-home-daggy ones to wear afterwards.
And remember – your skin is your biggest organ, so the nourishment you put here will infiltrate through your whole body. It’s a beautiful self-care practice.
So in a nutshell, eat warm foods and avoid raw, drink warm drinks and avoid cold, keep yourself warm, rest and when you have the time – nourish your whole body with abhyanga.
That’s it my friends. We have one more month of winter upon us. August is a windy month, so if you are a sensitive type (I am putting my hand up here) then you will want to pay particular attention to those tips above, or plan to be a giant, dried out prune come spring time (bagz not).
