ele:WELLNESS - Cold Season > via Dr. John Douillard

When it comes to winter, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In Ayurveda, the only prevention of a cold comes weeks or even months prior to the first sniffle. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian study of nature, teaches that by living in harmony with nature we can maintain balance-and skip cold and flu season entirely.
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Plane travel is hell. Is there any way to stay sane and healthy in the midst of security lines, flight delays and the sneezing and hacking of fellow passengers? Can you really jam 300 people into an airplane and not expect people to get sick? ~ Howard Schiffer, founder of VitaminAngels.org. [link]

The key to staying healthy and sane while traveling has nothing to do with the germ itself. Though you will be exposed to millions of re-circulated germs in an airplane, strangely only a few passengers get sick. There’s little we can do about being exposed to infectious bacteria and viruses. Things like washing your hands as often as possible help, but do little against airborne critters. The bulk of your immunity will depend on your level of susceptibility-not exposure.    
    Here is how it works: in the winter our sinuses begin to dry out. Airplanes are notorious for blowing dry, dehydrating air throughout the entire flight. As the sinuses dry, they produce reactive mucous to combat the dry seasonal air. This mucous becomes the perfect breeding ground for an opportunistic bacteria or virus-et voila-two days later you have a cold. So, to stay un-infected by high-risk airplanes is to keep your sinuses lubricated. Take a clean, empty nasal spray bottle and fill it with cold pressed sesame oil (less than 3oz, or security will confiscate!). Before, during and after your flight, take a couple of sniffs to keep those sinuses lubricated. You’ll be amazed how an ounce of oil can be worth a pound of cure!
    As for staying relaxed during the hustle and bustle of travel-the key is not to get run down. Most of us are more exhausted than we know, and when fatigue is combined with air travel we become susceptible to the stress-related woes of cold and flu season. My favorite remedy for this is an Ayurvedic herb called Ashwaganda that’s well-documented for its ability to help fight stress, prevent colds and rebuild the nervous system. Yet, one of its most coveted boons is its ability to fight jet lag. Take 500 m.g. of extracted Ashwaganda three times a day after food, a couple of days before and during your trip.
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How can we stay fit and not suffer indigestion from overeating during the Winter? I find it difficult to exercise as regularly when it’s cold out, especially running a business and being a single mom. ~ Debra Caplin, owner of The T Bar.com

It’s natural to gain a few pounds in the winter. Squirrels are eating nuts and doing their best to store insulating fats and nourishing proteins in the colder months. So don’t be alarmed if you naturally put on a few pounds of insulation. That said, there are things to do to keep those pounds off. One of the nice things about Thanksgiving and other holiday meals is that the meal is traditionally eaten in the middle of the day, when the digestion is stronger. Often by suppertime you are still too full for another meal and will settle for something light, or maybe skip eating altogether. Late night eating is the nemesis of weight loss-the body’s metabolism slows down in the evening, preparing for sleep and digestive strength is at its lowest. One strategy: enjoy those big midday meals and have a lighter, supplemental or soup-like meal for supper. Do your best to eat three-not six-meals and day and avoid those deadly snacks. Have your sweets, but only as a dessert after a nice relaxing meal. Eating heavy food on the run late at night is the quickest way to weightgain and indigestion. So relax, dine and make each meal count-and give your tummy a break between meals.
    When it comes to exercise, it is understood that we have to push ourselves hard for an hour, three to four times a week to burn fat and lose weight. The good news is that this is not true. There are numerous studies that tell us the best way to burn fat is to exercise moderately rather than vigorously. One of the best ways to measure your moderate exertion level or fat burning zone is to breathe through your nose while you exercise. If you start having to huff and puff through your mouth you are exercising too hard. When that happens, slow down, reset the comfortable breathing rhythm through the nose and begin to exercise harder once again. Nasal breathing will force the air into the lower lobes of the lungs where the majority of the fat-burning parasympathetic nerves are located, while mouth breathing opens the upper chest where the lungs are loaded with fight or flight (fat storing receptors). In my book, Body, Mind and Sport I go into greater detail into the benefits of nasal breathing exercise.
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I rarely cook at home. When I do, I often eat soup. What are some simple and easy winter recipes? ~ Chad Greedy, climber and videoer of rocks

For those bachelor types who often go hungry in the winter months, here is my favorite and extremely simple winter soup recipe that “anyone” can make! Boil some carrots and beets till they are soft, with a little ginger, garlic and salt. Strain off the water and add rice milk. Blend into a soup, reheat and eat. Enjoy this with some warm Italian bread dipped in olive oil with a touch of lemon and salt. This warm, hardy soup is perfect for cold winter nights. To follow your soup, how about a good winter tea blend? The best winter teas are similar to many chai blends and start with warming spices like ginger, clove, cardamom and cinnamon.
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Our farmers’ market customers want to keep supporting local farmers and eating locally through the winter, and food preservation is becoming a lost art. Ayurveda focuses on seasonal eating as a pillar of health. Since it can be difficult to find fresh fruits and vegetables in the wintertime, what balance do you recommend to eating completely seasonally? ~Mark Menagh, director of the Boulder County Farmers’ Market.

Eating with the seasons and reconnecting with the local farmer are key principles in the Ayurvedic food plan. But only eating locally grown foods can be pretty austere in the winter and spring. Ayurveda teaches how to classify foods from around the world into a seasonal eating plan. Bananas and avocados, for example, do not grow in Colorado in the winter but they are both warming foods that grow in the winter in warmer climates. They are not nearly as heating as a nut, but their heavy and warming properties still work well to round out a winter diet. Other winter harvested foods like papayas, oranges and tangerines don’t grow in the north, but still provide a warming benefit in the cold winter months. Beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, figs, dates, most grains, nuts and dairy are harvested in the late fall and winter, making them perfect antidotes to the cold and dry days of winter. Understanding that foods from around the world can still be enjoyed, yet adhering to seasonal eating principles makes Ayurveda a simple and practical approach to eating. In my The 3-Season Diet you will find an expanded version of the Winter, Summer and Spring grocery lists. They can also be downloaded from my web site, free, at lifespa.com.

Dr. John Douillard is an author and practitioner of Ayurveda and Chiropractic wisdom at the LifeSpa in Boulder, Colorado, where he lives with his wife and six children: lifespa.com or 303.516.4848.

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