Eating in February - Love yourself!
Feb 13, 2022
"Sorry, there's no magic bullet. You gotta eat healthy and live healthy to be healthy and look healthy. End of story."
ā€• Morgan Spurlock, "Don't Eat This Book"
As we round the bend into late winter (depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere) this is a great time to pay closer attention to how you are nourishing yourself. The Vata (Air and Ether) part of winter, the earlier part, finds us eating heavier, more dense and rich foods to supply us with sustenance to get through the coldest and darkest part of the year. The Kapha (Earth and Water) part of winter, the later part, finds us needing to lighten up, give the liver a little rest, and metabolize the stores we cultivated in the last few months.
What's interesting is, unlike calendar time, the switch from Vata to Kapha season isn't something we can totally predict, but we can plan ahead. In fact, there will be some time where there is a flow back and forth between Vata and Kapha, so it's good to have awareness of how you can best nourish yourself ahead of time.
Eat for balancing Vata on dry, cold, sunny, windy days.
Eat for balancing Kapha on wet, cool, rainy, snowy, and cloudy days.
Both parts of winter need us to balance the cold with warmth, so make sure you mostly eat warm, cooked foods when it's cold outside.
Here are some general guidelines to help support your food choices this time of year. Remember to focus on vegetables primarily, animal products should be more of a condiment than the main show, especially if you have Kapha in your constitution. (Curious to learn what your constitution is? Take my DOSHA QUIZ)
I invite you to look at these lists and get creative about what foods you could make a nourishing meal out of each day.
If you are curious about exploring seasonal eating and cleansing with food in the Spring, join me March 28 - April 18, 2022 for my community Elevate and Energize Ayurvedic Spring Detox. Do an internal spring cleaning of your body and mind during this supportive and inspiring 3 week Detox. Weekly learning modules, Recipe book, and Detox guide, along with two live Zoom meetings each week. This is great digestive reset that will lead to better sleep, mental clarity, weight normalization, and overall ease.
Love yourself enough to commit to being the happiest and healthiest YOU!!
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Early Winter (VATA): |
Late Winter (KAPHA): |
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Vegetables |
Beets, brussel sprouts, carrots, corn, garlic, potatoes, pumpkin, parsnips, turnips, seaweed, spinach (cooked), sweet potatoes, winter squash, winter greens |
Artichoke, asparagus, beet greens, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cilantro, radishes, dandelion, garlic, green beans, lettuce, leafy greens, sprouts, turnips, ferments |
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Fruits |
Apples (cooked), apricots (soak or stewed if dried), avocado, dates, figs, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, pears (cooked), stewed prunes |
Apples (sour), apricots, cherries, berries, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, prunes |
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Grains |
Amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, rice (white or wild), rye, wheat |
Barley, Buckwheat, corn, Millet, rye |
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Legumes |
Miso paste, mung beans, lentils (all types), split peas |
Aduki, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, pinto beans, white beans |
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Beneficial Fats |
Almond, avocado, coconut, flaxseed, ghee, mustard, olive, sesame, safflower, sunflower |
Minimize fats in general, but when using focus on: sunflower oil & ghee |
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Animal Products |
Beef, chicken, crab, duck, eggs, freshwater fish, pork, oysters, shrimp, turkey, venison, butter, cottage cheese, warm cow’s milk, feta cheeses, ghee, warm goat’s milk, soft cheeses, sour cream |
Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Turkey, Venison Reduce or avoid dairy products |
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Nuts and Seeds |
Almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, sesame seeds |
Minimize nuts and focus on seeds: Chia, pumpkin, and sunflower |
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Spices & Sweeteners |
Cinnamon, cardamom, basil, cumin, black pepper, fresh ginger Maple syrup, molasses, turbinado sugar, coconut sugar, rice syrup |
Basil, Cardamom, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Cumin, Dill, Garlic, Ginger, Nutmeg, Oregano, Parsley, mint, Rosemary, Turmeric, Honey (uncooked) |
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for health and happiness.
