Winter: A Time for Restoration, Not a Detox
Both traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine use the winter months as a time for inward reflection, nourishment and building strength to prepare for the renewal of spring. They suggest that detoxification which can be depleting, goes against this natural rhythm of the season and that grounding, warming and strengthening practices align with the body’s needs during colder months, reflecting that this time of year is for restoration and not detox.
Here in the northern hemisphere, it is cold, we are not in the warmer climates and therefore a strong detox is not supportive of our systems at this time of year. For many, they need to retreat and to conserve energy.
After Christmas and New Year we may find that too much festive cheer has found their way around our waist band, and that we are left feeling heavy and bloated resulting in general fatigue and brain fog.
The Christmas holiday aftermath
After Christmas, many of us experience:
- Weight gain from indulgent foods like gluten, sugar, cream, alcohol and excess meats.
- Lethargy from overeating and reduced movement.
- Sleep deprivation due to late nights.
- Digestive complaints.
- Low immunity and more.
After excess, we naturally crave a lighter diet that includes warming soups, nourishing veggies, more hydration, and less of the heavy foods. This is signaling to us our body’s intuitive desire to rest and recover. When we follow those ‘nudges’ we naturally start to feel better as we have stopped the indulgences and replaced them with easier to digest foods.
Both TCM and Ayurvedic medicine describe winter as the season of Yin which reflects the darker months of the year. It’s a time to retreat, look inward, slow down, warm up, rest and focus on nourishment. We need to conserve our energy, therefore pushing the body with a strong detox is going against our natural rhythms. They do not promote extreme detoxification or long fasts as this can weaken us leaving the body unable to digest food properly, which results in creating more toxins in the body and limited energy to remove them. We want to conserve our energy!
However, it’s the time of year are bombarded with New Year New You messaging which feels like another uphill push for doing, spending or overloading our nervous system. We are only just recovering from from black Friday, cyber-Monday, quick grab before its gone hard sells, last minute Christmas deals, how to set your table, what to eat and on it goes, it is all too much for our nervous system and goes against the natural energy of winter!
This overloading of expectations can continue to drain our mental energy whilst pulling us away from the season’s natural invitation to rest, reset, and tune into our unique needs.
The Stillness of Yin
TCM honors the winter season by encouraging us to become have more presence and embrace winters natural rhythm of stillness and restoration.
Like plants withdrawing energy into their roots, we can preserve our own lifeforce, preparing us for spring’s renewal, like the seed beneath the soil, its time for quiet nourishment and preparation.
A Balanced Approach to Winter Well-being
Whilst true hibernation might sound ideal, life commitments often prevent us from fully retreating during the winter months. However, we can make simple adjustments to honor the season and help our mind and body to restore and gently recalibrate.
With the excess of stimulation from social media, news, emails and other ways we hijack our calmness it is a good time to simplify our schedules and reduce the spent looking at our phones, computers, laptops and tv’s. Embracing a slower pace can really help our energy and restoration.
Choosing nourishing foods that can warm us from within, not only brings us comfort but nutrients that naturally support our detox pathways such as –
- Warming soups rich in phytonutrient dense nutrient dense chemicals such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, beetroot, greens, butternut squash, carrots, celeriac, kale etc.
- Warmings spices such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon to aid digestion and improve circulation.
- Warming smoothies – rich in colourful berries, greens and spices – serving slightly warm for comfort yet maintaining the powerful enzymes.
- Warming salads – salads mixed with warming roasted vegetables can help us enjoy some raw foods (rich in enzymes) during the winter.
- Choline rich foods to support liver function such as egg, oily fish, whole grains etc. Adding extra lecithin which is rich in choline can support or bile flow which aids in gentle detoxification [i]
For some, extra nutrients may be needed and beneficial such as a detox formula that delivers bioactive and bioavailable vitamins, minerals and amino acids that give the liver the extra support it requires.
Dehydration is common during the winter, especially when the main beverages are tea and coffee. Replacing some of these with herbal teas, or warm water infused with lemon and ginger can help support our hydration levels.
Castor oil packs can be useful during this quiet time, not only are they warming, they promote relaxation, whilst supporting, liver function, digestion and gentle eliminations.
Time to step back, not push forward
Winter invites us to slow down and honour the natural rhythm of the season – a time for restoration, not striving. Even small amounts of withdrawal and care can feel like a mini-hibernation, offering profound benefits for both body and mind.
Take up some mindful practices such as meditation, warming baths with Epsom salts or essential oils, nature walks (wrapping up), and other calming ways that suit your needs. Remember – Restoration vs Detox!
Catch up with sleep where you can, even if it means having an afternoon nap on occasions or getting a lay in bed one day a week. Sleep is vital for health and wellbeing, after the Christmas festivities, we can be depleted in many nutrients such as magnesium which can affect our sleep, energy and mood.
In the words of the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu –
‘NATURE DOES NOT HURRY, YET EVERYTHING IS ACCOMPLISHED’
[i] LeBlanc MJ, Gavino V, Pérea A, Yousef IM, Lévy E, Tuchweber B. The role of dietary choline in the beneficial effects of lecithin on the secretion of biliary lipids in rats. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1998 Aug 28;1393(2-3):223-34. doi: 10.1016/s0005-2760(98)00072-1. PMID: 9748591.
