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The Plant Powered Collective Podcast helps women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond live vibrantly and nourish boldly. Hosted by integrative nutrition coach Lori Willinski, each episode blends science-backed nutrition with approachable strategies for hormone balance, energy, and healthy aging. Rooted in lifestyle medicine and personalized coaching, Lori shares her story of thriving on plants since age 14 and managing autoimmune disease with nutrition. Discover how a plant powered lifestyle fuels not only your health, but also your leadership and your future self.
Hello and welcome back to the Plant Powered Collective podcast. I'm Laurie, integrative nutrition coach and the founder of Plant Powered Collective. As the weather turns colder, I notice something about myself every single year. I want to curl up on my sofa with a blanket. I want warmth.
Speaker 1:I want comfort. And honestly, I want to slow down. For a long time I used to judge that instinct. I told myself I should be more motivated more productive but I don't see it that way anymore. That instinct isn't random.
Speaker 1:It's biological. My body is responding to seasonal change and asking for nourishment, safety and a little more care. Today we're talking about why eating more vegetables during cold weather is one of the most impactful things you can do for your health. We'll explore how vegetables support immune health, gut balance, and micronutrient needs in winter. And we'll talk about what the science says about excess animal protein this time of year.
Speaker 1:And we'll look at why a plant powered plate matters even more when it's cold. So thanks for joining me, and let's dive into the podcast. So this episode isn't about
Speaker 2:rules. It's not about perfection. It's about aligning our bodies in the season we're actually living in right now. Because cold weather places different demands on the body, your immune system works harder, Exposure to viruses increase. Daylight decreases, which affects mood, sleep, and vitamin D.
Speaker 2:And I'll be honest, when it's cold, I move less. I feel a little heavier, and I crave foods that feel grounding and comforting. For me, that doesn't mean salads and smoothies. It means warm meals, soft textures, foods that feel supportive and not demanding.
Speaker 1:From a physiological standpoint, winter is a time when the body benefits from warmth, digestibility, and nutrient density. Cooked vegetables provide all three. When you look
Speaker 2:at traditional food cultures, winter meals are almost always soups, stews, root vegetables, legumes, and slow cooked dishes.
Speaker 1:And that's not a coincidence. These foods stabilize blood sugar, support digestion, and help the immune system stay balanced. Let's ground this in research for a moment. A large review published in the Internal Journal of Epidemiology found that higher vegetable intake was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and overall mortality. That's not because vegetables are magical.
Speaker 1:It's because they deliver fiber, micronutrients, and phytonutrients in a form the body can actually use. In winter, that matters more. Vegetables provide vitamin C, beta carotene, folate, potassium, and magnesium.
Speaker 2:These nutrients support immune cell production, antioxidant defense, and nervous system regulation. Another key study published in Nature Reviews Immunology highlights the role of dietary fiber in immune regulation. Fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria, which produce compounds that strengthen the gut lining and regulate inflammation. About 70% of your immune system lives in your gut.
Speaker 1:When digestion is compromised immune response becomes dysregulated.
Speaker 2:When the gut is supported the immune system becomes more resilient and not reactive. Winter isn't the time for aggressive immune boosting. It's the time for balance. A plant forward plate in winter supports energy and digestion.
Speaker 1:Complex carbohydrates from squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and beets provide steady energy and support mood and sleep. Plant proteins from lentils, beans, tofu and whole grains support immune repair without unnecessary inflammatory load. Healthy fats from olive oil nuts and seeds and tahini support hormones and nutrient absorption.
Speaker 2:And here's something I notice about myself in winter. When I'm tired or busy, I reach for convenience food instead of nourishing food.
Speaker 1:Do you do this?
Speaker 2:Convenience feels comforting for me, but often I end up full and still not nourished. Vegetables fill that gap for me, and I hope they will for you too. Vegetables provide micronutrients that animal protein alone simply doesn't offer, especially in winter. Protein matters. Don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2:This isn't an anti protein conversation, but excess animal protein does come with trade offs. A journal in JAMA Internal Medicine found higher intake of animal protein, especially red and processed meat, was linked to increased mortality while plant protein was associated with lower risk. One reason for this is inflammation. High animal protein diets are associated with increased inflammatory markers and reduced gut microbial diversity. And in winter immune load is already higher.
Speaker 2:This doesn't mean eliminating animal foods entirely if that is what you choose to eat it means rebalancing the plate. Vegetables as the foundation and animal protein as a complement. And nutrition is one pillar but it doesn't stand alone. The six pillars are nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, social connection,
Speaker 1:and avoidance of harmful substances.
