By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP

Every year, as soon as January hits, my body used to send up a flare. Not a mild, quick, little cold. I’m talking weeks (sometimes months) of exhaustion, cloudy-head, and flu-like symptoms where I couldn’t even get out of bed (And I didn’t want to).

I almost always held everything together through December, doing all the holiday things, pushing through, pretending the fatigue wasn’t building. And then, without fail, sometime between Christmas and New Year’s, everything would crash at once and usually last until March.

If you’re living with an autoimmune condition, you probably know exactly what I mean. The holidays don’t necessarily make you sick in the moment, instead, they create this slow build-up that we notice but push away. Our body is going through blood sugar swings, interrupted sleep, extra stress on top of stress, overstimulation, and meals low in minerals. It finally catches up when the calendar flips. January is when we stop holding it all together and realize what we actually need.

Food plays a bigger role in that holiday cycle than most of us realize. And I’m not talking about a strict, “New Year, new you” kind of way. But in a supportive, stabilizing, slow your a$$ down way that allows your body to feel safe.

Stop eating less! Start adding in the foods, the nutrients, the real calories your body must have to feel safe and not in danger of starving.

If you’re starting the year wanting to feel more grounded, more energized, and less inflamed, here are the five foods your autoimmune body needs more of, not just for “the now” as the new year starts, but all winter long.

These foods support the systems that carry the biggest load for autoimmune bodies: digestion, immunity, blood sugar, and the nervous system.

1. Warm Leafy Greens

Most people think of leafy greens as salad, a “summer food,” raw and cold, but in winter our body needs them warm and wilted. And we need their minerals.  December drains your mineral tank from late nights, stress, sugar, caffeine, and less sunlight which all take from your electrolyte reserves and leave the immune system and thyroid feeling unstable (not to mention increase your acidity and weaken your bones).

Warm greens help refill what we’ve burned through.

Try:

•  sautéing spinach with garlic
•  throwing kale into soups
•  putting arugula in the bottom of warm bowls
•  cooking collards with onions  and a little garlic and adding a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end
• simmering some bok choy in broth
• even adding spinach to a giant bowl of warm chili beans

The warmth makes greens easier to digest, and the minerals support hormone balance, electrical signaling, and immune activity.

You’ll notice a difference in your energy just by adding warm, mineral-rich greens into your meals. Even just broth with greens helps my energy and digestion, as well as adding some comfort and warmth this time of year.

Your autoimmune body needs minerals, and greens are the most direct way to provide them. (I also drink Nettles Tea this time year first thing in the morning for extra minerals to start my day).

2. Root Vegetables 

If you’ve ever noticed that roasted sweet potatoes or squash feel comforting in a way that salads aren’t right now. You know I LOVE my salads, but raw salads are cold and cooling to the body, and we need grounding and warmth this time of year.

Root vegetables grow underground, pulling minerals, moisture, and slow-burning energy from the soil. They give your body steady carbs, minerals, and different forms of fiber which is essential for calming autoimmune activity. When blood sugar is stable, inflammation naturally drops.

Roots help your body feel anchored and grounded. They help your nervous system feel safe. They help your digestion relax and work more predictably.

Some of the best options:

•  sweet potatoes
•  carrots
•  beets
•  parsnips
•  rutabaga
•  winter squash (not a root, but still perfect for this time of year)
• turnips

Shifting away from 100% raw, cold salads to warm roasted roots over greens in cold weather can help with cravings, energy, and immune health. 

Mix them up! Think about the colors in each of these. Having an orange sweet potato or roasted carrots today will give you a ton of beta carotene for your immune health, gut lining, and even the lining inside your nose and lungs. Having some roasted beets on a massaged kale salad adds fabulous nutrients for your heart.  

Have some roots each day and rotate them the best you can.

3. Omega-3 Rich Seeds 

Autoimmune bodies burn through anti-inflammatory nutrients faster than the average person. Omega-3s are one of the areas where almost everyone is depleted, especially after the sugar, alcohol, and stress of the holiday season. AND, most people don’t eat many if any of these foods.

Add in:

•  flax seeds
•  chia seeds
•  hemp seeds
•  walnuts

And I’m not talking a pinch here or there or a teaspoon.  Add a tablespoon of each. Ground flax and chia seeds at breakfast, hemp seeds at lunch, and walnuts at dinner. Or however you can fit them in to your meals.

Omega-3s help regulate immune activity, cool inflammation, and support hormone production. They also support the gut lining, which is one of the core foundations of autoimmune healing.

A tablespoon or two of each, each day, can genuinely shift your inflammation levels. And you can feel it! It helps with less puffiness, less joint stiffness, clearer skin, and less flares.

4. Fermented Foods 

The gut is the command center of the immune system. At least 70% of your immune activity lives in the gut, which means if your microbiome is out of balance, your autoimmune symptoms will show up and be harder to predict.

The holidays are a perfect storm for gut disruption: from less fiber, more sugar, more alcohol, irregular meals and schedules, late nights and less sleep, and more stress.

Fermented foods are one of the easiest and fastest ways to help the gut recover.

Include:

•  Raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut
•  Raw, unpasteurized kimchi (read the ingredients or make your own)
•  Homemade dairy free yogurt
•  Miso
•  Cultured vegetables

Just one to two tablespoons per day is enough to create a change in digestion, immunity, and inflammation. Most people underestimate how much this matters, but when your gut starts recovering, your whole body does.

We make things like this in our Food Demos inside the Culinary Healing Circle. If you’re in the membership, check out May and June 2025 in the digital library to learn how to make your own dairy free yogurts, krauts, and kimchi). I also have a few videos making kraut here.

5. Warming Spices 

The autoimmune body is extremely sensitive to stress. And winter is a stress-heavy season from cold air to lower sunlight, more demands (mentally and physically), less sleep, and more emotional load. When your nervous system is tense, your digestion slows, inflammation increases, and your immune system becomes less stable.

Warming spices help reset those pathways.

Use these in your broths, teas, stews, curries:

•  ginger
•  cinnamon
•  turmeric
•  cardamom
•  rosemary
•  fennel
•  cloves

They support circulation, help digestion move, reduce bloating, warm the gut, balance blood sugar, and are anti-inflammatory. These spices work with your winter body.

Adding these to your meals is one of the simplest ways to prevent the January crash. I love creating curries and chia teas to incorporate as many of these spices as I can into 1 dish or drink.

Tune In. What Is Your Body Asking For?

When you look at this list as a whole, you see a full system of nourishing foods designed for this season that are essential for autoimmune balance:

•  Minerals from greens and root veggies stabilize hormones and immunity
•  Steady glucose prevents flares and inflammation
•  Healthy fats regulate and repair
•  Fermented foods rebuild the gut
•  Warming spices soothe the nervous system

This is how you start the new year without fighting yourself.

Let your body feel safe and supported. It is NOT the time to do something harsh that adds more stress!

• No resets.
• No detoxes.
• No cleanses.
• No extreme promises.

Just use food that brings you back into alignment with what your body is already asking for. 

If you’re ready to feel safe and supported instead of overwhelmed by food and nutrition advice, I would love to welcome you inside The Culinary Healing Circle.

We start the year with calm, grounding meals, seasonal herbs, and simple foods that reduce inflammation, restore energy, and support autoimmune healing at the root level. You will feel nurtured, understood, and safe, and you’ll learn how to feed your body in a way that feels steady and peaceful.

Try it out, explore everything, and with a monthly membership, you can cancel anytime.

👉 www.culinaryhealingcircle.com

Your body has carried you through so much this year.

Let’s feed it with the care, warmth, and intention it deserves.