With the onset of chilly winters, most of us think of foods with high fat, the kind that can help us combat the cold. But guess what, there are other (non-fatty) foods with the nutrients, antioxidants and prophylactic qualities that can help you stay warm, and that too without the added calories.
We take a look at 12 such wonder foods, and how they can help you beat the cold this season.
Spice
While we may love bread, rice and pasta, savory food just won’t do it for the winter cold. What we really need is something that will warm our insides and hearts, something not just savory but spicy.
For those that think we’re suggesting you go hardcore with spices, well rest assured that’s not the case here. Certain spices just make the winters taste better (and that’s why certain treats, like cinnamon buns and peppermint, scream winter).
Spice isn’t just an ornament for food but actually has nutritional value of its own, from vitamin C in green peppers, to antioxidants in cinnamon.
The perfect way to consume spice is in a chilli. The spicy stew contains an assortment of fresh green peppers – from bell peppers that are rich in Vitamin C to chilli peppers that are rich in capsicum, a compound that boost your metabolism.
Oatmeal
Oatmeals can be savory or sweet depending on your liking. These grains which are full of fiber and protein can be customized to your liking.
With oatmeal, a little goes a long way. The fiber-packed grain will keep you full for hours. If that wasn’t enough for cutting down your calories, oatmeal also has beta-glucan, a substance that will cut down your cholesterol as well.
Hot Chocolate
Every season has a beverage. While coffee makes the rounds through out the year, hot chocolate is strictly a winter beverage. Chocolate alone isn’t just yum but it has antioxidants, and flavonoids, a special type of anti-oxidants that prevent heart disease and cancer.
The key is to melt dark chocolate into a milk of your choice. Or you can use real cocoa powder, not the store-bought instant additives that we usually see around.
Black Beans
Soups are another great winter food, black bean soup in particular. Black beans are rich in copper and iron, which makes it great for the heart and your body’s immune system.
Black beans have cancer combating flavonoids too, in their skin. As for what they got under their skin, these beans make you feel full due to the high protein and fiber content. Not to mention it has all the benefits of protei,n minus the negative effects of animal proteins that have a significant lipid (fat) ratio.
Brussel Sprouts
Greens are important any time of the year. But while you can’t get great lettuce and cabbage in the winter you still have brussel sprouts. These miniature cabbages are good for your body since they’re rich in vitamin C.
Protip: The bitter cabbage can be turned sweet by slow roasting them. Adding a sauce will help too.
Pumpkin
This may be considered a fall food. but stereotypes aside, this is a winter vegetable and it makes great savory foods not just pie. Pumpkin soup and puree also go great as a side dish.
Pumpkins are also a rich source of Vitamin A. Not just that, but the beta-carotene and antioxidants present in the vegetable are good for your nails, hair and skin. Beta-carotene also helps combat cancer growths.
Avocado
Guacamole is more of a spring summer food or chip dip. But as it turns out, there are other ways to eat avocados, in winter of all the seasons.
Roasted avocado can be eaten with other veggies on the side. The quantity must be managed since the exotic vegetable has high mono-unsaturated fat content. Mono-unsaturated fat cuts cholesterol and keep you feeling full, however do keep in mind that its still fat.
Walnuts
While many people think almonds are the most healthy nut, walnuts remain underappreciated. They come with alpha-lenolenic acid, that can help ensure better blood flow and a stable blood pressure.
Besides making your heart happy and healthy, it also has omega 3 fat that your brain needs, and keeps you smart as a result.
Apples
This fruit may seem basic but it has tons of prophylactics that boost your immunity (that’s how they keep the doctors away).
They’re also rich in iron which make up the majority of your red blood cells.
As a fruit, it has antioxidants that keep you radiant. Furthermore, the skin of apples helps cleanse your stomach. The fiber keeps you feeling full while you can bake them and make something savory, like chips.
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes are a food staple the year round. But when it comes to sweet potatoes, this pure starch tuber vegetable is great for winters.
Sweet potatoes gives you an insulin spike, which means you get an energy boost but not the kind that it’ll add more to your belly, like regular potatoes do.
Sweet potatoes offer a sweeter deal than regular potatoes, with a high percentage of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and even a bit of iron.
Besides that, they’re pretty great sweet or savory.
Squash
If you like pumpkins, you can replace them with squash in all your winter meals. If done right you can even use them to replace carbs.
You can use sheets of squash to make lasagna or shred it to make wispy rice.
Squash contains calcium and vitamin C and A, as well as high doses of potassium, so its great for your mind.
Ginger
This may count as a spice but this condiment is added to sweets too, and nothing says winter like gingerbread cookies. We may love ginger in cakes and cookies but its mostly used for savory dishes.
The best way to enjoy Ginger in winters is to brew it in tea. Ginger tea helps with blood flow and blood pressure. Its also a better anti-histamine than aspirin. No wonder people call nature’s painkiller.
With these winter foods, you can stay active, warm and best of all, in tip-top shape.
