Try these 10 Winter Foods to Beat the Cold and Stay Healthy

Winters bring with it a wholesome season of celebration with friends and family. However, if we don’t take proper care, we may fall sick and miss the fun time.

During winters as the temperature begins to fall, wearing warm clothes and sliding in the blankets is not enough.

To keep ourselves protected from the chilling cold, we must stick to healthy winter foods that can help us beat the cold and stay warm and healthy from within.

Eating the right winter foods is essential as it can improve our immunity and help fight the cold weather.

Challenges with winter weather

The cold weather can interfere with your daily routine and can even send you to the roller coaster diet that can lead to overeating. So, it is highly recommended to pay attention to your lifestyle.

Eating at irregular times, working at night time, getting up late, sleeping during day time can ruin your digestive system.

This is why it is essential to stay warm and healthy during this winter season by having proper winter foods.

Here are some of the nutritious, tempting, and warming winter foods and drinks to beat the cold and stay healthy.

1. Dry Fruits – Winter Foods

Dry fruits are one of the best winter foods and are highly recommended in this season. Dry fruits can be taken in any form depending upon how you like them.

If you want you can dip those California almonds in honey and take 5-7 of these almonds every morning. You can also soak them in water at night and eat them the next morning.

However, if you want something tempting and relatively different, you can also try besan ladoos with chopped dry fruits.

Dry fruits are a great source of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients which help in maintaining healthy bones, muscles, nerves, and skin. The goodness of the nuts helps balance strength and weight.

Walnuts for instance are winter foods that are also considered superfoods. Along with keeping the body warm, there are multiple health benefits of eating walnuts.

2. Seasonal vegetables- Winter Foods

The best veggies that can be grown during the season are cauliflower, spinach, capsicum, methi, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, spring onions, green chickpeas, radish, etc as they are rich in several vitamins and minerals.

All are highly nutritious root vegetables that contain an impressive amount of soluble fiber and also maintain body warmth internally.

These energy-boosting winter foods must be included in your winter diet.

3. Hot Turmeric Milk – Winter Foods

Turmeric milk is commonly known as ‘Turmeric Latte or Golden Milk’. It is a drink that is undoubtedly the best remedy passed on to us by our elders.

Golden milk is rich in antioxidants which contribute to our overall health and is also good for brain performance. The most notable benefits of turmeric milk include boosting skin health, improving memory, protecting the respiratory system. If you have never tried it yet, then a pleasant surprise is waiting for you. During winters, it is strongly recommended you enjoy a glass of turmeric milk before going to bed.

You can also check how to make turmeric milk and get more information on it.

4. Vegetable Soups – Winter Foods

A bowl of your favorite soup is always very refreshing and energizing. In these chilling winters, one can have a cup of soup almost every day. A full bowl of any soup is wholesome, filling, and can satisfy those hunger pangs in case you skipped a meal.

Soups are a great way to stay hydrated and also help in easy digestion. It helps in staying away from cold and flu and also boosts immunity and keeps infections at bay.

You can make soups of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, mix veggies, etc. Here is how to make fresh vegetable soup to boost immunity and stay warm during winter.

5. Almond Halwa / Badam Halwa – Winter Foods

Winters are the best season to have almonds as they provide instant energy and stimulate the process of digestion. Almond halwa is an age-old sweet Indian dessert made with soaked almonds, milk, ghee (Clarified butter), and sugar.

This will keep the body warm and is essential for bone strengthening. It is a delicious, healthy dessert that is rich in proteins and carbohydrates.

If you want you can prepare in good quantities and store it in the refrigerator. Take some out and serve it hot.

6. Eggs and Chicken – Winter Foods

Both eggs and chicken are rich in protein, iron, and calcium. Our body takes a considerable amount of time to digest them and hence it produces heat during the digestion process, which keeps us warm in winters.

Eggs and chicken are healthy winter foods that help in reducing fatigue and tiredness. A medium-sized egg contains 6gms of protein which is used by the body to make antibodies that help in fighting against infections.

People who have vitamin D deficiency are suggested to spend some time in the sun. Since basking in the sun isn’t quite possible during winters, therefore eggs come to the rescue. Eggs are highly beneficial in this regard as they are the special winter foods that can provide up to 10% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin D. 

7. Common herbs and spices – Winter Foods

Herbs and spices such as ginger, black pepper, garlic, cinnamon, sesame, saffron, Basil leaves, black cardamom have multiple benefits. At first, they enhance the taste of the meal. They also possess medicinal properties and are good for strengthening the immunity of the body.

Besides these benefits herbs and spices are also important winter foods that are responsible for producing heat and raising the temperature in the body as soon as they are digested.  These natural warming remedies can be easily found in every kitchen.

8. Jaggery – Winter Foods

Jaggery is commonly called “gur” and is loaded with minerals and vitamins. It has multiple health benefits and aids in boosting immunity, preventing constipation, naturally cleansing the body, and increasing hemoglobin. It is also considered one of the best home remedies for cold and cough.

With every 10gms of jaggery, one can get 16mg of magnesium, 8mg calcium, 13mg potassium, 4mg phosphorus, 3mg sodium, 0.30mg iron. The warming effect of jaggery makes it an amazing sweetener that one can have after every meal.

9. Citrus fruits – Winter Foods

In winters, one can get fresh citrus fruits such as oranges, Kinu, Amla (gooseberry), Kiwi, etc which are juicy and tasty and alongside are a rich source of Vitamin C.

All citrus fruits are considered fantastic to grab as they are excellent for maintaining a healthy immune system. These fruits are easy to carry and are highly recommended to eat.  The juice of oranges, amla can do wonders for your body.

10. Carrot Halwa/ Gajar ka Halwa – Winter Foods

A sweet Carrot Dessert or gajar ka halwa is a great option in winters as this is one of the tastiest ways to stay healthy in winters.

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which not only helps in maintaining good eyesight but also helps in boosting white blood cells (WBC).

A few words from CityMom

The goodness of these ingredients provide a power-packed meal every day. Your food intake should have a combination of all mentioned winter foods to beat the heat and stay healthy.

Enjoy the winter breeze on your face and have a great party time with family and don’t miss out on the opportunity to relish these tasty and healthy winter foods.

References

clevelandclinic | ncbi & many others