Foods that keep you warm

Winter diet

The temperature seems to be dropping everyday as we approach winters. You can bundle up heavy sweaters and sit by a fire, but if you really want to stay warm this winter, start with the foods you are eating.

You probably already crave hot meals during the winter months due to their warming powers, but if you pick warm foods and beverages as well as those that can also raise your body temperature, then you’ll have a double defense to the cold this winter.

Herbal tea is a great antioxidant and helps in relaxation. It improves immunity and flushes down your system if you have a cold. Green tea is powerful to fight infection. Soups are also a great warming food item. It’s a good idea to get some raw foods and have them in the afternoon when your body is at its warmest. In the evening, a hearty soup or stew with lots of well-cooked root vegetables and spices will warm you up right to your frozen toes. Lamb and chicken foot soups are
also great to have to keep yourself warm.

You can also add a lot of garlic. It is not only effective as a cholesterol-lowering agent, but also as a warming food. Winter is a bad time for people with bronchitis and asthma, so just add some fresh garlic to your soup and enjoy it.

Widely used as a herbal remedy for a number of conditions, including those involving the digestive tract, headaches and nausea – the pungent principles of ginger also have thermogenic properties that can keep you warm.

Ashish Massey, corporate chef of Aanch, Rajouri Garden, says, “We serve sarso ka saag and makki ki roti which are warm food items. Gajar ka halwa is also a warm food item. One should also add a lot of palak to keep themselves warm.”

Peanuts and walnuts are also helpful in keeping you warm during winters. One should have more oranges and apples as they are high in fibre and a source of vitamin C. One should also eat more meat during winter. Red meat contains iron that triggers the thyroid hormone to stimulate heat production.