Cold, dark and hibernation… these things spring to mind at the mention of mid-Winter and for eons it has been the time to go within, eat nourishing warm foods and rest more to conserve your energy. There are many practical reasons for this, and although we no longer have the need to ration our winter stocks as we have long done, our bodies still have the same needs seasonal requirements as we have evolved to reflect over a millennia.
In Asian culture, winter is Yin and time to stock up on warming Yang foods as it’s thought the colder the winter, the better for nourishing your Yang boosting our resilience and immune systems. It often surprises me how many people live and act as if winter was only a thing that happens ‘out there’, rather than giving ourselves extra time to rest and reflect and allow the extra nourishment we need to be healthy and also to replenish our adrenals and Kidneys. In East Asian medicine theory, the winter is the season of the kidneys (and adrenals that sit atop of them) so warming foods and keeping the lower back warm is essential for good health, as is wearing a hat and a scarf! With so many sick so very often, I really see in the clinic the positive difference that can be made to your health by living and eating with the seasons.
The colour of winter and the kidneys is black while the taste associated with the kidneys is salty, so good foods that nourish the kidneys are black and often salty. It’s also interesting to note that the minerals and vitamins in black foods are very good for the immune system (such as Zinc, magnesium, boron, and B group vitamins) so all the following very important foods are well advised to incorporate into your diet as often as you can. They include Vegemite, Olives, capers, mussels and oysters, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mushrooms (especially truffles, if you are lucky to have some truffle infused salt it’s amazing in a mushroom risotto!), black sesame seeds, Guinness, molasses, black and red kidney beans, kidney’s (try the British devilled kidneys or steak and Kidney pie) prunes and Raisins. Add these to foods as often as you can, and enjoy hearty casseroles and lovely stewed fruits to really nourish you.
And of course take some family and ‘you’ time, we are so busy in our lives that allowing rest is so important on many levels. I leave you with this poem I wrote last winter and until next time.. stay warm.
WINTER.
Black, cold, dark and deep…into the centre if the earth;
The core of which is solid iron.
Yin…the dark mysteries of the feminine;
The flesh and blood of who we are deep down to our bones;
(when the chill goes deep to the bone the most Yin of Yin)
Black..the darkest night holds the greatest potential;
Light a single candle and the illumination warms our spirit
Even if the flame is weak.
Winter…the cold holds potential beyond that of heat;
Which of course can leach so much energy,
So, conserve our warmth, our light, our time.
The dark night of the soul;
The turning point, the eye that sees what is to come;
But content to wait, examine and hold.
Hold onto our loved ones,
Hold on to the energy we are expected to expend;
Outwards can wait;
For now, be still and be.
Dr Angela Palmer
Kinglake Chinese Medicine.
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