By Dr. Jennifer L. Yocum, Licensed Acupuncturist
Did you know that you can transform your kitchen into a natural wellness center can help you stay healthy and vibrant throughout the winter? Food is medicine, and you can use knowledge from both Eastern and Western medicine to stock up on common ingredients with medicinal properties and create a powerful arsenal against seasonal ailments.
Because winter is naturally a time when it is colder out, according to Chinese Medicine, it can lead to cold invasion when you spend time outdoors. Cold invasion leads to symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose with clear or white phlegm, itchy throat, coughing up clear or white mucus, aches, cold aversion, or pain that feels better with heat. If you’re exposed to wind and cold, it can show up as chills, sore throat, sneezing, cough, headache, and general malaise. In other words, exposure to cold and/or wind shows up as many of the symptoms you experience with typical winter colds or flus. That doesn’t mean you have to completely avoid enjoying the winter weather, however. By stocking your kitchen with healing ingredients, you’ll ensure everyone in your household remains as healthy as possible all winter long.
Stocking Your Healing Kitchen
To build your winter wellness pharmacy, focus on these key ingredients:
Immune-Boosting Roots
These powerhouse roots have been suggested to reduce inflammation and pain, and in the case of garlic, even ward off colds and the flu.
– Ginger: Anti-inflammatory and warming
– Turmeric: Potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
– Garlic: Natural antibiotic and immune enhancer
Antiviral and Antimicrobial Herbs
There are many antiviral and antimicrobial herbs you may already have in your kitchen. Try incorporating adding these to your roasted veggies or main dish.
– Thyme: Antimicrobial and expectorant
– Rosemary: Antiviral, improves circulation and supports digestion
– Sage: Antiviral, soothes sore throats and aids digestion
Nourishing Vegetables
It’s always important to make sure you eat a variety of healthy vegetables, but during the winter months, it’s particularly important. Make sure to incorporate plenty of these veggies to support your immune system and overall health.
– Dark leafy greens: Rich in vitamins and minerals
– Cruciferous vegetables: Support liver detoxification
– Root vegetables: Grounding and energizing
Warming Spices
In Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, warming spices in particular play a crucial role in winter wellness. Let’s break down some of the most popular warming spices into their energetics and actions to better understand how they can support you during the colder months:
Cinnamon
– Improves circulation and can help to balance blood sugar
– Energetics: Warm and sweet
– Actions: Stimulates circulation, warms the body, and balances qi (energy)
Ginger
– Energetics: Hot and pungent
– Actions: Dispels cold, stimulates digestion, and promotes sweating
Turmeric
– Energetics: Warm and bitter
– Actions: Moves blood, reduces inflammation, and supports liver function
Cardamom
– Enhances mood and aids digestion
– Energetics: Warm and pungent
– Actions: Strengthens the Spleen, harmonizes the Stomach, and lifts the spirit
Cayenne Pepper
– Boosts metabolism and circulation, may reduce hunger
– Energetics: Hot and pungent
– Actions: Circulates qi and blood, clears damp, and disperses cold and wind
By incorporating these warming spices into your daily diet, you can support your body’s natural healing processes and maintain balance throughout the winter months. Try adding cinnamon to your morning oatmeal, cardamom or cayenne pepper to some hot cocoa, or brew up some ginger tea or golden milk for an extra warming and anti-inflammatory boost.
Bone Broths
Bone broths are especially important in Chinese Medicine, and are used to help boost the immune system, build blood and qi, improve digestion, and help the kidneys. Chicken bone broth is a good starting place and can easily be made with leftover chicken bones and a little meat, plus a few veggies and herbs. If you’re feeling extra depleted, consider beef broth; it’s considered to be more strengthening. Seafood or fish-based broths can be useful if you’re a pescatarian, and because seafood is good for the kidneys, it should give you an extra boost of energy.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan/plant-based, while you cannot have bone broth, creating veggie stocks or broths and sipping them can help to warm and build the qi. Consider adding cruciferous veggies like broccoli for a little depth, carrots for sweetness and Spleen support, and onions and garlic to support your immune system.
No matter which of these healing ingredients you use in your winter kitchen, remember to focus on eating mostly warm, lightly cooked foods. While this should be practiced year-round, it’s most important during the cold months to keep viruses at bay. Think of soups, stews, curries, warm meats or seafood, sautéed greens, and roasted veggies as the bulk of your meals, supported by grains and cooked fruits. Get creative with how to incorporate the spices, and have fun experimenting with kitchen medicine!
Note: This article was originally published in a local magazine for their January 2025 issue. For citation references, please contact Dr. Yocum at https://jenyocum.com/contact/
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