Winter is around the corner and as much as a lot of you love the cold weather, you must also inculcate foods in your diet that will keep you warm and healthy during the cold months. We say this because it is during these four months of winter when your metabolism slows in order to save energy & keep the warmth of your body intact. Hence, foods that heat your body help boost your metabolism & keep you active throughout the day. So, we thought of making a winter-season food list that will help you pick on the right ones to keep you energetic through the cold months of the year.
10 Foods That Will Keep You Warm and Their Benefits:
1. Hot Soup:
Topping the winter season food list is hot soup for obvious reasons! Everyone loves the feeling that a hot soup gives to their body during a cold day. You can prepare a tasty bowl of hot soup with any vegetables of your choice as it can help you with quick relaxation and give you all the nutrition.
2. Dry Fruits:
Another winter food that must make it to your everyday diet is dry fruits. Dates, almonds, cashews, apricots, and dried figs are some examples of dried fruits that can help boost your immunity during the chilly months and lower the chances of you falling ill. Dry fruits are loaded with dietary fiber, vitamins, and nutrients that will help you keep warm during winter.
3. Honey:
A warm winter food that can be widely used in a lot of your food dishes is honey. It is believed to fight colds, coughs, and flu as it helps cure digestive issues, boost immunity, and also gives you good skin. Honey is meant to keep warm during winter when you add it to your teas or breakfast items among other things.
4. Ginger:
It is considered a healthy winter food as it contains healing properties. Ginger aids in improving your metabolism (1) and increasing blood flow in your body. You can enjoy raw ginger in a cup of hot water during the cold months of the year or even add it to a kadha to enjoy more benefits. If you've never tried a kadha, we recommend you invest in the Saffola Immuniveda Kadha mix. It is made up of healthy ingredients like ginger, cinnamon, amla, tulsi, black pepper, and many more. This kadha can help improve your body's immunity, relieve cough, cold and sore throat and support respiratory health as well.
5. Desi Ghee:
Another food to keep the body warm during the chilly months is desi ghee. It is one of the most easily digestible fats that can be used in cooking several dishes like curries, soups, salads, and vegetables. Ghee is also one of the best winter foods to cure pitta (heat element) of the body. It aids in digestion, flushes out toxins, and prevents constipation as well.
6. Onions:
Onions can also be counted as warm winter food as it can beat the cold weather due to their anti-inflammatory (2) and anti-bacterial properties. They are great to be added to your daily meals or soups and salads as they can help fight cough, earaches, fever, and even some skin issues.
7. Jaggery:
Jaggery is another healthy winter food that aids in enhancing your digestion& keeping you warm all winter long. It has the ability to effectively cure constipation and boost metabolism. You can consume a minimum amount of jaggery in your daily meals all through the winter season.
8. Sesame seeds:
Sesame seeds can keep you feeling warm in the cold days of winter as they contain many health benefits like improving bone health, skin health, promoting hair growth, etc. You can top your winter salads with some sesame seeds or even include them in your hot soups or curries to get an added flavour as well as health benefits.
9. Saffron:
A winter season food that can not only add natural colour to your food but also make it flavourful is saffron. Among its health benefits are weight management and mood enhancement among others. If you like milk during winter, you can add some saffron to boiled milk and drink it on cold days.
10. Cinnamon:
It is another warm winter food that is loaded with antioxidants and contains anti-inflammatory properties. As well as it reduces the risk of heart disease, cinnamon helps to lower blood sugar levels. Cinnamon can enhance your body's metabolism & aid in keeping yourself warm all through the winter months.
Those are some of the best foods that heat the body to include in your winter diet. As we mentioned earlier, metabolism slows during the cold weather and so, just like you switch to winter clothes to adjust to the lower temperature, your body needs a change in food to do the same. So this winter, try inculcating these foods to see a change in your energy levels and stupendous health.
FAQs:
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What should I not consume during winter?
Here are some foods that you must avoid during the cold months of the year:
- Sweets
- Fatty foods with empty calories
- Cold juices and aerated drinks
- Cold salads and raw food
- Processed foods and meat
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Which fruits produce heat in the body?
Fruits like oranges, apples, and mangoes are considered to produce heat in the body. That is the reason why it is advised to not consume these foods excessively as it can irritate your stomach. Consuming these foods in moderation does no harm and so you should stick to eating one or two fruits a day.
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Which vegetables keep the body warm during the winter?
Potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale are some vegetables that can keep your body warm during cold weather. This is because these vegetables are high in vitamin A, C, and potassium and help add fiber among other nutrients to your body
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What drinks keep the body warm?
Here are some healthy drinks that help keep your body warm:
- Almond milk
- Turmeric milk
- Hot lemon water
- Herbal tea
- Cinnamon drink
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