If you’re into Ayurvedic medicine or believe in adjusting with season this topic is just that. According to Ayurveda seasonal change is listed as one of the three main cause of disease. As the weather changes one needs to change and adjust their routine. Seasonal routine or ritucarya (ritu means season in Sanskrit, carya means routine) is as important as daily routine or dinacarya ( Dinah means daily).
Ayurvedically speaking with practice we learn to anticipate what each season brings and proactively adapt our diet and lifestyle to build a balance and resiliency. Once you start to notice these nuances, it’s easy to adapt what foods and activities will help promote that balance and comfort needed to stay intone with the season. Nature itself introduces the food we need to nourish ourselves during that season. Autumn/Winter is the season when Vata (wind or thing that moves) is most easily aggravated. Its recommended during this time of the year we need to pacify Vata with foods and routines that balance it out. That means food that helps us ground and produce calm and comfort.
Here are some recommendations.
- Eat seasonally and regularly. For fall-winter, add plenty of roasted root veggies, winter squashes, cruceiferous veggies like kale, broccoli, dark leaves, cabbage, Brussels and other grounding foods into your diet.
- Eat deep colored fruits like pomegranate, apples, oranges, cranberries.
- Grounding and warm meals like soups, oatmeal, vegetable curries, lentil (limit beans though) stews, risotto, kitchari are excellent to balance Vata..
- Eat good amounts of healthy fats and oils. Avocado, coconut, e.v olive oil, flax oil, nuts and seeds.
- Add warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, black pepper and mustard seeds.
- Sip teas and warm golden milk.
- Avoid foods that increase the qualities of vata like processed foods and cold drinks.
One of my favorite soups that helps me ground myself is this soup. Its full of vegetables, kale and spices and perfect warming meals for a quick lunch or dinner with some roast veggies and quinoa or brown rice..
Vegetable Split Pea Soup
- 1 cup split green peas
- 1 medium onion or shallot
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 1 small potato, optional
- ½ medium fresh fennel, finely chopped
- ‘2 cups curly kale washed and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- lime juice to serve
- Wash the split peas and let it soak in warm water till we get the other stuff prepped.
- In medium sized sauce pan. Warm the oil and add chopped onion, potato, carrot, fennel. Sauté until soft for about 6-7 minutes.
- Add the drained split peas, garlic ginger, turmeric and sauté further till everything is coated on the spilt peas.
- Now add the veggie broth, salt and pepper and bring it to a boil. Simmer sand coo for 35-40 minutes till soft and peas are disintegrating. Now you have two choices.
- First: you could use a hand blender and blend the soup till smooth or leave it as is.
- Add the chopped kale and cook for 1-2 minutes till the kale is wilted but still green and tender. Serve with a good squeeze of lime juice.
Leave a Reply