Diets in winter Season

Now, it’s margshirsh which starts from second week of November and ends at half of March. This period has been described in the ancient sanhita as follows:

Ta ete varshashitoshna ravivartmavashat tryah I  (Siddhasarsanhita—1.9)

It means that the year consisting of 12 months and 6 seasons has been divided into three parts which are of four-four months each. Out of which, winter season is considered as the best for health and strength.
In winter season, appetite is highly active. The reason behind this is as follows:

Shite shitanilasparshasamruddho balinam bali I
Pakta bhavati hemante matradravyagurukshamah II 

                                                                (Charak, sutra—69)

It means that due to cold air touching the body, heat fails to emerge from the body parts. Therefore, appetite becomes active. That’s why, when somebody uses cold water to bath in summer season, then body heat gets accumulated inside the body. It increases the appetite. Therefore, we feel hungry soon after taking bath. Therefore, bath is considered mandatory before chanting bhajan and taking meal.
Therefore, it proves that cold present in the outer atmosphere accelerates appetite. It digests snigdh and nutritious food easily. Winter season is meant for providing strength and health. In the Gita, margshirsh month has been said--- Masanam margshirshoahm  (Gita—10.35)
Other name of margshirsh is also known as agrahayan which means that this month is the best of all months in the year. Because, strength and health increase in this season.
The people doing exercise must consume the food containing snigdh, acid and salt juice. Milk, curd, chhachh, cream, ghee, old jaggery, til, tiltail, odan, etc must be included in the food. The people should consume warm water in this season—

Tasmatusharasamaye snigdhamlalavanan rasan I
Gorasanikshuvikritirvasam tailam navaudanam I
Hemanteabhasyatastoyamushnam chayurna hiyate II  

                                                                            (Charak, sutra—6.11,13)

The people drinking warm water in this season remains healthy. The reason behind is that the people consume generally snigdh food. Warm water helps ghee, milk, etc digest easily. Therefore, consuming warm water is considered as the best way for digestion of snigdh foods in ayurveda. In contrary, those people who drink cold water faces indigestion. They may suffer from diseases like loss of appetite, cough, throat disorder and other cough born diseases. Therefore, we must consume warm water in this season. The water must not be too much hot. Because, too much water, cold food items and beverage may halt digestion of our body. Therefore, water must be kept after boiling. It’s considered as the best in this season.
We should take precaution while drinking water as per the ayurveda—

Atyambupananna vipachyateannam nrambupanachcha sa eva doshah I
Tasmannaro vahvivirdhanartha muhurmuhurvari pibetabhuri II
                                                                   (Sushenanighantu, paniyavarga—71)

It means that consuming too much water doesn’t help the food items digest and consuming water regularly is also the reason behind indigestion. Therefore, the people should consume water at proper interval for boosting appetite and digestion.

Exercise
Apart from nutritious foods, the people should also do exercise properly. The exercise has been said to be beneficial in winter season---

Vyayamo hi sada pathyo balinam snigdhabhojinam I
Sa shite cha basante cha tesham pathyatamo matah II

It means that exercise is always helpful for mighty people. But in winter season and spring season, it’s highly beneficial.
In sushrutasanhita too, exercise is considered as the best way for health—

Brahmacharya-nivatashayana-ushnodakasnana-nishashvapna-vyayamashcha ekantatah pathyatamah  I
(Sushrutasanhita, sutrasthan—20.6)

It means that the people must practise celibacy, sleep at the place where no straight air touches, use warm water to bath and do exercise in the night for better health.
Having good sleep and doing exercise are advisable for the people in the night. Dr Sushena elaborately describes it—

Sthalyam yathaanavaranananayam na ghattitayam na cha sadhupakah I
Anaptanidrasya tatha narendra vyayamahinasya na channapakah II
                                                      (Sushenanighantu—vyayamavarga—7)

It means that the people having no proper sleep and doing exercise suffer from indigestion as the cereals put in the utensil remains uncooked due to non-movement of it. Highlighting the importance of exercise, Dr Sushena says---

Samarthyam sakalakriyasu laghutamamgeshu diptim paramagneh padavaminindrayeshu laghutam chhedam param medasah I
Utsaham manasah shariradridhtam shantim balad vyapadam
Vyayamah shishire vasantasamaye kuryaddhime sevitah II

It means that doing exercise proves beneficial in autumn season, winter season and spring season. The exercise boosts strength in all the bodily and mental activities. Therefore, the people doing exercise remain free from depression. The exercise boosts glowing in the body parts and appetite. It checks obesity. It also brings strength in the body and sense organs. Therefore, the people must do exercise in autumn season, winter season and spring season. They should also do slight exercise in other seasons too.

