Winter is often the time when you eat very often, but why?

 

 

 

 

Body temperature drops due to the cold weather and your body has to spend more energy to warm it so your appetite rises.

Also you lose energy rapidly when you do physical activities. Frequent hunger pangs in winter is natural but what is important is to keep a tab on what you eat and how much, else, it can create problems with digestion, as digestion generally, slows down in winters.

But which are the foods which can be best eaten in winters?

Hot Soups: You are back home from outside and very hungry. What can be a better appetizer than a bowl of hot soup? Even simple tomato or chicken soup will be enough to keep you full until your meal. Soups not only give you nutrients but are also low in calories unless you put lot of butter and cream to it.

Dry Fruits: Almonds, pastas, raisins, dried anjeer and cashews can be great sources of energy during winters. You can easily find these in Indian markets. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and can also satisfy hunger for a long period of time. You can carry them while travelling or eat them as a quick snack. You can also drink a hot glass of milk with the powder of all the dry fruits (masala dhooh). These will not only warm you up but will also induce a good sleep. But remember not to go overboard with dry fruits, else, too much would make them heavy to digest

Go Green: Vegetables and fruits are the most essential part of your diet. In winter when the body metabolism is low it is advisable to have fruits and vegetables which are low in calories and are nutrient dense in nature.
Winter season offers a wide choice in vegetables and fruits. Vegetables like cabbage, sweet potatoes, beetroot, and ladyfingers are all available in winter. You can also enjoy a variety of fruits like grapes, pineapples, apples and oranges.

Ginger: The goodness of ginger just cannot be ignored. Winter is the perfect time to take the advantage of the medicinal properties of ginger. Ginger not only keeps the body warm but also helps in speeding up body metabolism. A hot cup of ginger tea is the best way to fight the winter chills. It can also be used while cooking, in curries and while making salads. As ginger acts as an antioxidant, it is used as an excellent remedy against cold and flu, when taken with honey it an excellent remedy to fight cold and flu. Ginger also helps you to build a strong immune system, so don’t forget to add small quantity of ginger in your diet.

Garlic: Garlic not only makes food tasty but also help to prevent many medical problems. Allicin which a compound found in garlic helps in building strong body resistance to fight winter cold and flu. It also aids in digestion and lowers bad cholesterol. Weather eaten ear or cooked, garlic is beneficial in any form. Crushing garlic before consuming it which is normally done is not suggested as it releases allicin, which gives garlic antioxidant properties. So now that you know so much about this little so useful garlic, you can enjoy it in your soups, in your curries and also put in on the rotis to make it more delicious and healthy.