By Setareh Kiumarsi
When we think of beautiful autumn, our bodies instinctively start to feel colder and drier. Why? Because each day, a dry and chilly wind blows, gradually reducing the moisture in both body and soul. Our skin, eyes, hair, nasal passages, joints—our entire being—starts to dry out. And the mind? It becomes restless. It’s as if the element of wind is dancing nonstop in our heads, leading to anxiety, mental overactivity, nervousness, and insomnia.
Here are a few simple tips to keep your body from drying out too much during fall:
Massage your body with a mixture of equal parts sweet almond oil and coconut oil 10–15 minutes before taking a shower, a few times a week. Then take a warm shower or soak in a warm bath. This opens the pores and helps the oil absorb into the body.
Every morning and night, apply a bit of sweet almond oil inside your nostrils and take a deep breath. Also, oil your navel, lower abdomen, lower back, and sides with this same blend.
Before bed, oil the soles of your feet with this mixture and massage them well.
Do a warm steam inhalation for 10–15 minutes daily. Use a warm steam humidifier, or simply boil water in a pot, drape a towel over your head, and take deep breaths.
Avoid exposing yourself to wind. If you are exposed, cover your neck, ears, and forehead. If you experience bloating, it’s a great idea to wrap your midsection in a thin, warm shawl; like cashmere.
Now let’s talk about dryness in the digestive tract. As mentioned above, autumn increases the cold and dry qualities in the body, and our gut fills with the air element. This leads to bloating, constipation, and the uncomfortable sensation of excessive air in the intestines.
Here are some easy remedies to reduce dryness in your digestive system:
Reduce your intake of legumes, and avoid legume-heavy dishes like lentil stew, bean bowls, lentil rice, chickpea-based soups, falafel, and so on. If you do use legumes, make sure to soak them the day before, change the water several times, and cook them with digestive spices like fennel, turmeric, cumin, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, saffron, coriander seeds, and more.
Avoid cold, raw vegetables like lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery, and cilantro. Use digestive salads instead.
Minimize your intake of potatoes.
Avoid eating raw apples, pears, or quinces. Instead, cook them with warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, and rose petals.
Caffeine—such as black tea, green tea, coffee, or instant coffee—is highly drying. Replace it with balanced herbal teas or digestive tea.
Starting two hours after each meal, drink a glass of warm water or digestive tea every hour. This not only rehydrates the body but also aids digestion and reduces bloating.
Drink one or two cups of digestive lassi daily.
Try to eat at least one warm, soupy meal a day. Soup is moist and warm—it helps counter the cold dryness of the gut. You can make your soup with easily digestible vegetables like carrots, parsley, and zucchini, add some protein, and a small amount of rice or quinoa. If you’re vegetarian, try adding a couple of spoons of yogurt at the end to make it like a yogurt-based soup.
What fruits should we eat—and avoid—in autumn?
Even though autumn has arrived and the cold wind has started to blow, the markets are still filled with summer fruits—like watermelon, cantaloupe, melon, peaches, nectarines, grapes, and more. But did you know that summer fruits are designed by nature to cool the body? We eat them to lower internal heat during hot summer days. These fruits are all moist and mucus-forming—intended to hydrate and cool us when it’s hot outside.
One major reason many people catch colds during the seasonal shift from summer to fall is the continued consumption of these fruits. When we eat moist, cooling foods during a cold season, we cool down the body even more and weaken the immune system.
So how should we consume fruit in autumn?
Stick to seasonal fruits. Fruits are created in alignment with the needs of the body in each season, so eat them in their proper time.
If you eat oranges or tangerines, try to also eat a sweet lemon or two alongside them.
Eat lots of cooked apples and pears—the more, the better! Chop them into a pot, add cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, and rose petals, pour in a little water, cover, and steam until soft. Once cooled, you can add a spoon or two of honey for flavor.
Autumn is the season of oranges, tangerines, sweet limes, grapefruits, apples, quinces, pomegranates, kiwis, persimmons, and pears.
Please be sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and the hope of well-being for all.
