Winter Wellbeing: How to Stay Warm, Well, and Energised
Here we are in mid-winter, when we are more challenged to stay well and avoid the colds and flu which are so common at this time. How can we experience wellness during this time?
For me one of the greatest gifts of the simple macrobiotic way of looking at life and health is to understand that we need to eat more warming foods in the winter – longer cooked bean stews, roasted vegetables and warming soups, and less fruits, salad, raw foods and of course very cooling foods like ice cream. It is so simple, but is the way to keep our energy strong and our spirits high during these colder darker days.
I have seen many clients who have suffered for years from Seasonal Affective Disorder – a fancy name for feeling cold, depressed and lacking energy in the winter – change their way of eating and start finding they can enjoy wintertime again. Eating warming foods in winter is how we harmonise ourselves with our natural environment, which then creates better internal health.
How to enjoy a strong immune system
There is now lots of good evidence for how we can all experience stronger immunity, and reduce the number and severity of typical winter infections. For me one of the greatest benefits of following a macrobiotic way of eating and living is not getting flu for the last 45 years (and without having flu jabs!) I’ve saved weeks and months of being poorly and missing out on life!
Here’s a brief list of what you can do to help yourself enjoy stronger immunity.
Get plenty of sleep –Not getting enough hours reduces antibody production.
Exercise regularly –enhances our immune system, but don’t overdo it to the point of exhaustion, which then weakens our immunity.
Reduce stress in your life –some stress is unavoidable in life, but there are things we can do to reduce its affect on us. Finding some still quiet place inside, through meditation, time in nature, or whatever works for you.
Get outside –pick up on nature’s energy, and sunlight to create vitamin D, shown to be essential for a strong immune system. And if you cannot get outside much, consider taking a vitamin D supplement.
Short-term cold water –from a cold water swim in the sea (very popular down here in Devon, even through the winter!) or shower. But don’t get deeply cold, which then weakens our defences.
Nourish your gut biome –more and more evidence is showing that a healthy gut is central to having a healthy immune system, so eat a plant-based diet with plenty of fibre (prebiotic) and some daily fermented vegetables like sauerkraut or kim chi to bring in the bacteria (probiotic) which enhance our immune systems.
Don’t eat refined sugar –clearly shown to knock out one type of defensive white blood cell called neutrophils, for up to 5 hours. Particularly bad is eating some high sugar foods all through the day, so inhibiting your immune function continuously.
I wish you all a joyful mid-winter time, and a great year ahead. Do come and join us on courses at the school or online, to find out how you can enjoy the best health possible, and avoid so many of the illnesses so common today!
Posted by Oliver Cowmeadow on January 8th 2026
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