Winter is a time when we feel completely different than in summer, and it’s not just that we can’t wear light, airy dresses and sandals. Some of us even begin to envy animals hibernating in winter: they feel good, they fell asleep in the fall, woke up in the spring, and everything is fine with them - if only we could do that!
In fact, for animals, everything is not so simple, and in order to survive the winter in their sleep, they need to follow a certain diet in the fall - which they do, since they are not going to argue with nature. But we, people, often ignore nature and eat what is easier to buy and prepare (or don’t need to cook at all), and then we complain about the winter: we say that our skin is dry, our hair is weak, we are overweight, and our health has worsened.
Therefore, it is better to find out how to eat properly in winter and try to do it, than then to blame nature, climate and an unsettled life for your problems - especially since we still do not hibernate in winter. What does our body need in winter? It’s cold, frost dries out the skin, the body needs to support the immune system, ensure proper heat exchange and prevent cell dehydration. He needs more calories, but we don’t need excess weight at all, so we need to organize our nutrition correctly.
The immune system weakens in winter, metabolism also becomes different, and the production of certain hormones slows down. For example, there is much less melatonin - after all, in winter there is little light, and we are more often in a bad mood.
In such cases, many people try to “warm up” and feel happier with the help of tasty and high-calorie food, and this especially applies to women: when it’s cold and in a bad mood, we really want to eat something sweet and tender, and as a result we get overweight.
Properly structured nutrition does not imply giving up any products necessary for the body - for example, fats. Cold Russian winters hardly encourage giving up what gives us the necessary calories and energy, so fats must be consumed: both animal and vegetable. It is enough to eat 30 g of fat per day - no less, and 1/3 should be animal fats: butter or a little salted lard - it is very useful in winter in small quantities. You can get fats from dairy products: sour cream, cream, cheeses. Vegetable fats are vegetable oils: soybean, olive, corn, etc.
Without proteins in winter, a person becomes susceptible to many infections and often catches colds. By using proteins that keep all our muscles toned, you can stay strong and healthy all winter. Proteins can also be plant or animal: legumes, soybeans, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, fish, meat, but all these foods should be eaten in moderation - otherwise their excess will turn into fat. Fermented milk products also contain a lot of protein, and they are easily digested; In addition, they protect the intestinal flora, on which our immunity depends, so in winter they must be eaten. We need 70-100 g of protein per day, depending on physical activity, age, gender and body weight.
And of course, we simply cannot do without vitamins in winter: without them, diseases will overtake us very quickly.
Try to eat 5 different vegetables and fruits every day: in dishes and separately, and best of all raw – if possible. You can use frozen fruits, berries and vegetables: they retain even more vitamins than those stored fresh.
All vitamins and minerals are also preserved in dried fruits: dried apricots, prunes, raisins, pears and apples. If you mix them with nuts and honey, the body will be able to receive a full set of nutrients, digestion will improve, constipation will disappear, and in general - it’s just delicious!
You can make fruit drinks from frozen berries - such vitamin drinks also preserve everything useful. The berries should be poured with boiling water and left for about 6 hours, and then honey should be added. There is no need to add honey right away, otherwise almost all valuable substances will be destroyed in boiling water.
The best fruits in winter are citrus fruits because they retain vitamin C longer.
This vitamin is also found in sauerkraut, and there is a lot of it: you only need to eat 150 g to get the daily requirement. In addition, sauerkraut contains lactic acid, vitamin K and B vitamins. If you prepare salads from such cabbage, adding berries, dried fruits, and vegetable oil, the result will be very tasty and healthy.
Vitamins A and E are also needed in winter, especially our skin - after all, it suffers so much from frost and wind. It is known that there is a lot of vitamin A in carrots, but for its absorption we need fats, so cook carrots with sour cream, cream or vegetable oil. Unrefined vegetable oils contain a lot of vitamin E, and 2 tablespoons of any oil per day will be enough for us.
Vitamin D is produced mainly only by exposure to sunlight, but in winter there is very little light. However, try to be outside during the hours when the sun shines brightly, and at least expose your face, neck and hands to it, and also eat cod liver, fatty sea fish, eggs and dairy products.
We need minerals no less than other substances - without them we would be weak, sick and ugly.
There are many foods with a rich mineral composition, but we will list at least a few: these are green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, different types of cabbage, olives, nuts and seeds - pumpkin, sunflower, sesame; figs, legumes, avocado, potatoes, seaweed, eggs, yogurt, cheese, meat, etc.
In winter, it is best to eat more hot food: of course, not too hot - this way the body will have to spend energy to cool it down. The most acceptable temperature is 40-50°C: this way you can warm up and the gastric mucosa will not be damaged.
You should eat soups, cereals, vegetable stews, drink dried fruit compotes and herbal teas. Vegetable soup, soup with chicken and legumes are an excellent choice, but it is better not to eat soups with flour, sour cream or croutons in winter, or do it rarely - they will have little benefit, but a lot of extra calories.
It is advisable to eat boiled vegetables every day - you can prepare many delicious salads and vinaigrettes from them. There are few fresh vegetables in winter, so their absence must be compensated for, and the best replacement would be steamed or baked vegetables.
Drink less coffee in winter and replace it with herbal tea, fruit juice and other berry drinks - this will only bring benefits.
So winter is a time when it is quite possible to maintain a tasty and healthy diet, which makes it easier to endure the cold, remain energetic, healthy and beautiful.
