Winter is Here: What all to Eat

With winter here one must know their go-to food to keep them healthy. Not every food item can be digested with the ease of that in summers, and neither do all summer food have the essential vitamins and minerals required for the cold winters. Read on to know which food items should be consumed to keep you fit - 

 

1. Vegetables 

Green vegetables like spinach, fenugreek and mustard, and other vegetables like carrots, turnips, green beans, sweet potatoes and peas are rich in vitamins and oxidants which help in building the immunity. Red vegetables like beetroot, carrot and sweet potato too, are filled with beta-carotene and Vitamins A and E. 

Cabbages are full of fibre, Vitamins A and K, antioxidants and even anti-carcinogenic substances. They reduce cholesterol and lower risk of cancer and diabetes. The nutrition can be best absorbed raw and so eat it in salads is the best way. Brussels sprouts have similar properties like cabbages, focusing on its antioxidant property. 

Potatoes being filling and inexpensive, and at the same time starchy and filled with potassium, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C and also protein, is a staple food for all times. Eating baked potatoes is the healthiest way to consume it (French fries aren’t healthy, sorry!). Sweet potatoes, too, are loaded with carotene, Vitamins A and C, and fibre, making them a nutritional choice. 

 

Onions, which can be used in any and mostly all recipes, are low in calories. The oils found in it lower LDL, or the ‘bad’ cholesterol, and raise HDL, or the ‘good’ cholesterol. They are to store in cool, dry places and not to be refrigerated since the latter can turn it soft. 

 

2. Fruits 

Fruits like papaya and Indian gooseberry (amla) are rich sources of Vitamin C which boost immunity. Citrus fruits are also loaded with Vitamin C and flavonoids which reduces the risk of cancer. They are also associated with lowering risks of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cholera, cataracts, gingivitis and Crohn’s disease. Lemons, oranges, limes and grapefruit are fruits you must essentially stock up on.  

Pomegranates are good for those with conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack and congestive heart failure. Drinking of pomegranate juice reduces the fatty deposits in arteries, which is the root cause of many heart conditions. Though extracting the seeds are difficult, they are worth the effort to consume this sweet fruit.  

3. Whole Grains 

Whole grains like wheat, corn flour and bajra help keep the body warm in winters. 

 

4. Spices 

In the season where catching a cold is very easy and common, spices like black pepper, carom seeds, asafetida and cinnamon come to the rescue as effective home remedies. The best way to consume them is by boiling them in water and drinking that water. They also help in regulation of the digestive system. 

5. Dry Fruits 

Another body warming and healthy snack material are dry fruits like dried figs, apricots, dates, nuts and even seeds like sesame seeds and flax seeds.  

 

6. Fluids 

 

Hydration in winter is very important. You will not be sweating it out like in summers, but it will get excreted through an increased number of peeing. You will not feel thirsty but the need for it does not decrease. Warm water, homemade soups, herbal water prepared with herbs and spices, ginger and green tea, juices like amla juice and aloe vera juice, all of these will keep your body hydrated throughout the day.