Is the weather getting you down? 8 habits to adopt to face fall with energy

Sophie Benabi, expert and practitioner in Ayurveda, tells us all his advice on diet, well-being and sport to better manage the change of season.

Eating “heating” foods

In autumn, the body needs comfort and warm up from the inside. In Ayurveda, we recommend eating cooked food (in the oven, steam, etc.) and hot. “You can of course indulge in raw vegetables from time to time, but make sure to accompany them with a warming food such as mustard, spices, herbs, vinaigrette or lemon juice.“, warns our expert. Furthermore, we are starting to integrate into our diet root vegetables (pumpkin, pumpkin, parsnip, endive, beetroot…) which have the particularity in Ayurveda of being full of the element “earth” and to participate in anchoring the person in the present moment. “We do not hesitate to prepare soups, Dahl, stews, broths…For non-vegetarians, fall is a good time to eat meat because it is a food which is grounding, soothing and which, in Ayurveda, allows us to build “good tissues”, which tend to be more weakened in autumn. However, it is necessary favor meats cooked for a long time (pot-au-feu, beef bourguignon, stews) and ideally, with spices, so that they are well digestible“, continues our interlocutor.

Avoid drinking too much coffee: 1 to 2 cups per day maximum

Caffeine helps maintain a state of nervousness and stress, it can disrupt the digestive system and be drying for the body. Moreover, the drying side of caffeine is very palpable when you drink coffee: you tend to be thirsty afterwards. So, autumn is a season during which we will have to reduce your coffee and tea consumption. In other words, we limit ourselves one or two cups per day. We also don’t hesitate to drink hot drinks like spiced infusions.

Nuts, almonds, pistachios: oilseed purees for breakfast

To be able to rehydrate from the inside, you must opt ​​for vegetable oils such as olive oil, hemp oil, ghee (clarified butter) but also fruits oilseed such as hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews… For example, oilseed purees can be perfectly integrated into an autumn breakfast. The ideal breakfast to welcome autumn:

• A hot spiced drink or a latte (chai, golden milk, etc.)
• Sweet version: porridge (oat, rice or buckwheat flakes) with oilseed puree and cooked fruit or pancakes with compote
• Savory version: a slice of bread (lupin, einkorn) with smoked trout or fresh cheese and herbs + half an avocado with lemon juice and spices

Spices: avoid chili and mustard

“Spicy doesn’t mean hot. During the fall, it is appropriate toavoid chili and mustard“, recommends our expert. On the other hand, we benefit from the benefits of all the spices available to us:

• Chamomile, rose and saffron help soothe the nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety and allow for more restful sleep in the fall.
• Cardamom, turmeric, fennel seeds and cinnamon are two spices excellent for digestion, called “carminatives” and will help support digestion, reduce bloating, gas and burps and help balance the Vata dosha which becomes unbalanced in autumn.
• Thyme and savory have anti-inflammatory, relaxing properties and contribute to good digestion
• Asafoetida (resin from a type of giant fennel native to Central Asia with the smell of rotten eggs which disappears when cooked) helps to better digest legumes and avoid having gas and bloating.

Avoid fasting or skipping meals

In autumn, fasting is not recommended as when you do not have regular meals, you are in a process of imbalance. “Only people with a slow metabolism and who have difficulty digesting in the morning will be able to do without breakfast, for example. For others, you really need to make sure you eat regularly.e”, recalls our expert.

Give yourself a massage with hot oil: sesame for example

Fall is a season that invites you to slow down. It is therefore appropriate to take some time for yourself to anchor yourself in the present moment. It’s an ideal season for self-massage because our skin is drier and our tissues are more fragile. “To massage, we use hot oil (sesame oil (not suitable for people with digestion problems or those who have a very heavy tongue in the morning), rose or grapeseed oil and for 10 to 15 minutes, we massage ourselves, focusing on the key areas of autumn, such as feet, knee joints, digestive system with navel, ears and temples. The little recommendation that I like to give is to smell a little essential oil (respecting the contraindications) before the massage to soothe your mind. The best oils for fall are Lavender, Chamomile or Ylang-Ylang“, recommends our interlocutor.

Optimize your sleep by eating early

As autumn is marked by a decline in vitality, it is essential to have the most restful sleep possible. For this, it is appropriate to dinner early enough (ideally, leave 2 to 3 hours between eating and going to bed)cut yourself off from screens before falling asleep in favor of reading, meditation, self-massage of the feet, there alternate breathing… We avoid eating too much animal protein in the evening because it congests the digestive system. Finally, we avoid mixing two animal proteins at dinner (cheese + meat for example).

Favor gentle sports without drafts

In autumn, we need to do sports in a warm, draft-free place so as not to weaken your immune system, so ideally indoors. “We favor sports that will help slow down the pace like gentle yoga, dance or Pilates. If it is not too windy, humid or cold, we can do jogging outside, making sure to cover your throat and ears and preferring a slot in the morning“, recommends Sophie Benabi. After a sports session, the hammam is a practice recommended in autumn to warm your body from the inside and eliminate toxins.

Thanks to Sophie Benabi, expert and practitioner in Ayurveda, author of the “Petit Cahier d’Exercices d’Ayurvéda” (Editions Jouvence)