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Cold, Cold, Cold!!!

I'd love to hear how other's keep warm on Raw - yesterday a cold snap hit and I could not get warm all day. I over-ate in the evening to compensate for the bone deep chills. There must be another way!! How do others maintain some internal body heat?

I do have a dehydrator and I warm some food when its possible, given time constraints. I also eat soup. I try to pay attention to the energetics of food, ayurvedic and chinese but my education is sketchy here - at best.

I did notice at the end of the evening that I was miserable.... and I wondered if miserable has a cold feeling to it. I wrote a little and started to unpick this misery. It was late so I didn't give myself much time. Does misery feel cold to anyone else. Like a dense fog, wet and clinging. (There ya go, just outed myself as the list weirdo...!)

I remember that this time last year I ate cooked and my excuse was the cold weather but I think, I retrospect, it was the season and the emotions and the food. All the holidays, all the contention. I wonder if by eating raw, I haven't uncovered some historical gnarly stuff that needs to be looked at and this is more the reason for my bone deep coldness...

Despite all my emotional meanderings, I would still like to know how others stay warm with the very cold weather, not just with food either.



  • FeeFee Raw Master

    I think you might find some good ideas on this thread 3crows.


    I've been warming my soups in a bowl over a pan on hot water and that helps.

  • kthornton19kthornton19 Raw Newbie

    3crows, I feel the same way! Yesterday we got about 4 inches of snow in Ohio and no matter what I tried I could not stay warm! I'm thinking about getting some herbal tea and heating it up a bit so it's warm, but not hot. Do you have a dog or cat?...I discovered that my furry four-legged friend makes a great source of heat while sitting on the couch =)

  • Thanks Fee, I had totally missed this thread - it seems I am not the only one feeling the cold. Some great ideas!

    Thanks again.

  • Here are a few ideas:

    1. Long underwear! I have a pair of black long underwear my husband and I affectionately call my "ninja suit."

    2. Blend your soup with warm water.

    3. Warm things in your dehydrator - even your mittens and scarves! Warm your bath towel and robe in your clothes dryer or over a radiator (we live in an old house).

    3. Dry brush! Yes, it sucks to get naked when you are cold, but dry brushing brings all that blood to the surface and really warms you up!

    4. Get a couple of lap cats or dogs.

    5. Flannel sheets on your bed.

    6. Bundle up and go out for a long nature hike. It helps me to appreciate the beauty of all seasons.

    7. Always keep your core and head warm. Buy things like ear muffs, neck gators, balaclavas, long wool socks, and even silk sock liners. Wear warm water-proof boots. Don't be a slave to fashion or worry about messing up your hair!

    8. Wear your hair longer, if you can.

    9. Don't shave your legs! Okay, I don't follow this tip myself, but I bet it would work!

    10. Think warm thoughts of those you care about and know they care about you too.

    Happy wintering!

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    I've heard from a few people in other parts of the country (like Seattle) that they are experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder to a greater degree this year. I have no idea why, but there ya go. No doubt the weather brings up all sorts of emotions and moods.

  • blueyzblueyz Raw Newbie

    It got bitterly cold today in CT and the heat at school wasn't working well so it never got about 68 in my room, then going outside to get home...BRRR!! I was craving warm food on the way home, then wasn't hungry for it!

    Tonight for me it was lots of herbal tea, I made one cup then had another one on the counter. Into one I threw some ginger, which is warming. Then now before bed I'm having warm water with Island Fire from Elements of Life. I REALLY do like this stuff and it is definitely warming, you should look into it and see if anyone near you sells it(I get mine from raw foods cafe but I'm sure you could just get it from Elements website).

    If I make a smoothie in the am with cacao I add in a little chili pepper to heat things up(lucky for me I like spicy so it's easy to do). This week I'm on a raw milk kick because I haven't had it in so long, but it helped this morning :)

    Look into warming spices and herbs, they definitely add a kick to foods and can be simple to include.

    Oh, that and really thick slipper socks and a hot water bottle helps. Fingerless loves are good too.

  • corecriescorecries Raw Newbie

    Nuts also is 'warm' food,

    makes your body warmer

    I find it helps a lot to wear something on my head and feet.

    Even if the weather isn't too cold, wearing something on my head and around the neck is very effective.

    You loose about 30% of your body heat through the head.

  • internettouristinternettourist Raw Newbie

    I am sorry you are cold. Brrrrrrrrrrr

    I live in Florida. One night I was out and it was getting to my bones.

    * If you are going to go out, wear a bunch of layers.

    * Wear layers including socks inside your house.

    * I put drinking water in my coffee pot. Drinking two cups of hot water warms me.

    Eating may be aggravating your temperature situation. Your body is going to use calories to process that food; and it might be food that doesn't contribute to your health. Eat a good meal with enough calories and nutrition for good health. Don't eat because you were outside in the cold when you should have been inside.

