Discovering the Seasons with Ayurveda

Dec 19, 2022

Discovering the Seasons with Ayurveda

Let's talk seasons and how to adjust our nutrition and lifestyle to live with the seasons through the practice of Ayurveda.

Ayurveda is a science deeply rooted in healing and improving the quality of your life. It combines psychology, spirituality and philosophy, focusing on how each individual experiences life. Ayer means “life” and veda means “knowledge”. Ayurveda appreciates the impact that food and their seasons have on our health and overall lifestyle. Highlighting the practices of Ayurveda help us to embrace the changing seasons and welcome in foods and practices that support our gut, immune and overall health.

4 Practices to Transition into Fall & Winter with Ayurveda:

1. Drink herbal tea and incorporate herbs into cooking

Herbal tea packs a powerful punch of beneficial compounds that support both our immune health as well as our digestion! As we transition into Fall and Winter, incorporating more warming teas that contain nutrient dense polyphenols and phytonutrients nourish our gut microbiome that in turn nourish our immune health!

The beautiful thing is that ALL teas contain nutrient rich compounds to support our health. In particular, Ayurveda emphasizes some of our favorite teas that also pack a punch for digestive health. Digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, constipation and indigestion can be hugely remedied with ginger, chamomile, fennel, licorice, peppermint, cloves and thyme which are all carminative herbs. This is often why teas are prescribed medicinally in Ayurvedic practices to help remedy these digestive discomforts and are pantry staple in our NDD community!

Organic India products use herbs grown using ancient Ayurvedic bio-regenerative methods to maximize efficacy. Organic India is unique because it incorporates Tulsi as a foundation to their formulas. Tulsi, aka Holy Basil, is an adaptogenic herb that balances stress in the body and aids in stress relief, uplifts mood, supports the immune system and supports the body’s natural detoxification process.

*Our favorite Organic India teas are HERE!

2. Cooking with Herbs & Bitters

Incorporating a diversity of herbs and bitter plants into our diet in the Fall and Winter months can help to keep the “digestive fire” going in Ayurveda which to us inside of NDD means digestive chemicals and motility. In particular, fresh or dried herbs and bitter plants like dandelion, cranberries, endive, arugula, citrus, ginger and parsley can aid in optimizing digestion during the colder months. Aim to add a bitter food at most or even all meals to support robust digestion!

3. Eating Seasonal Foods and Connecting to your Community

Eating with the seasons can enhance our connection to the natural shifts in seasons that offer variety in seasonal foods and support our body's nutrient needs for each season. For instance, Fall and Winter seasons bring more grounding and warm root vegetables, squashes and hearty greens such as swiss chard and kale that nourish our beneficial microbes to support more robust immunity for those seasons. While Spring and Summer bring more mineral-rich hydrating foods to optimize minerals and hydration for the warmer months of the year. Appreciating and leaning into these seasonal shifts can bring us closer to nature and more deeply nourish our bodies at the same time!

*Check out a local farmer’s market near you and experiment with the unique produce each season offers. Not sure where your nearest farmer’s market is? Locate one HERE!

4. Community

Community is our connection to everything from ourselves to the people and environment around us. Our connection to community is a powerful tool in our health that many of us saw first hand how important that connection is through the past couple of years. Food is a beautiful connector to our community as food is a universal language that connects to the people we share meals with and build experiences with. In Ayurveda, food prepared with love and shared with people whom we love is believed to increase the nourishing qualities of that food - and we believe that intensely!

Mindful Eating Practices

Mindful eating and being present to the meals we are enjoying helps to support optimal digestion and create more connection to our mealtime experiences that nourish us well beyond nutrients alone. Practicing mindful eating allows us to slow down and appreciate our food and the energy that went into preparing it. The mind-body connection is a cornerstone in Ayurveda.

Remember these Three Steps to practice mindful eating that will help to promote optimal digestion:

Prepare Your Environment

Digestion starts in the brain! Sit down to focus your energy on digestion, clear distractions to focus and appreciate your meal and BREATHE! 3-7 rounds of deep breathing can help transition your brain for optimal digestion.

