Seasonal Eating for Winter
During our Winter Wellness Workshop we shared what the best foods were to keep you well for winter. Check out this list below for all the best winter eating tips.
- Your diet should be warming and substantial so that it creates internal heat
- Eat complex carbohydrates and proteins
- Eat more whole grains, less fruit, lots of steamed or baked vegetables, more dairy (unless you have a dairy sensitivity) and some meats.
- Fruit ideally should be citrus fruits like lemons, limes, mandarines and oranges. They are in abundance in winter and are a great source of vitamin C.
- Apples and pears are also in season. Try making a warm apple, plum, pear compote with cinnamon, cloves and honey!
- Eat seasonal vegetables like Carrots, Turnips, Onions, Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Pumpkin, Parsnip, Rhubarb, Kohlrabi, Beetroot, Spinach, Leek, Fennel, Spring Onion, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower
- Make meals with plenty of these Herbs and Spices: Garlic, Ginger, Cayenne, Paprika, Cinnamon, Cardamon, Turmeric, Black Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Fennel, Anise, Bay leaf, Capers, Coriander, Dill, Horseradish
- Eat Soups and casseroles
- Eat nuts and seeds, include Walnuts, Pine Nuts and Black Sesame Seeds
- Eat fermented and preserved foods
- East Seaweeds in your food (they contain iodine which is necessary for healthy thyroid function)
- For meat eaters
- Fish and seafood, and occasional red meat and chicken. Red meat can stimulate and brighten the blood, heart and complexion. It is a great building food but limit consumption as too much can be problematic for the heart, kidneys and blood vessels.
- Consider oysters, sardines, clams, crab, anchovies
- Have Soybeans and Soy foods like – Tofu, Tempeh, Miso, Tamari. Soy foods can be cold so warm them up by frying them or adding spices with them.
- Have salty and bitter foods. Use a good mineral salt and add it to cooking
- Eat cooked whole grains like millet, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, barley, oats
- Eat Beans – Red Aduki beans, Kidney beans, Mung beans, Black beans, Lentils, Chickpeas.
- Try cooking a congee.
- Congee is 1 part rice and 4 parts water plus other ingredients, cooked slowly for 4-6 hours
- For a complete protein cook millet and beans together or Brown rice, lentils and sunflower seeds
- Mini recipe; Brown rice, lentils and sunflower seeds. Slowly simmer all the ingredients for 40 minutes. Put into a bowl and add some coconut oil, Tamari, cayenne, nutritional yeast, yoghurt, curry and some parsley or coriander.
- Enjoy moderate alcohol. Alcohol is heating in nature so having the odd red wine is ok in winter. Pinot Noir is best as it contains the highest amounts of the polyphenol Reseveratrol which is a great anti ageing antioxidant.
Seasonal Eating for Winter
During our Winter Wellness Workshop we shared what the best foods were to keep you well for winter. Check out this list below for all the best winter eating tips.
- Your diet should be warming and substantial so that it creates internal heat
- Eat complex carbohydrates and proteins
- Eat more whole grains, less fruit, lots of steamed or baked vegetables, more dairy (unless you have a dairy sensitivity) and some meats.
- Fruit ideally should be citrus fruits like lemons, limes, mandarines and oranges. They are in abundance in winter and are a great source of vitamin C.
- Apples and pears are also in season. Try making a warm apple, plum, pear compote with cinnamon, cloves and honey!
- Eat seasonal vegetables like Carrots, Turnips, Onions, Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Pumpkin, Parsnip, Rhubarb, Kohlrabi, Beetroot, Spinach, Leek, Fennel, Spring Onion, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower
- Make meals with plenty of these Herbs and Spices: Garlic, Ginger, Cayenne, Paprika, Cinnamon, Cardamon, Turmeric, Black Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Fennel, Anise, Bay leaf, Capers, Coriander, Dill, Horseradish
- Eat Soups and casseroles
- Eat nuts and seeds, include Walnuts, Pine Nuts and Black Sesame Seeds
- Eat fermented and preserved foods
- East Seaweeds in your food (they contain iodine which is necessary for healthy thyroid function)
- For meat eaters
- Fish and seafood, and occasional red meat and chicken. Red meat can stimulate and brighten the blood, heart and complexion. It is a great building food but limit consumption as too much can be problematic for the heart, kidneys and blood vessels.
- Consider oysters, sardines, clams, crab, anchovies
- Have Soybeans and Soy foods like – Tofu, Tempeh, Miso, Tamari. Soy foods can be cold so warm them up by frying them or adding spices with them.
- Have salty and bitter foods. Use a good mineral salt and add it to cooking
- Eat cooked whole grains like millet, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, barley, oats
- Eat Beans – Red Aduki beans, Kidney beans, Mung beans, Black beans, Lentils, Chickpeas.
- Try cooking a congee.
- Congee is 1 part rice and 4 parts water plus other ingredients, cooked slowly for 4-6 hours
- For a complete protein cook millet and beans together or Brown rice, lentils and sunflower seeds
- Mini recipe; Brown rice, lentils and sunflower seeds. Slowly simmer all the ingredients for 40 minutes. Put into a bowl and add some coconut oil, Tamari, cayenne, nutritional yeast, yoghurt, curry and some parsley or coriander.
- Enjoy moderate alcohol. Alcohol is heating in nature so having the odd red wine is ok in winter. Pinot Noir is best as it contains the highest amounts of the polyphenol Reseveratrol which is a great anti ageing antioxidant.
