Late winter

Seasonal Period: Mid-January to Mid-March

Key Features

• Bitter taste dominance
• Kapha accumulation
• Body attains maximum strength
• Increased appetite

Dietary Focus:

• Favor sweet, sour, and salty tastes 
• Choose hot, and oily foods
• Avoid bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes

Seasonal Overview

• Months in India: Mid-January to Mid-March
• Naturally prominent taste during this weather: Bitter
• Link with Doshas: Season of Kapha accumulation

Physiological Changes During Winter

Body Transformations

• Maximum body strength achieved
• Increased appetite
• Longer nights enable more rest and improved digestion

Dietary Guidance

Recommended Tastes

• Favorable¹:
  • Sweet
  • Salty
  • Sour (in limited quantities)
• Unfavorable:
  • Bitter
  • Pungent
  • Astringent

Food Qualities to Embrace

• Oily
• Hot
• Hot Potency¹

Food Qualities to Avoid

• Light
• Dry¹
• Cold¹
• Cold Potency

Special Water Recommendation

• Usna: Water boiled and reduced to half of its original quantity

Recommended Foods

Dairy Products

• Milk
• Ghee
• Cream
• Butter¹
• Rice pudding
• Sweetened condensed milk (rabari)
• Honey with cold milk and oil

Sweet Foods

• Rock sugar
• Sugarcane juice
• Apple succade
• Gooseberry succade
• Sweets made with ground pulses and dry fruits

Pulses

• Sprouted Bengal Gram
• Black Gram
• Green Gram

Grains

• Wheat bread
• Bread made of gram flour
• Cornflakes
• New rice

Fruits

• All seasonal fruits

Vegetables

• Pointed guard (paravala)
• Brinjal
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Yams
• Ripe red tomatoes
• Carrots
• Beans
• Peas
• Spinach
• Fenugreek leaves
• Other leafy greens
• Dried ginger

Additional Recommendations

• Sesame seeds

Rejuvenating Herb

• Half a teaspoon of long pepper (pippali) powder with fresh water

General Health Guidelines

Lifestyle Recommendations

• Include warm water and hot foods in diet
• Regular exercise is essential
• Daily oil application is especially recommended in winter¹
• Avoid cold winds and stay in warm places
• Take sun warmth on the back of the body
• Take fire warmth on the front of the body
• Consume milk and aphrodisiac substances at night
• Use Aguru-based fragrances¹
• This is the right season for sexual activities¹

Critical Dietary Warning

Do not stay hungry or eat dry, rough foods

• Insufficient food can cause digestive fire to attack and destroy essential digestive juices
• May result in Vata aggravation

Activities to Avoid

• Staying awake late at night
• Rising late in the morning
• Skipping workouts and exercise
• Excessive bathing
• Late-night dinners
• Sleeping immediately after meals
• Starving yourself

References:
Primary Source: Acharya Balkrishna - A Practical Approach to The Science of Ayurveda - A Comprehensive Guide for Healthy Living - Chapter 5 Health Horizons

1. English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita (Volume 3) Uttara Tantra - Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna - Pg 396-400