Change is a continuous process and an essential factor in every walk of your life; be it your lifestyle, your profession, your dressing sense, your outlook or your eating habits. In totality, without change, life becomes dull and monotonous.

Fortunately the three seasons - summer, winter and rainy; too help us in a big way by making us indulge to demand for food based on our choice.

It`s easy to eat right during the summer months with an abundance of liquids or fresh produce and also bing on mouth watering `pakodas` or other hot stuff during the monsoon months. But as winter rolls around, those eating habits just transforms to be a memory. That doesn`t mean, however, that you drop your healthy eating habits with the dropping temperatures.

Winter season may be the tagged as the most lovable season with parties round the corner and celebrations all around, however, not many people are aware of the fact that during winter, the cold weather lowers down the `blood pH` thereby making us feel acidic. In order to compensate for the acidic blood pH, it is recommended to eat selective food i.e. some alkaline foods that will help raise the blood pH levels. By doing this, your body chemistry will be balanced and as a result you will feel warmer and more comfortable during winters.

Protein and Fat presence in food helps to raise the blood pH back into the normal range. Therefore this winter, try something different and exciting by including plenty of meat, fish, eggs, nuts and high fat dairy in your diet and track the difference by feeling warmer.

Additionally, consuming food that contains Niacin will also help to warm you up during the cold months. Eggs and dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, butter etc are rich source of niacin whereas intake of the following helps in Vitamin-B supplements i.e. animal liver, sesame, and peanuts, as well as all-wheat products.

Since your options are more limited during the winter months, now it is the right time to get the creativity out by trying new recipes as well as sampling produce you haven`t eaten before.

Other food stuff that can keep you warm during chilled season includes -

Soup: To get extra protein, try adding beans and meat to any soup.

Meat: Try eating more meat during winter. These are high in iron, which the body needs to build up the thyroid hormone, which stimulates heat production.

Soy: For those non-meat eaters out there, eating plenty of soy products like tofu would help you fight the cold. Soybeans & soy nuts also contribute to keeping you warm this winter.

Fruit and Vegetables: Leeks and carrots are good vegetables to eat, while fruits like peaches, apricots and papaya can keep you warm. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach are also good to eat because like red meats; these are abundant in iron that helps stimulate heat production.

Warm drinks: This winter, try drinking some herbal tea, as whilst keeping you warm, it is a great antioxidant and will help you relax, improve the immunity and finally flush your system out if you have a cold. Green tea too is great at fighting infection and warm unsweetened soy milk is also soothing on a warm day. Stay away from coffee though, as it will only lower your blood pH more.

As we all know that we face most of the skin infections and hair problems during winter season, we also need to keep in mind what should be our food intake. There should be a strict watch on your diet. As your skin texture depends not only on external treatments, but also on the food intake. A proper nutritious intake helps in rejuvenating the skin from within that reinforces the outward glow.

Evidently, water plays a pivotal role in keeping your skin look fresh and glow. A good amount of water helps in retaining the moisture of your skin as well as keeping the unwanted skin disorders at bay. Fruits and vegetables in your daily diet help penetrate a lot of water to your system.

With winter comes the onset of cold and flu trail in line with other events that can impact your immune system drastically. Thus in order to boost your immune system, it is wise to make some minor adjustments in your diet and lifestyle which would help you better enjoy the season being fit and healthy.

Dr. Vandana Mathur is Consulting Nutritionist, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd

Source: IBNS
Image: Flickr/creativecommons prityabooks