  • I also do many of the "physical" things here -

    ~currently wearing a scarf and have knitted quite a collection so I have one to match almost every concievable outfit

    ~drink warm water/herbal tea

    ~have a heater under my desk

    ~layers, layers, layers

    BUT - since you asked for other "warming" things - I have also discovered this - I used to get really down/cold in winter until I chose to look at things this way:

    winter gives me time to be selfish - which for me means

    1) Exercise - a great warmer and it makes me feel so good about what I am doing for myself plus it boots the metabolism and that keeps you warmer (I hate it all other times of the year)

    2) Curling up on the couch in my sleeping bag and my furry animals and reading a book

    3) Curling up with my hubby and watching a movie

    4) Taking a long shower just because

    These have helped me to keep warm and actually enjoy the cold and winter. I don't have to worry that it's sunny and I should be mowing the lawn, or raking leaves (ok, sometimes I do have to shovel - but that's good exercise too - and man does it warm me up!). For me, the past few winters have been about doing the things I really want to do for myself - a time of reevaluation- a time to reenergize. A time to be selfish. A season for me. Sending warm thoughts everyone's way!

  • It's really cold here in Western Mass, too - been going down to about 10 degrees at night - so I'm in the same boat.

    My number one trick is not to eat food cold! Let everything warm up to at least room temp. Salad for lunch? Take it out in the morning. Zucchini or sweet potato "noodles" for dinner? Leave those veggies out on the counter all day, waiting for the spiralizer! And warm up your sauces and blended soups to 100 or 105 degrees. I bought a little thermometer to be sure, but by now I know 100 degrees means nice and warm to the touch. (I think it's fine to just put stuff on the stove on low and stir constantly till you get up to 100 degrees, btw.)

    Another nice thing is miso soup: sliver lots of veggies including onions, garlic and if you want to get fancy, some spiralized summer squash, put them all in a big bowl, add hot water and stir in miso and any seasonings you like. The veggies may wilt a tiny bit depending on water temp but they retain lots of life force, and you just can't beat hot soup for comforting winter fare.

    Cayenne and ginger help A LOT. You can put cayenne in anything - green smoothies, cacao puddings (a mayan touch!), on salads, in sauces, etc. Boosts circulation and helps keep extremities warm.

    Jumping on the rebounder is a great warmer-upper, especially while listening to your favorite danceable music (I'm liking the Tom Petty)! Even just 15 minutes helps a ton.

    I also think it's fine to drop down to high raw in the northcountry winters and eat cooked veggies like baked sweet potatoes and lightly steamed veggies, which are still whole, cleansing, vitality-promoting foods. It's not natural for humans to eat raw in the cold unless they are eating raw meat (think seal and whale blubber), which is super calorie dense/energizing. So we are "going against nature" in one way to be raw in winter - on the other hand, we live in heated houses and know raw-living foods are optimum for our bodies. So it's definitely doable, but don't beat yourself up about it! Better to eat and enjoy a baked yam then cave in to something crazy...

    Stay toasty!


  • I used to live in the mountains of Pennsylvania and found that not even hot food would warm me up. So I found the best way to warm up and I still use it, even though now I'm in balmy AZ: JUMPING JACKS! Seriously, it takes like thirty seconds to do fifty of them and by the end...you are nice and toasty. It's also good exercise and the more you do all day long, the better tone your calves get! :) Any type of quick aerobic activity works great: running in place, jumping jacks, jumping rope, high stepping, dancing to a nice fast beat, etc. This will warm up your body more efficiently and retain more heat better than any hot food ever would...and it's not detrimental to your digestive system! :) Just give it a try next time you are a bit chilly...it can't hurt!

  • i live in the san francisco bay area, so it doesn't ever get that cold really, but i am a wimp and my office has no heat. i also drink lots and lots of hot water. i never eat my soups cold; it grosses me out. at least i'll get the bowl nice and hot and then put the soup in there and stir it around and let it sit for a bit. i agree with wearing layers, socks, gloves, and even hats all the time as well as letting food warm to at least room temperature. i don't see anything wrong with eating cooked soup or steamed whole grains and veggies at times. i go to a sauna several times a week as well, which at least keeps me warm for the rest of the day. also, even when it's cold out, i try to get into the sun. there's nothing like the happy rays of the sun warming you up underneath all your layers! good luck!


  • Annabelle77Annabelle77 Raw Newbie

    Do jumping jacks for 1 minute-- then 30 seconds of crunches, and 30 seconds of pushups--

    I have a circulation disorder (kind of like premature frostbite-- called Reynauds Syndrome) and have found that the above tiny workout helps A LOT... I often then soak my feet in hot water, dry thoroughly and put on warm socks.

  • amberablueamberablue Raw Newbie

    lots of great ideas. i admit i drink hot water/herbal teas throughout the day, which may not be considered truly raw, but i feel that it's better than overeating and still not feeling warm...

    and i am truly a believer in the warming spices. i'd suggest doing an online search about such spices. the indian culture is very knowledgeable about this type of thing. this has helped me to such a degree i am able to wear a lot less layers outside and people have been quite curious as to how i was handling that. and i'm not even a local girl, i was raised in a warm climate!

  • spices, cayenne for sure. and nuts. and make sure that you have warm clothes. try mustard powder and garlic in your salad dressings. ginger i also very good. just juice a little piece of ginger and dilute the ginger juice in warm water, maybe add raw honey if you want. this brew will keep you stoked!


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