Welcome Winter

          The forever changing nature has brought a very healthy season for all of us—Winter. Every one of us must have felt the change in the atmosphere, the coldness of winter. This year nature was upset with us and delayed this healthy season. Naturally the heat of October extended till almost November end and this was the reason for outbreak of many diseases. Everyone knows what actions to be taken to please the upset nature. If we don’t take care of health of nature, how come it will take care of us?

 So let’s welcome the winter. You know why this is a healthy season. The digestive fire, the hunger goes up in this season. And why it goes up? To combat the outside cold body has to generate the heat within. And how come body will generate the heat? One has to put more wood inside, means more food inside! This food will burn and will give us a warmth. Naturally body's demand is more and so the hunger. So the fire. And you know what Ayurveda says. A person whose digestive fire is strong his health is good. Naturally in winter everyone’s health will be at peak.

  One must respect that hunger. Naturally one should change the quality and increase the quantity of food. One should have more oily, heavier food and naturally in more quantity. Your body knows better than you. She will ask for such oily, fried, heavy food, sweet food. In simple way eat like a north Indian. This is the general principle. But after all we have to learn to respect our own body. So let her speak about the hunger. And my experience says winter fires up our hunger. So then don’t ignore that. Same about the oils & ghee. Increase as per your own demand.

          What will happen if one ignores this signal? Sorry to say but one will not remain healthy in this healthy season. As he will not put enough wood (Food) inside he will not be able to generate warmth inside and will not be able to fight the coldness of winter and will get sick. Secondly as one will not put enough oil inside he will not be able to fight the dryness of winter and will develop all the illness due to dryness, wind.

            So fine tune yourself for the winter. Those who are on diet food should also change a little to combat, to fight the cold. Instead of fruits give importance to dry fruits & nuts. Increase oil content in all the food preparations. And you know which oil s one should use. Don’t use refined oils, use either filtered ground nut, sesame oil or mustard oil. Winters also gives you lot of energy so you can go ahead with lot of work and exercise.

          Welcome winter, the healthy winter. The earnings in the winter will help you to be healthy throughout the year.

Best Wishes
Dr. Nikhil