Cold in Winter (The Sunday Times, 12 February 2006)

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Q. My vegetarian daughter dreads the winter as she is permanently cold, even when wearing layers of clothes in a hot room. It is affecting her home and work life. Can you help?



A. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), health is achieved when one follows the laws of nature and adapts to the changes of the seasons. In the West, we have forgotten this simple advice, as we can now buy virtually any food we want at any time of year. As a result, we have become more disconnected to the healing foods that are provided through the different seasons. In TCM, it is important when the temperature plummets, for example, to eat plenty of root vegetables, since plants that take longer to grow are considered to be more “warming”.

Encourage your daughter to use cooking methods such as roasting and grilling, and to eat hearty casseroles. She should ditch the salads until the external temperatures rise and her internal body temperature increases. Some of the key foods and spices favoured in TCM to warm the body are ginger, leek, sweet potato, turnip, fennel seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, garlic, cinnamon, onion and coriander. Pulses are crucial in any vegetarian diet, but adzuki, black and kidney beans are particularly important in winter.

If these dietary changes do not help, ask your GP if your daughter can have her thyroid hormones checked, as coldness can also signal a sluggish thyroid.




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