The best foods in the winter season are those that bring warmth and strength to the body, such as buckwheat, red and black beans, root vegetables, onions, thistles, leeks and celery, good quality desserts, home made and sweetened only with fruit or with malt (of rice or barley). We use sweet and long cooking, stewing and niscimè are excellent for bringing warmth to foods and, therefore, to our body.
Here are two remedies from the Macrobiotic tradition, useful in the winter season.
Black soybean decoction (Useful for strengthening kidneys and bladder)
Ingredients: ½ cup of black soy, ½ cup of dry daikon, 5 cm of kombu seaweed, 4 cups of water.
Put the kombu seaweed and the daikon previously soaked in water in a pot. Add the black soy and water and bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 45 minutes. Strain and drink a hot cup a day.
Can be stored in the refrigerator.
Infusion of lotus root (Useful for strengthening the lungs and in case of cough)
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of dried lotus root, ½ liter of water, a few drops of soy sauce.
Boil the water with the lotus root for 15-20 minutes in a covered pot. Strain, and drink a hot cup a day, adding a few drops of soy sauce. It can be kept in the refrigerator.