Check in with yourself

Chew your food! We want to break down each bite before we deliver it to our digestive system so it’s easier for our bodies to breakdown. Take your time! Put your fork down, take deep breaths and pause in between bites. This will strengthen our hunger signals and let us appreciate and enjoy the food we’ve prepared. Drink to thirst! Use liquids to quench thirst at meals, too much liquid can water down our digestive secretions so save higher liquid intake to enjoy between meals.

Meal Timing

Aim for meals to be at least 20 minutes, this gives our stomach enough time to communicate to our brain that we are full. Aim to have 3-4 hours in between meals. This allows the self-cleaning mechanism of the GI to run called the MMC. Stop when 80% full - check-in on satiety until you feel satisfied!

Transition into Fall & Winter with Ayurveda

Inviting in Ayurveda practices into your Fall and Winter routine to embrace the seasons, nourish your gut and optimize your overall wellness:

Cooked and Blended Foods

Ayurveda encourages enjoying more cooked foods during the cooler months, especially cooked vegetables. Cooked and blended foods support digestion and energy as they are easier on the digestive system as the cooking process outsources some of the work for the gut. Think about warm blended soups, roasted vegetables and cozy baked dishes as the weather turns cooler.

Incorporate Root Vegetables

Root vegetables are incredibly grounding in Ayureda, meaning they help to sooth the nervous system and promote more connection to the body. Root vegetables are in season in the Fall and stay well right through the Winter, making root vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips and beets a great staple for meals in the cooler seasons. They are also packed with fiber and feed the beneficial bacteria in our gut to support more robust immune health throughout colder months!

Warming Spices

Add some spice to your Fall and Winter meals with warming spices that help to heat up and promote healthy digestion, an emphasis in Ayurveda during the cooler months. Warming spices can also aid in alleviating digestive symptoms such as ginger which can help reduce nausea, gas and bloating. Another favorite warming spice is turmeric which is a potent antioxidant that reduces inflammation and helps to relieve gas and bloating.

Check out our recipe below for a warming digestive tea you can make with just a few ingredients!

*Remember: You are the expert in your body! These are not hard set rules, they are tools. Get curious about what feels best in your body right NOW!

No Drama Digestion

Want to learn more about how to heal your gut and eliminate frustrating digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating, constipation, heartburn, diarrhea and more? Our No Drama Digestion (NDD) program is a three step process to healing your gut and eliminating your symptoms for good! Learn more about NDD HERE!

Warming Ginger Tea

Serving:1

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh ginger root (peeled and sliced thin)

⅛ cup fresh turmeric root (peeled and sliced thin or use 2 tsp dried)

1 tsp lemon juice

Peel of one lemon

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups boiling water

Honey (optional)

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Put the ginger, turmeric, lemon peel, lemon juice and cinnamon stick into a mug and add the boiling water. Stir to combine the ingredients. Let brew for 10 minutes or longer if you want a more intense flavor. Strain and add a dash of salt and honey to taste. Enjoy!

*Buy organic ingredients if possible!

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Lymph: The Unknown Hero of our Drainage System

Puffiness, fluid retention, weight fluctuations, skin flares, brain fog, fatigue, mood issues…do these symptoms sound familiar to YOU?

If so, we need to talk about your Lymphatic System!

What is the lymphatic system?

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels that help with fluid balance in the body, facilitate immune function and even absorb dietary fat from the gut. They also function as a key waste network to carry waste products from ALL tissues and organs - to the liver and out of the body. The major way the lymphatic system performs these jobs is by moving interstitial fluid through its winding vessels that innervate almost every organ and tissue in the body.

What might be most interesting is the lymphatic system's role in our body's inflammatory response - aka our immune response - especially in the gut which can be a big contributor to digestive symptoms. Here at Above Health, we like to talk about the lymphatic system metaphorically as our dirty bathwater in the bathtub model and the best way to remove the dirty water from the tub, and away from the body, is by unplugging the drain!

The lymphatic system plays 3 critical roles in our body:

1) Maintain fluid balance by collecting waste from the tissues and body to deliver it back to the bloodstream and liver to be disposed of.

2) Absorb dietary fat in the intestine and transports BACK to the bloodstream to utilize.

3) Protects our body from infection.