Speaker 2:Cold weather challenges all of these. I'll share something personal. This morning, I really didn't want to go to yoga. It was cold. I was comfortable on the sofa wrapped up in a blanket, and my brain had a very convincing argument for me staying home.
Speaker 2:But movement is one of my anchors. Not intense movement. I mean, I'm 61. Just consistent gentle movement. So I went.
Speaker 2:Not perfectly. Not heroically, just intentionally. That's what winter movement looks like for many of us.
Speaker 1:And cooking together isn't just a lifestyle choice.
Speaker 2:It's a health practice. Reduce stress hormones, improve digestion, and support immune health. And in winter especially warm food with connection creates a sense of safety. And that safety supports the nervous system, hormones and immune function. This is nourishment beyond the nutrients.
Speaker 1:I want to share one of my favorite winter meals, Kachari. I first learned about Kachari when I was living in Shanghai. A close friend of
Speaker 2:mine was from India, and she was
Speaker 1:an Ayurvedic doctor. And she introduced me to Ayurveda, one of the oldest healing systems in the world. At its core, Ayurveda is not about balance. It's about heat and cold, activity and rest, digestion and elimination.
Speaker 2:What I love was that Ayurveda doesn't ask what's the perfect diet. It asks what supports you right now. Kachari was taught to me as nourishment, not restriction. A simple warm meal that gives the digestive system a break while still delivering protein, fiber, and nutrients. In some days, I add vegetables.
Speaker 2:Some days, I keep it very simple. Some days, I want it thick and grounding. Other days, more souk like. It meets me where I am, and that's exactly what nourishment should do. Cold weather invites us to slow down and warm up and care for ourselves differently, and that's exactly what Kachari does.
Speaker 2:So let me talk to you a little bit about kachari, the
Speaker 1:kind of meal that supports not just nutrition,
Speaker 2:but it also supports the nervous system, the immune system. It supports energy during cold weather. And when food feels supportive rather than stressful, consistency becomes way more easy. Now I'm gonna talk to you about the ingredients and don't worry about writing them down. They'll all be in the show notes.
Speaker 2:But it's a cup of split
Speaker 1:yellow mung dal or lentils, one cup of basmati rice. Now I have to be honest I usually don't have basmati rice. I like short grain rice and so I'll use that instead. It's a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil, one teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin, and coriander,
Speaker 2:some grated fresh ginger, a small onion or leek, finely chopped,
Speaker 1:carrot
Speaker 2:diced, zucchini, cauliflower, a sweet potato, whatever you have that's is a warm and grounding, vegetable or vegetables. You can also around six to seven cups of water or vegetable broth and then salt to taste. And you can add
Speaker 1:optional toppings like sauteed greens, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and toasted pumpkin seeds for a little bit of texture. And basically all you do is heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the onion, the leek, the ginger, and saute until they are soft and fragrant. Then add the spices. What that does is it kind of roasts the spices for about thirty seconds or so.
Speaker 2:Then add the dal, the rice, the vegetables, and
Speaker 1:the liquid, and bring everything to a boil and reduce it to a simmer and just let it cook for thirty to forty minutes and stir while stirring occasionally just to make sure that nothing sticks to the
Speaker 2:bottom of the pan and it becomes stew like. If you like it a little bit more soup like, you can add more liquid. What it also does to your house is it just brings this warm fragrance to your house that is just gorgeous and beautiful and warming.
Speaker 1:Now this recipe will make multiple servings and stores well in the refrigerator for like three or four days. You can make one big huge pot
Speaker 2:and then simply warm it up when you want another bowl. And it's just delicious and aids in your digestion. And you can feel or I can feel my gut just healing and feeling happy, which then helps my immune system. Chris and I, on our YouTube channel, will be making kachari. So when you listen to this podcast, and as you're listening to this podcast, in a couple of days, check out the YouTube channel.
Speaker 1:The link will be in
Speaker 2:the show notes. You can see Chris and I making it and how we'll use that as a base and then add the proteins that each of us require me being plant based and Chris being an omnivore. So anyway, if you do make kachari, let me know. Let me know if you like it. Let me know what your family thinks of it,
Speaker 1:and let me know how you personalized it. Cold weather invites us to slow down, warm up, and care for ourselves differently. Vegetables especially when cooked and thoughtfully prepared support immune health, gut health, and energy through the winter. When paired with the six pillars of lifestyle medicine and shared meals a plant forward plate becomes a foundation for resilience not reaction. If you'd like support personalizing this approach I'd love to connect with you through Plant Powered Collective.
Speaker 1:Until next time stay warm, stay connected and keep putting plants on your plate so that you can nourish boldly and live vibrantly.