Oil massage
The people are advised to use mustard or til oil for massaging the body parts before the exercise. It has been termed beneficial in ayurveda. Oil massage checks all types of disorders in the body. It has been described how to massage legs with oil properly—
Vyayamasvinnagatrasya padbhyamudvartitasya cha I
Vyadhayo nopasarpanti siham kshudramriga eva II  (Shushrut, treatment—24.43)

The people who get tired after doing exercise can get rid of diseases as deer keeps distance from lion.

Suryanamaskar and dand baithak
After massage, suryanamaskar and dand baithak are useful for the body. It can be done either in the house or outside. Suryanamaskar brings elasticity in the body, while dand baithak provides strength. Both the exercises can be done with pranayam approach to get maximum benefit.
The thin people want to get healthy must massage body with oil before doing exercise. The people must use ramamurti process with pranayam while doing dand baithak.
After that, massage the body. Take rest for a while and use warm water to bath. Warm water must not be poured on the head. Use fresh water on the head. Vagbhat has said—
Ushnambunadhah kayasya parisheko balavahah I
Tenaiva tutamangdsya balahvt keshachakshusham II
(Ashtnhridaya, sutra—2.17) 

It means that using warm water in bathing boosts strength and intellect. But at the same time, warm water should not be poured on the head. It harms eye and hair.
Mix khajur and munakka in the milk and boil it. The mixture will boost the body and intellect. Take nutritious, snigdh and divine meal. Take milk and curd properly. Mix one spoon of ashvagandh in the milk and use in the night. Keep daily routine properly. Therefore, the body will get strengthened in three months. Massage makes astonishing effect on the body in ayurveda. The contracted source of the thin people get opened, consequently body starts to get strengthened. It also checks obesity. Oil removes fat from the body. Therefore, oil massage has been given importance in the ayurveda. Using milk with ashvagandha is considered as the famous yoga of ayurveda. It boosts the thin body.

Day sleeping prohibition

The people are advised to avoid sleeping in the day. Therefore, it has been widely prohibited in ayurveda—

‘Grishmavarjyeshu kaleshu divasvapo nishidhyate’

It means that the people must not sleep in the day in all the seasons except for summer season. It’s highly injurious to health. It has also been said in other scriptures---

Bhuktamatrasya shayanad hantyagnim kupitah kaphah I

It means that going to bed soon after taking meal in the day destroys appetite. The adverse effects of sleeping in the day has been mentioned in the Sushruta Sanhita as follows—

Sarvartushu divasvapah pratishiddhoanyatra grishmat I
Vikritirhi divasvapno nama, tatra svapatamadharmah sarvadoshaprakopashcha, tatprakopachcha  kas –shvas-pratishyay-shirogauravangmardarochak-jvaragnidaurbalyani bhavanti I
(Sushrut, sharira-4.38)

Therefore, the people must no sleep in the day in all the seasons except for the summer season. Sleeping in the day is a disorder. It brings sin for the people. It increases disorders related to body and mind. It causes rheumatoid, bile and cough disorders due to which the people can suffer from cough, asthma, cold, headache, body pain, fever, loss of appetite, etc. Therefore, avoid sleeping in the day.
Today, urban people particularly women are suffering from obesity due to daily routine without hard work, overfeeding, sleeping in the day, etc. Policymaker Somadeva Suri has emotionally described the repercussions of sleeping in the day—

Divasvapo nama vyadhidhyalanamutthapanadandah I

(Nitivakyamritam)  It means that sleeping in the day is like to awaken the disease like snake sleeping in the body. You can easily imagine the veracity of sleeping in the night. 
In the summer season, night is short, while day is long. Due to scorching heat, the atmosphere gets dried. Therefore, it’s advisable for sleeping for some time in the day. It brings snigdh and liquidity in the body. It keeps balance in the body, but in other seasons, sleeping in the day is harmful. According to ayurveda, children, older people, patients and people working in the night are advised to sleep in the day. Therefore, by adopting diets mentioned in the ayurveda, the people can get better health.