(November-February)
Why Eat Seasonally?
When we adjust our diet and lifestyle to match the season, health promoting digestive microbes dramatically change. Winter microbes support balanced immunity, digestion, mood, energy, blood sugar, weight, sleep – and much more. Winter is also associated with the qualities of ‘Vata’, which are cold, air, dry and light. To stay balanced, focus on food and activities that are warm, moist, heavy and oily.
To Stay Strong and Healthy:
- Follow our Winter Grocery List below for foods and tips that are the most nourishing during the cooler and dryer Vata months of winter.
- Start your day with 1-2 capsules each of Ashwagandha and Turmeric. Children take 1 of each.
- To keep your ears lubricated and thus prevent infections, place a few drops of warm Lymphatic Massage Oil in each ear.
- Get your vitamin D levels checked with a blood test.
- 80% of the body’s immunity is in the digestion. Take our Digestive Health Quiz to boost your immunity.
Daily Routines (Dinacharya) for Winter:
- Self-massage with warm Lymphatic Massage Oil or raw sesame oil. >>>Learn how to do daily self-massage to balance your nervous system and detox your lymphatic system.
- Learn my One Minute Meditation for coping with stress, anxiety and depression.
- Exercise in the morning to increase circulation, mood and immunity.
- Follow a regular rhythm of sleep, exercise, mealtimes and rest.
- Sleep with a warm mist humidifier to keep your sinuses clear.
- Perform Neti by irrigating your nasal passage with warm salt water. Always follow with Nasya.
- Perform Nasya by applying a few drops of Nasya Oil into each nostril and inhaling deeply.
Signs of Excess Vata During Winter:
- Occasional insomnia, stress, worry, occasional constipation, colds and flus, joint pain.
- If you experience some of these signs, schedule a consult and follow the above guidelines for a balanced Winter!
Winter Grocery List
- Eat more foods that are Sweet, Sour, Salty / Heavy, Oily, Moist, Hot:
such as soups, stews, root veggies, steamed veggies, warm herbal teas. Favor warm, moist, oily cooked foods. - Eat less foods that are Pungent (Spicy), Bitter, Astringent / Light, Cold, Dry:
such as salads, smoothies, cold foods and beverages, crackers, chips, salsa. - Eat more fat and protein. Add ghee, avocado, sesame oil or olive oil to your grains and soups.
- Eat larger quantities of food, that you can comfortably digest.
- Curious about a food not on this list? Taste it. If it has 2 of the 3 winter tastes (sweet, sour and salty), it is balancing. Prepare it in a way that is moist, oily, heavy and/or warm, such as cook it in a soup with ghee, or steam it then drizzle it with olive oil.
- A note about regional climates and eating locally: These foods have qualities that are helpful for balancing Winter (Vata), even if they are not local or seasonal in your region. If you want to really go for it, you can eat only local foods, but you don’t have to. Your winter season may also start or end earlier or later than November – February, and even that can vary year by year. Simply stay tuned to the climate changes in your area and adjust accordingly, day by day. Soon it will become easy and natural for you as you experiment and listen to your body.
Our Ayurvedic seasonal lists classify foods from around the world, as well as locally, according to the qualities needed to balance the extremes of that season. Some of the foods on the Ayurvedic lists represent their original harvest times in their indigenous regions. Foods harvested today do not always represent the season that they were originally harvested.
Even if a food on the list is not harvested in one’s region during that season – or never grow in one’s region – their qualities are still balancing. One can take it to the next level by eating locally, but this is not necessary to stay balanced. Many people appreciate the variety that the lists offer as eating locally in many climates would be too limiting for most modern palates.
>>> Download the Winter Grocery List and Tips PDF
Choose Organic and non-GMO when possible.
Eat more of your favorite foods from this list.
*An asterisk means that this food is a Winter Superfood. If you like it, eat more of it.
