Nature comes reliably to our aid in winter: tips and remedies for not feeling cold, both at home and outdoors. At the table too, we can fight the cold with foods that raise body temperature.
In winter, some people tolerate low temperatures less well than others, with a constant need to build up heat and warm the body both from the outside and from within. As well as equipping ourselves with winter clothing, we can adopt natural home remedies and consume a whole range of "warming" foods and spices that will help us get through the cold season without too much difficulty.
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In general, the problem is more widespread among women who, for physiological reasons related to feminine energy (yin), feel the cold more acutely and suffer more from it. The regular consumption of foods that raise body temperature helps to keep energy levels high in people who feel the cold easily — who might otherwise experience general malaise, severe fatigue, perpetually frozen extremities and, not least, a greater risk of succumbing to cold-related illnesses. If it is true that food is thermal energy and warmth, we should pay attention to what we eat, trying to favour foods with yang energy (warming) and saving foods with yin energy (cooling) for the milder season.
Among spices, we can choose those that are typically wintry, such as cinnamon and clove, used abundantly in making desserts and herbal teas, but we can also opt for thyme, chilli pepper, black pepper, ginger, marjoram and cumin. On the market, in fact, we can find excellent blends that bring together all the elements needed to prepare a great warming drink. We can add to the list some plants that complete the formula, among which we find fennel.
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On days of intense cold, you can opt for a drink that will help rebalance the various elements in order to regain "warmth" and wellbeing. It has been used for a long time and is very widespread in macrobiotics, and it is excellent when the cold has seeped in deeply and the feeling of malaise knocks us flat.
To make it, simply follow this recipe: prepare a bancha or kukicha tea and add a teaspoon of kuzu — a starch obtained from the root of the plant Pueraria lobata — previously dissolved in a drop of cold water. Put it back on the heat and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes, until the tea turns from cloudy back to clear. Add an umeboshi plum, a teaspoon of shoyu, preferably organic, and 10–15 drops of freshly grated ginger. Drunk piping hot, the result is immediate and reliable. It is well worth trying even in the case of a heavy cold — its effect will astound you.
Always prefer hot drinks, between and during meals, at which it is effective to prioritise hot soups, whether vegetable or legume-based and slightly spicy, which will help us keep the inner "fire" that warms us burning high.
Avoid excesses of all foods that can cool the body, such as cold drinks and "cooling" foods, including citrus fruits which, though highly beneficial for their vitamin C content, are well known for their cooling properties. It is advisable not to cut them out entirely but to alternate them with more yang foods, in order to restore the body's heat balance. Obviously, people who feel the cold particularly acutely can quite happily put off eating them until other times of the year.
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Clothing is extremely important and during the cold season must be appropriate, both for adults and for children. Wool and silk are thermoregulating and highly absorbent, making them suitable materials for children who often sweat. These two fibres allow excellent breathability, a mechanism that channels moisture away from the skin towards the outside while keeping body temperature constant — a fundamental condition for allowing the internal organs of a body that is still developing and growing to grow strong and healthy.
We can opt for both short-sleeved and long-sleeved tops made from merino wool, sourced from sheep living in uncontaminated areas, and silk, considered the "queen of fibres," hypoallergenic and antibacterial. Extremely delicate and lightweight against the skin, simple merino wool and silk garments are the perfect combination for keeping us warm during winter.
Appropriate clothing that helps us maintain a constant body temperature and gives us a pleasant feeling of warmth will allow us to avoid cranking up the temperature in our homes excessively — a habit that can have side effects on both health and, above all, environmental pollution.
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Many people complain of permanently cold feet and hands. This is certainly a personal characteristic that may be linked to circulatory problems, or hormonal ones, or it may simply affect people who are not inclined towards movement but who prefer or are obliged to lead a rather sedentary life. Whatever the cause, in addition to following the tips already given — warming herbal teas, socks preferably in pure wool, a good pair of gloves, and not forgetting a woollen hat on your head — there are some measures that can improve the situation.
If possible, go for a good walk every day, after having briskly rubbed your feet and hands several times with a dry sponge cloth, and wherever possible avoid the lift, because climbing a few flights of stairs on foot can be more than beneficial. Buy some cinnamon or ginger essential oil, add a few drops to a neutral cream or to almond oil, and massage your feet and hands daily. Take care not to use them neat on the skin but always diluted in a carrier, because their rubefacient action — that is, their tendency to promote reddening of the skin — could cause significant congestion.
Also worth considering are foot baths, which are also a moment of relaxation for the whole body. When circulation is sluggish and energy tends to shift upwards, a foot bath with chilli pepper can be an excellent remedy for restoring energetic balance and reactivating circulation. Fill a sufficiently deep basin with hot water and a tablespoon of chilli pepper seeds, and if you have some, a few drops of fresh ginger, grated and then squeezed. Don't be alarmed if you feel a slight tingling and notice the skin becoming a little red. It may not happen at all — it depends on the person — but in the meantime you will enjoy the benefit this remedy can offer.
Contrast showers also work excellently when the cold is concentrated in the extremities, which simply cannot seem to warm up. Alternate jets of hot and cold water for around ten minutes, until circulation is fully reactivated.