Find your path in the winter months.

Stuck in the funk, and going nowhere?

Are you stuck in something you cannot get out of?

Or are you just bored with what is going on in your life right now?
Sometimes we just need to “change it up” in order to make things better.

Are you missing something?

If you think so, you probably should find out what it is.

It seems to me that  the winter time it is the hardest time of year to stay healthy in mind, body and spirit.
Author Elson  Haas gives us some ideas on how to stay healthy and well in the winter time. And some tips on how not to gain weight by eating more veggies.

Emotions and the time of year
In the winter we seem to feel a bit more emotional. An inward sort of sensitive time. It is nature’s resting time, so we too may be in a slump.
December 21st is the first day of the winter solstice, and the day of the longest night. After that, the days get increasingly longer.
Today, January 22nd one month from the solstice,  and we are already feeling that the days are slowly getting longer.
The Winter Element
According to the Chinese Five Element System, winter is related to the element Water.

Remember that water is the essential medium of your body through which all things pass.

This fluid of life is our survival.
In the winter, we need to keep ourselves dry and warm.

These wet, cold days can bring about stiffness and pain in our bodies’ especially in our backs.

Exercise is helpful, but because we feel slower, it is hard to gather the energy to exercise. Doing some stretches, passive exercise such as yoga and tai chi, and walking may be all that you want to do, but do it.
The Winter Diet
Gather the fruits and veggies in season.

Grains, squash and beans are a great winter meal.

Vegetables can be eaten daily in salads, cooked grains and sautéed with a small amount of olive oil.
Grains can be cooked and eaten with beans and/or lentils for a complete protein instead of meat. Millet and buckwheat are good grains that are less starchy than brown rice, wheat, barley and oats.
Ocean food is another good choice for winter because winter is the water element.

Salt water fish are low in fat and high in protein. Seaweeds are common to the Japanese diet. Try some different seaweeds such as kelp, dulse, nori and hijiki, all are high in protein, vitamin E and A, along with being rich in calcium, phosphorus,  and iodine.

Other High Protein Foods for a Health Winter Diet

Soybeans, tofu and miso are high protein foods and especially helpful to the vegetarian who may need a source of complete protein.

Soy beans can be sprouted, cooked or used to make soymilk, tofu and miso. Tofu is soybean curd. Try a tofu-avocado salad, packed with protein.

Miso, another soybean product is fermented soybeans. Add a teaspoon to a cup of boiling water, add some tofu, cubed carrots and celery  and you have soup.

Taken in part from: Haas. E. ( 2003). Staying Healthy With The Seasons. 21st Century Ed. San Rafeal, CA. Celestial Arts.