Though these are not the only items you can eat, they are the most beneficial foods for this season.
| VEGETABLES Cook all vegetables and add a healthy oil, such as ghee, and warming spices. Favor root vegetables: |
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| Artichokes, hearts *Avocadoes *Beets *Brussels Sprouts *Carrots *Chilies Corn Fennel Eggplant, cooked *Garlic Ginger |
Hot Peppers Leeks Okra Onions Parsley Potatoes, mashed *Pumpkins Seaweed, cooked Squash, Acorn *Squash, Winter *Sweet Potatoes *Tomatoes TurnipsWinter Greens |
| WHOLE GRAINS Most grains are good. Best eaten warm, moist and with a healthy oil: |
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| *Amaranth Buckwheat (moderation) Millet (moderation) *Oats *Quinoa |
Rice *Rice, Brown Rye (moderation) *Wheat |
| DAIRY All dairy is good, ideally at room temperature or warm (such as boiled milk). Favor dairy products that are raw or vat-pasteurized. |
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| *Butter *Buttermilk *Cheese *Cottage cheese *Cream *Ghee |
*Kefir Milk, not cold Non-Dairy substitutes Sour Cream Yogurt |
| MEAT & FISH All meat, eggs and fish are balancing. |
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| *Beef *Chicken *Crabs *Duck *Eggs *Fish, freshwater & ocean *Lamb |
*Lobster *Oysters *Pork *Shrimp *Turkey *Venison |
| LEGUMES | |
| Split yellow mung lentils Tempeh |
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| NUTS & SEEDS Most nuts and seeds are good. |
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| *Almonds *Brazil Nuts *Cashews Coconuts *Filberts *Flax Lotus Seed |
*Macadamias *Peanuts, raw *Pecans *Pinons *Pistachios Sunflower *Walnuts |
| OILS Most (healthy) oils are good. |
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| *Almond *Avocado *Coconut *Flax *Mustard |
*Olive *Peanut *Safflower *Sesame Sunflower |
| FRUITS Favor sweet, sour or heavy fruits. Eat fruit separately from other foods. Serve warm. |
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| Apples, cooked Apricots *Bananas Blueberries Cantaloupe, with lemon Cherries Coconuts, ripe Cranberries, cooked *Dates *Figs *Grapefruit *Grapes Guava |
*Lemons *Limes*Mangoes Nectarines *Oranges *Papayas Peaches Pears, ripe *Persimmons Pineapples Plums Strawberries *Tangerines |
| SPICES Most warming spices and herbs are good. |
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| *Anise *Asafetida *Basil Bay Leaf *Black Pepper Caraway *Cardamom Cayenne Chamomile *Cinnamon Clove Coriander *Cumin Dill *Fennel Fenugreek |
Garlic *Ginger Horseradish Marjoram Mustard Nutmeg Oregano Peppermint Poppy Seeds Rosemary *Saffron Sage Spearmint Tarragon Thyme *Turmeric |
| SWEETENERS Most natural whole foods sweeteners, in moderation. |
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| Honey – Raw *Maple Syrup *Molasses Sugar, Raw *Rice Syrup |
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| HERB TEAS Choose warming and/or calming teas. |
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| *Cardamom *Chamomile *Cinnamon *Cloves *Ginger *Orange Peel |
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| BEVERAGES Favor warm-hot drinks that are low in caffeine and alcohol. |
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| Alcohol (moderation) Black Tea (moderation) Coffee (moderation) Water (warm or hot) |
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| CONDIMENTS Favor sweet, sour and salty tastes: |
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| Carob Dulse Fermented foods Lemon or Lime Mayonnaise Pickles *Salt Vinegar |
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*An asterisk means that this food is a Winter Superfood. If you like it, eat more of it.
Join Dr. John Douillard and thousands of others for The 3-Season Diet Challenge. It’s free! This challenge takes you through a year of eating seasonally with month-to-month support and guidance. Nature provides the ideal harvest for each season to keep you strong, healthy, energized and focused. New research suggests that our gut microbes are meant to change seasonally by the foods we eat. Seasonal microbes optimize digestion, mood and immunity – the way nature intended!
Learn more about the 3-Season Diet Challenge and sign up for FREE today!
