Combat Winters With Good Food And Some Easy Health Tips

The recent fog and drop in temperatures have formally announced Winters in the Northern India, while the trend of decreasing temperature and increasing chill in Beijing is getting me closer to the dreadful snow which is about to follow here. So now’s the time to get all your winter gears in place, get all the warmers out, and yes also take care of our diets as food plays an equally important role in combating harsh and ruthless cold apart from the warm clothes.

I just came back from a very interesting class of “Boosting Immunity with Chinese Medicine“, this was based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) which is all about balance. Dr. Shelley Ochs, offered us an exclusive preview to her Chinese Medicine and Seasonal Nutrition course, which taught us about how to boost our own immunity. She guided us through basic concepts in Chinese medicine, appropriate foods for each season, as well as optimal nutrition for the health and wellness of the 5 major organ networks in the body. A very interesting session with my girlfriends out here, and on my way back I thought of sharing this with all my girlfriends out there who read my posts online.

Certain foods generate heat in the body and help us cope with the falling temperatures. The energy released during the digestion and assimilation of these foods eventually help increasing heat in the body. At the same time remember to keep a balanced diet, when I say balanced I mean there should be appropriate amount of cold foods and warm foods in your daily diet.

Food that will keep you Warm:- Traditional grains like jowar, bajra, barley, oats and corn are considered to have a lot of warming properties. Also include pulses like lentils, moong, chana and soyabean in your diet to keep the winter chill at bay. Increase your protein intake and add eggs, appropriate amount of red & white meats, Fish and milk to your diet.

Do not ignore the spices in your kitchen, they are the most natural form of medicines to fight any cold or bacterial infection during the winters. Be it ginger, turmeric, Fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg, they all have magical medicinal qualities in them.

 Add turmeric to you glass of milk every day, this will help to increase immunity. Add a good amount of ginger to your tea to fight out a cold infection.  Apart from generating heat all these spices act as decongestants and anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory and increase blood circulation.

Have dry fruits like unsalted nuts, walnuts, dates and apricots. They are protein rich and full of nutrition. Include fruits rich in Vitamin C in your diet.

What we end up neglecting the most is Water, keep sipping on water through the day. I would suggest to drink slightly warm water and in case you want to add flavor, then add green tea to your daily routine. Trust me they are best anti-oxidants and help combating dehydration during winters.

Avoid junk and fried food, reduce the quantity of tea & coffee and substitute your snacks with fruits. That’s the most simple way to lead a healthy and balanced diet.

I hope this would help you to pass through the dreadful winters with better immunity and less health ailments.

Info on the silver Platter: – Start your day with a cup of hot water daily (on empty stomach) it stimulates your body and its metabolism. I add lemon to my hot water and have been doing this for the last 3 years. Trust me it works wonders.

(Please note, the above pics don’t belong to us sources are as follows image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 )

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR READERS

HOW DO YOU FIGHT WINTERS? DO YOU BELIEVE IN HEALTHY FOOD METHOD?