Winters without Cold and Fever

Holidays are coming! We hear that in every commercial now, not to mention the numerous signs of the imminent Christmas that we can see in all shops, in street lighting decorations. And most of all, Christmas feeling is already "in the air", at least for kids and some enthusiastic, optimistic people. We all have unforgettable memories from our childhood, when we had no worry in this season but to get out and play with snow, or to go sleighing with our friends. It’s also a great season for painting; the landscapes can be spectacular, especially in the mountain areas. So, winter is coming, isn’t that great news?

However, out of all four seasons, winter seems to be the most unpopular, because of its coldness. Unless you are very fond of the winter sports and are "dreaming of a white Christmas", when you can go down a shiny, slippery, white diamond slope, you might be worried about catching some severe cold. It is the season that abounds in contagious diseases. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t really be this way. Winter could actually turn into an enjoyable season, its’ in fact the best season to increase one’s immunity.

Winter is the season in which nature is in fact ready to feed us. Because our digestive level is very high, we tend to get hungry more often than usual and we can even digest the food better. People think winter is bad for our immunity system, because since appetite tends to increase during this season, we start to eat more and more, and we can’t refuse even the unhealthy junk food, or other products that are hard to digest. Thus, we are likely to weaken our immunity system. But it’s very important for us to understand that it is we who create this weak immunity, so nature isn’t responsible for it.

It is therefore important for people to consume such products in the winter season that would improve their immunity. While we can take advantage of other seasons in order to purify our organism, winter is the season in which we can fortify all our systems-from hair to nails and skin.

Fresh, easy to digest, organic foods are best for our immunity. These foods may include fresh milk and yogurts, fruit, vegetables, cereals, and so on. Processed and frozen products that we may buy from stores are not fresh, and therefore they are harder to digest than fresh, natural ones. Because they are harder to digest, they can harm our immunity system. Also, foods which contain chemical additives or preservatives can slow down our digestive system and block the circulation channels, a fact which leads to a lazy, compromised immunity system.

Foods that feed our organism in the cold, dry season are the sweet, sour and salty ones. It’s therefore best to avoid acid or bitter products although, theoretically, all kinds of tastes could be included in our daily diet. Warm meals that are home cooked are ideal for our organism in this cold season, as long as we don’t fry them in oil and we use some oils that are easier to digest, such olive oil. We should avoid cold foods, because they also slow down the digestive system and harm the immunity system.

Lifestyle can also have a strong impact on our immunity system. If we go to bed late at night, if we work late at night, eat at irregular hours and are exposed to a lot of stress and pressure, if we sleep a lot during the daytime, all these can seriously affect digestion and body rhythm and thus compromise the immunity system. Because of this, it’s important to consume healthy products for this season and have a well-balanced lifestyle.

In the wintertime, day is shorter and night is longer. So it’s only natural for our organism to need and demand more time for rest and relaxation. The best thing we can do is try to go to bed early in the evening, and this can help us wake up fresher in the morning, full of energy, ready to start a new day. In fact, winter is the season when the whole nature sleeps, so why not take advantage of this natural tendency of ours and feed our body and mind?