Season146;s Eatings

GIVE the season a bad name, and cosy up to the comforter. That is very much what has happened to winter. Colds, flus, sniffles, coughs and s...

GIVE the season a bad name, and cosy up to the comforter. That is very much what has happened to winter. Colds, flus, sniffles, coughs and sinus attacks are considered part of the package deal, the downside of the nippy days and brr8230; nights.

It wasn8217;t always like this. Way back, when the Ayurveda was being scripted, winter was regarded as the right time to build up immunity. Cold weather encourages digestion, so you can eat good food and digest it. And building up disease-resistance is really as simple as that.

How does winter give a boost to immunity?
Contrary to popular perception, says nutritionist Dr Shikha Sharma, winter is the season when nature is at her nurturing best. 8216;8216;Digestion is at its peak in winter. So people feel hungrier, and can actually digest food better, thus nourishing their bodies more,8217;8217; says Sharma, who swears by Ayurveda in her diet plans. 8216;8216;Of course, winter doesn8217;t translate into a licence to eat the wrong foods. It simply means you can eat more of the foods that are difficult to digest in other seasons.8217;8217;

Are there any particular foods that provide greater benefit in winter?

Dr Sharma lists the must-eats this season:

8226; Sesame seeds til: Limit yourself to 1 tsp daily of the warming, calcium-rich seeds. It8217;s excellent for joint pains. If you can8217;t incorporate it into food, wash it down with a glass of water!

8226; Fish, chicken, meats: Restrict yourself to 3-4 pieces per meal. They are easily digestible in winter, warm you up, and are a great source of protein. Fish and fish oils, in particular, work wonders for dry winter skin and hair. No red meats for cholesterol-counters, though.

8226; Ginger and garlic: Garlic works on cholesterol, is antiseptic and also a warming spice. Up to five cloves a day8212;either whole or cooked8212;is digested easily in winter. Ginger is excellent for the liver and gets rid of toxins from the body, besides opening up the sinuses and soothing the throat when added to tea. Up to 10 gm two teaspoonfuls is quite okay. For both spices, go for the real thing, not the bottled stuff.

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8226; Almonds: If you have any left over from Diwali, this is the time to finish them off. Have 15-20 a day to tap into a rich source of vitamins

Body Boosters

Avoid staying up late, working at night, eating at irregular times, overexposing the body to stress and fatigue and sleeping during the day, all of which affect digestion and body rhythms. Wake yourself up with a self-massage, with a light oil. It stimulates the organs, flushes out impurities and helps build resistance to stress and disease.

Stay away from hard-to-digest foods that clog the circulation channels and make you sluggish. They include:

8226; Commercially processed foods, including canned, frozen and packaged foods
8226; Leftovers, chemical-heavy foods, preservative-laced foods
8226; Cold or ice-cold foods, including cold drinks
8226; Astringent, bitter and pungent tastes. These are best saved for the summer

8226; Carrots: Though cold storage has made the idea of seasonal veggies obsolete, there8217;s no arguing that the best carrots are available in winter. Rabbit food they may be, but ever heard a rabbit complain about lacklustre skin, dull hair or weak eyes? Chew on that!

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8226; Saffron: Two-three strands a day will ensure healthy skin, boosted circulation and make your face glow.

8226; Beetroots: This B-complex-rich veggie does wonders in regulating the haemoglobin count. Plus it has all the benefits of the carrot.

8226; Oranges: You can have up to 6-7 a day if your pocket allows it! They are warming, a good source of Vitamin C and help digest proteins.

8226; Honey: A teaspoon a day keeps skin infections away.

Whew! Any other goodies to tap in winter?
Fresh organic milk and yoghurt, green veggies, fruits, whole grains, ghee. Warm, home-cooked foods are most recommended, as long as they are not deep-fried. And wash it all down with gallons of water. This is something you have to do consciously, since the body seems to require less water in winter.