Eating for Winter Wellness
Last week your favorite health coach wrote about the need to include foods that provide energy and warmth to best thrive in cold winter climates.
Hearty soups and stews, lentils, hearty grains, warm spices, herbal teas, root vegetables and protein-rich foods are excellent choices.
Today I offer you more tips to keep your “digestive fire” alive and well. 
- Emphasize whole, natural and fresh foods, eaten to 80% fullness for optimal digestion.
- Consume moist foods and good fats like olive oil or ghee to address winter dryness, particularly for skin health.
- Finish evening meals about 3 hours before bedtime to ensure proper digestion. Try to eat smaller amounts later in the day.
- Avoid fasting to maintain muscle mass and body tissues.
- Encourage more home-cooked meals for quality control and nourishment.
- Avoid eating on the go and only eat when truly hungry, not out of boredom.
- Limit intake of dry foods like popcorn, chips and crackers and choose cooked vegetables over raw salads. (This is a tough one for me since I’m a salad-a-day girl. Oh, and I occasionally indulge in popcorn and a home movie.)
- Add cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and/or ginger to your cold protein smoothies to “warm” them up for winter
These guidelines are a starting point. Experiment and adjust dietary choices to find what works best for you.
Eating in this way, focused on health and overall well-being, promotes an ideal plan for weight maintenance or weight loss.
Remember this mantra: How can I do just a little bit better?
Much love,
Health Coach Carol
”Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home” – Edith Sitwell