During the colder months, our bodies naturally start to crave more warming foods, and mother nature has surely provided us with an abundance of seasonal foods to warm us up! Most of the foods that are available during fall and winter months have contractive or yang properties. According to Eastern traditions the forces of yin and yang are energetic qualities that shape everything in the universe, including our food. The Chinese symbol for yin is the shady side of a hill, while the symbol for yang is the sunny side. Therefore, yin qualities include coolness, dampness, and darkness, relative to the yang qualities of warmth, dryness, and light.
Based on the opposite concepts of yin and yang, we want to consume more yang (contractive) foods during the colder months and more yin (expansive) foods during the hotter summer months. You might notice your body craving more salty foods during the winter, which are related to yang energy, and more sweet foods during the summer, which are related to yin energy.
Here are some healing warming foods to play with this fall and winter:
Miso
Tamari
Eggs (organic and free range)
Fish
Grains
Beans
Ginger
Root Vegetables
Winter Squashes
Sea Vegetables
Bitter Greens
This is the ultimate recipe to feel good. It’s warming from the ginger root, healing to the digestive tract from the miso and veggies, replenishing to your thyroid gland from the seaweed, and soothing to the soul from the delicious flavour combinations. And it takes just under 10 minutes to make!
Healing Miso and Bean Soup
2 cups vegetable stock
½ yellow onion
1 tsp coconut oil
½ cup cannellini beans, cooked
1 small carrot
½ cup red cabbage
1 cup broccoli
1 garlic clove
1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
2 wakame strips (or arame seaweed)
2 Tbsp miso paste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
How to make:
In a medium soup pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Slice onion into thin strips and add to pot. Saute for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mince garlic and ginger root. Cut carrot into thin slices and broccoli into bite sized pieces.
Add garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper into pot and stir for 30 seconds. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Break the wakame strips into 3. Add in carrot, broccoli and wakame seaweed, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in beans and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and mix in miso paste. You don’t want to heat up miso too much as it kills the beneficial bacteria.
Makes 1 main dish serving or 2 side dishes.
What’s your favourite warming food?
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