Winter tempts us to retreat into cozy, reflective spaces, which can help us to honor our natural need to move through cycles in our interactions with outer and inner worlds. Ideally, we don’t need to put ourselves into the unnatural habitat of a harsh northern winter in order to honor this cyclical biological nature in us, but if that is where we are (in the cold north), it can present an obvious opportunity. However, I hear from so many northern-dwelling friends that they find it very hard to stay fully healthy and vibrant in the winter. They may feel cooped up indoors breathing stagnant air, depressed by grayer skies and lower energy, and tempted to eat much less fresh produce. The winter feels long, and the initial coziness can begin to give way to a slippery slide into a vicious cycle of poor habits resulting in a sluggish immune system, illnesses, mental fog or feeling blue, and perhaps even unwanted weight gain or getting out of shape.
Though I am in southern Florida this winter, I spent more than 50 winters primarily in Michigan. The last 15 of those Michigan winters I considered myself a raw vegan. One of my survival tactics was to spend at least a few weeks mid-winter in a sunny southern climate more suited to my frugivorous diet, but I still had to find effective ways to meet the trials of a northern winter and maintain my health, my spirits, and my fresh diet. I will admit that it wasn’t easy!! It took time to find the tools I needed, and ultimately I did opt to move down to Florida. (Family is now drawing me back to Michigan to recreate my main home-base there again, and though I plan to spend winters mostly in Florida still, I will be choosing to meet the challenges of some less friendly colder weather.)
I’d like to offer what I learned along the way, in the hope that it may help some of my northern-dwelling readers to raise their wintertime vibration. When wintry weather and gray skies lure us into a hibernation of sorts, it’s important to remember that we are not by nature a hibernating species. Having the technologies that allow us to survive in harsh northern conditions does not indicate that we are biologically designed to do so. We will do best to remember our tropical origins at all times, and to use available technology to create it artificially when we are geographically separated from our biological niche.
NOTE: Links to all resources mentioned are provided in clickable buttons at the end of this blog-post.
Our Need For Sunlight:
The best current technology is the Sperti Vitamin D lamp. I use this every day for 10 minutes (with all clothing off), even in Florida winters. The sun is not strong enough this time of year to enable our full natural biological Vitamin D production, we don’t store enough to get through a long winter, and we are not spending our days outdoors without clothing covering most of our skin. If a blood test reveals less than 50-80 ng/ml of Vitamin D, use this special lamp daily and test again in 6 months. Nothing fully replaces all the broad benefits of natural sunlight, but this is the best substitute I have found. (Supplementation with tablets or drops would be a last resort, not nearly as effective and not without harm.) “Embrace the Sun: Are You Dying in the Dark?” is a book that will surely convince anyone of how critical is our need for sufficient sunshine.
Our Need for a Radiant Heat Source:
Sun offers us the radiant heat we crave for our well-being. We all know that delicious feeling of stepping out into the warm sunshine and feeling its radiant warmth penetrate right into our bones! I was able to re-create this to some extent with a wood-stove, hot-tub (or hot bath), and sauna. A radiant electric heater, or radiant heated floors are other nice technologies. Before I got a wood-stove, my kids and I used to huddle around a radiant electric space-heater I bought for $75 (it even looked like a cute little wood-stove). Hot air blowing on us from forced-air furnaces does not satisfy our desire to feel something like the radiant heat of the sun. We can encourage our own internal radiant heat source by wearing a thermal under-layer of clothing. Hollow-fiber long underwear is a great choice for effective extra body insulation, such as polypropylene, hemp, silk or bamboo.
Our Need for Healthy Circulation:
A bit of extra cozy-time is wonderful and can be very healing, but will soon leave us feeling sluggish. We are designed to move, and movement is the most effective way to stay warm AND healthy. It’s not only our blood that needs to circulate to all of our extremities to keep us warm and vital, but also our lymphatic system wants to be moving toxins out, and is facilitated in its job by our vigorous physical movement. A few slow squats is a very effective way to warm up when we catch a chill. The quadriceps in our thighs are the biggest muscles in the body, and activating them gets our circulation flowing well immediately. Another great indoor exercise is rebounding, done on a mini-trampoline which is easy to store in your home (see resource links below). I keep mine out and ready for use all the time. I like to put on some favorite lively music, and dance-bounce. Just a few minutes restores mood, mental clarity, circulation and lymphatic flow!
Our Need for Vibrant Natural Food:
It’s definitely a real challenge to eat the diet of our biological design when we have located ourselves far outside of our natural tropical habitat! But just as polar bears living in a zoo in San Diego still need their native polar bear food, so too do we humans thrive best on our natural food, which is primarily fresh uncooked fruits and greens. There are some small adjustments that will make this feel more realistic and balanced during the cold northern winter.
Warm drinks help, such as warm water with lemon, herbal tea, or a warmed ‘hot chocolate’ made with almond or hemp milk and carob or raw cacao powder, blended with dates. Warmed (not cooked) home-made raw veggie soups are also nice. A vitamix is handy for this, but any blender will do and the raw soup can then be very gently warmed in a saucepan on a stove-top (stir constantly). Test by immersing your pinky finger - as long as you can do that comfortably, it’s not heating high enough to cause real damage. A hearty recipe I enjoy is a corn chowder or ‘split pea’ soup made by adding thawed organic corn OR peas to a base of cucumber and avocado, blending all till creamy and then adding toppings of your choice such as shredded carrots or chopped fresh herbs.
I do enjoy citrus fruits in the winter, but it’s also good to focus on some of the denser fruits such as bananas and fresh soft dates. A nice “porridge” can be made by blending chopped apples (or pears) and bananas (only blend a little, keeping it lumpy), and stirring in copped dates or raisins, and topping with a dash of cinnamon. When I can find persimmons or fresh figs, I partake heartily. My favorite hearty pudding is made simply by blending nothing but fresh juicy figs in a Vitamix until very thick and smooth.
Remove any fresh produce that is stored in the refrigerator well before you plan to eat it, to take the chill off, or submerse it in warm water before eating. There is no need to eat icy cold produce in the winter!
Another winter hack is to use a dehydrator to warm fresh raw foods. Warm dried pineapples were a favorite snack for my children…they preferred them in their warm juicy half-dried state, taken from the dehydrator while it was still running.
There are many creative ways to enjoy a fresh raw diet all through the winter months, it just requires an honest commitment. Paying attention to all the other requirements noted in this blog really helps with the dietary commitment. And if you do find yourself with an emotional need for some cooked foods, the healthiest choices will be lightly steamed or baked vegetables, winter squashes and yams.
Our Need for Inspiration!
Maintaining physical, mental and emotional health through a long northern winter requires commitment and self-discipline. It’s a CHOICE, and you need to be clear about it. Look for health and spirituality podcasts and readings, and new raw/vegan recipes to inspire your vibrant winter journey! Movies and stories about other humans who have overcome obstacles to achieve their dreams and commitments are also great inspiration! Your health and vitality are your greatest assets, worthy of your deepest commitment and attention, all year long. You’re worth it!
Some great ideas, Ellen - thanks!! Movement in the winter is terrific to generate internal warmth....
I like the way you cover this topic so thoroughly. You have clearly put effort into managing Michigan winters for yourself, and you seem to have called forth all the strategies that you were able to manifest.