Why Your Eating Habits Should Change with the Seasons

Every year around this time, I start to notice something in myself and in almost everyone I talk to — a feeling of being a little out of sync. Sleep patterns get strange, focus is harder to hold, digestion shifts, anxiety creeps up, and suddenly we’re reaching for the same foods and routines that worked in July, wondering why they don’t feel good anymore.

According to Ayurveda, the Life Science of Yoga, that’s not really unusual. It's an indication. It’s nature doing exactly what it does — changing — and our bodies trying to catch up.

Ayurveda teaches that we’re meant to eat with the seasons, because our internal systems are deeply tied to the rhythms of the external world. When we fight that rhythm, we lose balance. When we work with it, we restore it.

Winter: Nourish  | Cook  | Ground

In winter, everything slows down. The air is cold and dry, and the nervous system becomes more fragile. What we need most are foods that are warm, moist, and deeply grounding — things that tell the body, you are safe.

For me, this means soups simmering on the stove, roasted root vegetables, and slow-cooked stews with protein. Ghee or olive oil instead of raw salads. Herbal teas instead of iced drinks.

Warmth, fat, and protein give the Vata dosha (which is light, dry, and mobile by nature) something to anchor into. They calm the wind inside.

Spring: Steam  | Lighten  | Detoxify

When spring arrives, everything starts to move again. The body wants to shed. Kapha energy — heavy, slow, earthy — is what we feel. If we keep eating like it’s winter, we feel sluggish and congested.

This is when I shift toward lighter, steamed meals: greens with a bit of bitterness, fresh herbs, lemon, less dairy, less sugar. Think: sautéed asparagus, steamed broccoli, mung bean soup with ginger and turmeric.

The goal here isn’t restriction — it’s clarity: physically, mentally and emotionally. Spring foods help the body let go of what winter stored up.

Summer: Cool  | Hydrate  | Refresh

By summer, fire takes over — both outside and in our digestion. This is Pitta season, when we crave fresh, raw, cooling foods: cucumbers, melons, mint, berries, coconut water, crisp vegetables.

This isn’t the time for heavy stews or dense proteins. It’s the time for lighter fare and hydration — foods that keep your inner fire from burning too hot.

Moving Into Vata Season: The Art of Grounding

Right now, we’re moving into Vata season again — fall into early winter — and that means everything becomes lighter, colder, drier, and more changeable. You can feel it in your skin, your digestion, even your thoughts. Anxiety spikes easily. The mind races. Sleep gets interrupted.

So, what helps during winter? Honestly, small, steady comfort.

A few of my favorite Vata-balancing practices (and no, this isn’t a to-do list — think of it more like permission):

• Eat something warm every morning. Even if it’s just oatmeal with cinnamon, almond butter, and cardamom — warmth tells your body “you’re home.”

• Cook with oil and be ok adding healthy fats. Ghee, sesame oil, ginger, cumin, fennel — these are medicine for Vata. They keep things moving, but in the right direction.

• Eat sitting down. Vata energy is wind — fast, distracted, scattered. Just the act of sitting still while eating grounds you more than you might think.

• Simplify. A one-pot meal or a bowl of rice, lentils, and veggies counts. It’s not about perfection; it’s about nourishment.

• Warm beverages. Replace cold smoothies with herbal teas or warm milk with nutmeg or ashwagandha if you like it.

Vata wants routine, warmth, and consistency. If you can give it that, it will calm.

Balancing Over Counting

Ayurveda doesn’t obsess over calories. It focuses on balance. When your doshas are balanced, your body naturally finds its way back to health and steadiness — and yes, even happiness.

So if you’ve been feeling out of sorts lately — scattered, anxious, ungrounded — it might not be about your mindset or your to-do list. It might simply be that your body needs something different now than it did a few months ago.

You don’t have to overhaul everything. Just begin by noticing the season and how to live more harmoniously with it.