Are you confused about what to eat and how to take care of yourself in winter? Do you suffer from cold, cough, fever whenever the season changes? Here are the Ayurvedic winter guidelines for you all to prevent various health problems and keep yourself fit during winter.

यस्यर्तुसात्म्यं विदितं चेष्टाहारव्यपाश्रयम् |

The best outcome for better health comes from knowing what to eat and how to live according to the season. If you don’t know what to eat according to the season, even eating something nutritious won’t help you achieve your goals.

Shishir Ritucharya (Winter) guidelines

Ayurveda emphasizes preventive health, and for that reason, it has introduced the concept of ऋतूचर्या (ritucharya) – seasonal regimen. 

ऋतूचर्या (ritucharya) meaning:

ऋतू (ritu) – season

चर्या (charya) – lifestyle  

Following Ritucharya (seasonal regimen) helps strengthen our body, improve immunity, and prevent various health problems from occurring due to season change. 

It enables to maintain the balance of Tridoshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). As a result, it keeps us healthy throughout the year & helps to prevent various diseases.

Whenever the season changes, just like mother nature, our body also goes through the transition. In such a situation, if your immunity is already weak, season change will affect you the most. You may suffer from a cold, cough, fever, or other health problems due to changing weather.

For this reason, it is essential to strengthen your immunity and improve your overall health with seasonal diet & lifestyle regimens.

In cold weather, the body starts to retain heat, which results in strong digestion. Due to this, you must consume foods like dairy products such as milk, cheese, ghee, or other heavy items. As the digestion is strong, you can digest it well, and it won’t hamper your body.

Caution:
Eating heavy food during winter does not allow you to eat in excess. Even though it is suitable to eat heavy food items in winter, one should still eat them in moderation.

Winter Diet Guidelines:

Ayurveda explained six tastes of food – madhur (sweet), amla (sour), lavana (salty), katu (pungent), tikta (bitter), and kshaya (astringent). Sweet, sour, and salty foods are particularly advantageous during winters.

It is advised to consume the below-mentioned food items for better health during winter:

• Milk & milk products
• Wheat, rice, bajra, maize
• Seasonal fruit like amla
• Consume peanut chikki, nuts ladoo
• Hot drinks like ginger tea, warm water, soup
• Pulses like kulith (horsegram), urad (black gram)
• Herbs like ginger, garlic, black pepper, kesar, etc.
• Sweet products made from sugarcane like jaggery
• Dates, dry fruits like almond, walnut, cashew, etc.
• Seasonal vegetables like carrots, peas, spinach, bathua, chaulai

Avoid:

On the other hand, you must avoid bitter and spicy foods in cold weather because they increase Vata & dryness in the body. 

Winter Lifestyle Guidelines

• Sunbath: Sit outside in sunlight with minimum clothes for 20 to 30 minutes and let your skin absorb the sunlight.
• Keep yourself warm: Wear warm clothes & avoid cold exposure.
• No day sleep: Avoid sleeping in the daytime.

Follow these diet & lifestyle tips to protect yourself from various health problems and keep yourself fit & healthy during winter.