Brian Anwar Blog: How To Eat For Winter [VLOG #61]

Click above to watch my VLOG – How To Eat For Winter, or feel free to read the transcript below instead!

Transcript:

Note: The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.

Hi Beauties,

Today we’re going to talk about how to eat for winter. It’s really important that we shift our foods just like we shift our clothes for different seasons, to really keep our body fortified and strong and the most energized it can be for each season.

Now, as we know, in winter, it is cold outside. I don’t think I have to tell you that it’s really important to stay balanced by giving our body extra nutrients. Our bodies are working extra hard to keep warm, so we really want to support our immunity at this time to stay balanced.

#1. Dominant Tastes of the Season

My first tip for you is to change the dominant tastes of the season. This is the principle in Ayurvedic medicine, which talks about these six different tastes that come from food, and what certain ones are more supportive for the elements of different seasons.

The three that we want to focus on right now are number one, sweet, which can come from adding a little bit of coconut nectar to your elixirs or grains, including quinoa, millet, sprouted brown rice – all these amazing gluten free grains also add a sweet taste in Ayurveda. They’re very hearty, they’re very filling. They’re going to burn off as a lot of energy for you right now.

Number two, salty, which you can get from sea vegetables. I’m a big fan of adding nori or wakame or arame or dulse. There’s so many different kinds of sea vegetables. Just adding them into your salads or your soup, that’s a really great way.

And number three, sour. So this is a great time to get back into raw sauerkraut or Probiotic & Enzyme Salad if you’ve gotten off track. It’s a great thing to add in, as well as tempeh and raw apple cider vinegar, which you can add into salad dressings.

#2. Healing Elixirs & Warming Soups

Number two, I talked about elixirs really quickly just then, and I think this is the season to really give yourself lots of healing elixirs. We have so many different recipes on the website here, as well as warming soups. It’s just going to help to warm you up from the inside. There’s a reason that we eat hot food.

This is the season for it, so you feel comforted and you feel good. You’re adding that agni, that digestive fire. I also want to mention, if you haven’t yet preordered your copy of my new book, which is called Recipes for Your Perfectly Imperfect Life, I earmarked this page for you because I thought this would really fit well. It’s called the Chickpea Stew, with pistachio pesto.

This is the first time I’ve added this certain kind of pesto to a stew. Usually I do pesto stuffed in mushrooms or whatever, and it’s actually really amazing and really warming. It’s just like an nice different type of soup that you can give your family and yourself. So check it out now.

We have bonus materials if you preorder your copy, which it’s basically a whole course on overcoming body shape. You can preorder right here on the book page. I’m so excited to share this book with you. I think it’s the best one!

#3. Bumping up your Spices

Going back to our topic of eating for winter and bumping up your spices. This is a really great time right now to incorporate spices that are going to really boost your body’s metabolism. Ginger, ginger all day long. Ginger in your hot water with lemon. Ginger in your stir fries.

Cinnamon is also really great. You can make a nice elixir just with cinnamon. Also, cloves, cayenne pepper – you can add a little bit to you elixirs. You can also, of course, add it in your food. Also turmeric, curry powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and cloves.

Just think of creative ways to add spices in. It could even be in your oatmeal. It could be in your wrap. You could sprinkle a little bit of turmeric. And I also want to say about cinnamon, a lot of us just think of adding it into desserts, but it works fantastically well in soups if you balance it with cumin and some turmeric. It does work well in savory dishes as well.

#4. Cooking with Coconut Oil

My next tip is cooking with coconut oil. There’s a study I wanted to point out where basically they showed that coconut oil (besides being antibacterial and antifungal) increases thermogenesis which is really how we create heat in the body.

Coconut oil is metabolized in a different way than other oils. It’s stable. It stays at a high smoke point. It’s great for use in baking. It’s great for use in stir fries and different sorts of recipes like that.

Now is the season where you want to add a little bit more coconut oil versus cooking just with vegetable broth or not using any oil. This is the season to add a little bit more. Your body could utilize it and again, it will increase your thermogenesis in your body.

In Closing

I hope you enjoyed these tips and remember to stay warm. It’s also a great idea, of course, to cover your throat. I feel a lot of chills gets into our body and there are many amazing, fashionable scarves out there. This is a great place to really protect.

So go out, get some fresh spices if need be. Look at different recipes. Preorder your copy of Recipes for Your Perfectly Imperfect Life, and I will see you back here very soon.

Take care, stay warm, and lots of love!