Gut - Lymph Connection

A healthy and flowing lymphatic system is critical for a healthy gut and vise-versa. The production and movement of fluid through the lymphatic system is key to its healthy functioning - just like a river the lymphatic system needs to be flowing consistently to ensure the health of the tissues and organs in the body. Interestingly the lymph fluid formation in humans is approximately 1–4 liters/day, most of which (>50%) is formed in the GI tract - the gut is one of the richest lymphatic organs in the body which makes sense for why its health is so critical for gut health.

The lymphatic system and its specific mechanisms are still being understood in research, but what we do know is that when the lymphatic fluid doesn’t flow inflammation and ill-health symptoms occur.

Congestion to Lymphatic Drainage

What might lead to congestion or poor lymphatic fluid flow?

Congestion in our drainage pathway!

When our drainage pathways become congested, our drainage organs cannot properly drain the lymphatic fluid into the lower drainage organs such as the liver and gut. This means that our “dirty bath water” remains stagnant in the body and when the lymphatic system can’t flow this causes a greater toxic burden. The body responds to this toxicity by producing more fluid in the lymph to dilute the toxins– “the solution to pollution is dilution” - which creates excess fluid leading to symptoms like fluid retention, puffiness and inflammation.

It is a method of protection but can be a very frustrating symptom to experience and the solution is…

To restore the flow of the drainage system!

If you struggle with chronic puffiness under your eyes, face, abdominal bloating or distention, swelling in your ankles, hands or body or simply just feel inflamed and nothing seems to help - it's time to take a deeper look at your drainage system.

This is a MAJOR focus inside of NDD, we spend the whole first month supporting drainage to get quick wins and finally feel relief from these frustrating symptoms as well as set you body up for greater success moving forward!

If we don’t support our drainage system to keep the lymphatic system flowing and healthy, research has linked a variety of conditions to congestion in the lymph that contributes to these inflammatory conditions such as:

IBD: Crohn’s & Colitis
IBS
Suggested lymph roles also being explored in conditions such as:

Obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes but more research is needed

The takeaway:

The lymphatic system is vital for maintaining optimal gut integrity and function and a system we want to learn how to love up on in our daily life!

Lifestyle Guide to Supporting the Lymph

1) Daily bowel movements! You’ve heard it from us so many times but here it is again…the gut in the base on the drainage pathway, if you are struggling with constipation there is no movement or flow in the drainage pathways - that means so flow to the lymphatic system which can lead to inflammation. So getting support to get daily BMs is key!

2) The Big Six: Manual Lymphatic Massage: The lymphatic system has 6 major areas where the flow can get a little sticky, manually massaging those 6 areas daily is a great strategy to keep the lymph healthy and happy.

Those key areas are:

(1) Above and below the Clavicle
(2) Front of neck
(3) Front and behind ears
(4) Arm pits
(5) Front of groin
(6) Behind knees

Check out Dr. Perry Nickelston’s “Big 6” routine for optimal lymph flow

3) Deep Breathing: the diaphragm helps to move the lymphatic fluid by changing the pressure in the central area of the body. This means that breathing exercises are a key strategy to help promote healthier lymph flow!

4) Nervous System Support: The lymphatic system works most effectively when the nervous system is in a parasympathetic state or rest & digest state. Mediation, yoga nidra, journaling, rest are all tools to support the nervous system to move into its rest & digest state that promote better flow for the lymphatic system. Aim to establish a calming practice 1-3x per day everyday to help balance your nervous system - it's MUCH more impactful than it might initially seem!

Want more tools on how to navigate stress? Tune into on Your Body Has Your Back Episode 3 on Stress Resilience

5) Movement: Jumping, walking, and calf elevations are great ways to get the lymph moving! Here is a simple but impactful 15-min stationary walking workout to get your lymph majorly moving: 15-min Stationary Walking Lymph Workout

We highly recommend following @lymphloveclub to learn more about the lymphatic system!

The NDD program is an open enrollment program that is here for when you decide you are ready to step into the fullest version of yourself and your health!

When you are ready, we are here to help you heal your gut and eliminate your ill health symptoms for good!

Want to learn more, book a complimentary strategy call by clicking the button below to learn if NDD is the right fit for your health and healing goals!

Discovering the Seasons with Ayurveda