Im a Pitta body type can u send me a winter for foods I should be eating for winter time
thank you kindly
dyancandela@live.com
Ayurvedic eating has transformed my energy levels, my organ functions and my look!
It states that corn is a vegetable on this list. There has been research from “new age” type dietitians and nutritionists, that state corn is not a vegetable but a grain.
I was seeking your thoughts and experience?
Thanks!
I am a vata, I don’t see beans on the winter food list, are these allowed?
Due to the dryness of beans they are seen as more of a spring food. To make beans more vata pacifying be sure to add good healthy fats to them and enjoy them in moderation for Winter.
Thanks for reading!
I’m a vata type and I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I need to know how to reduce my fat in my stomach. Since turning 50 I’ve noticed my stomach has started to get bigger. Help me. Thanks.
The 3 Season diet is a great eating guide to follow. You may also find this free Weight Balancing eBook helpful… https://lifespa.com/ayurvedic-weight-loss-ebook/
I am very surprised by the fruit list on the winter grocery list… how does the fruit list go in hand with seasonality let’s say in Colorado/northern hemisphere? I find a lot of the fruit on the list very cold like bananas, mangos, cantaloupe, pinnapples…Sweet fruit is very cold in my books that’s why it grows and is served in the tropics. Also citrus fruit is cold and mucus forming…unless you eat the white pith – I wouldn’t think it would be suitable in a cold and flu season. The same is true about dairy… kefir is so cold and mucus forming! I can see scalded milk with spices and ashwaganda. I am little confused… could you shed some more light into this. I would really like to understand energetics of food but seems that every source has a different list of foods :))
I just found your site and ordered your book Eat Wheat in the library! I say eat wheat with proper fermentation.
Hi. How does seasonal diet works for people who live in warm climate year around, like in Florida?
If I’m a diabetic on med. that keeps my numbers under control.
Should I still follow the Vata (I’m a Vata dominant) warm, moist, heavy and oily diet which I love and prefer.
And one more question: Is Nasya oil for nose and ears the same?
Hi Marina, thanks for commenting. It is best to abide by the environment you are actually in, regardless of season. Attending farmers markets is always useful in helping to buy what is in season in your area. This will help build a healthy microbiome for your current environment. Nasya can be used for ears as well.
Dr John,
I enjoyed my 3 Season Challenge! My digestion, energy and weight improved after re-thinking what I was eating.
However, I’m confused about corn – my favorite food. I don’t see it on the Summer or Winter list. Please explain!!!
he said above that its considered a spring food
Hi Jane, yes corn is best during the springtime.
My apologies to all. I did find corn on the Winter, Spring and Summer lists, but as a vegetable. I was looking for corn in the GRAIN section of the lists.
Hi Dr
Is there a limit on taking Ashwagandha and Turmeric (i.e number of months)? Can I take them the whole winter?
If I take raw turmeric in the morning, will this suffice and if so, how much do you recommend?
Lastly, where I am located this winter it is hard to find Nasya oil. Would you recomend and substitutes?
Thank you and warm regards!!
Milena
PS: just to clarify, by raw turmeric, I mean powder, as the root is not available. Also for Nasya I made a typo, I meant ”any” substitutes. For instance, I found prandhara. Will this oil be ok and should I use it same as Nasya? Thank you very much!
Hi Milena. Thank you for reaching out. In general, it is okay to take these herbs all throughout the winter. However, I see many patients with whom I prescribe specific doses etc. I encourage you to learn about the consultations we offer: https://lifespa.com/about-lifespa/ayurvedic-clinic/ We also ship internationally if you’re in need of any products. Be well.
I’m confused about fruits. You say to eat fruits separate from other food but not to have snacks. Can you explain how to eat fruit separate from other food in a proper manner? Thank you.
Hi Cynthia. A large plate of fruit for breakfast can feel wonderful in the spring and summer, cooked apples in the winter. Fruit can also be had as a lite dinner though is not best for balancing vata. Be well.
We live in South Africa so our timing would be the reverse of the Northern Hemispher, would we be able to receive this information to suit our seasons?
Hi Jen, great question. We are currently working on this option! Stay tuned.