Winter diet

A winter diet helps keep you slim and healthy during the cold season. It includes a complete and balanced diet with seasonal products.

Basic principles of the winter diet:

1. 6 meals a day - this helps stabilize metabolism and avoid overeating

2. More protein - meat, fish, eggs, cottage cheese. Protein warms and fills you up.

3. Vegetables and fruits are important sources of vitamins and microelements in winter.

4. Porridge, whole grain bread - complex carbohydrates provide energy and create a feeling of fullness.

5. Hot dishes - soups, stewed and baked vegetables warm you up.

6. Herbal teas with honey help you warm up and get healthy vitamins.

The winter diet is designed taking into account the characteristics of the cold season. By adhering to its principles, you can maintain a slim figure and health in winter.

The time of cold weather, fur coats, ice, and decreased physical activity gives rise to an urgent need to get rid of the eternal darkness and cold. And we most often compensate for the lack of light and warmth not with endorphins obtained in the pool or dancing, but with chocolates and hearty meals. But, oddly enough, it is in winter, when our body is in dire need of vitamins, that it is much more difficult to grab an apple or a carrot rather than a cake. Of course, it takes so much energy to chew them, and any of us now have that same strength, like a kitten. And here is the result - we come to spring exhausted, pale and sighing doomedly: “What can you do, vitamin deficiency, jet lag.” Meanwhile, this vitamin deficiency is our doing. And constant winter fatigue is not so much a consequence of a lack of light, but of an unbalanced diet. So maybe we can pull ourselves together and become “prom queens” among our sad compatriots? Once a year is possible!

In winter, we give preference to meat, pasta and flour dishes - that is, we exceed the norm for consuming carbohydrates and animal fats. Instead of fresh vegetables and herbs, our diet is dominated by boiled, stewed and canned foods with insufficient amounts of vitamins, enzymes, phytoncides and other compounds. We eat a lot of pickles and marinades, the disadvantage of which is that the salt load on the body increases. And jam and marmalade instead of fresh fruit create excess sugar. Deficiency of vitamins and minerals, as well as excess acid, contribute to decreased immunity and the appearance of excess weight.

How to eat healthy in winter

By force of will, we reduce the proportion of carbohydrate foods and, at the expense of it, increase the amount of fresh vegetables - at least 400 grams every day, not counting potatoes.

Beets, carrots, radishes, sauerkraut are simply a storehouse of vitamin C, potassium and others. By the way, don’t forget about freshly squeezed vegetable juices. If there are none, when choosing, give preference not to canned ones, but to fresh frozen ones. The content of nutrients in such vegetables is no less than in fresh ones, and much more than in canned ones. But do not forget: with repeated defrosting, vegetables lose their biological value.

In the store, pick up the bag and remember: vegetables or berries should be placed separately from each other. If the mixture is one frozen layer, this means that it was thawed and re-frozen; it is better not to buy this.

By the way, when you defrost the berries, after a few minutes of defrosting, sprinkle them with sugar - this way they will not lose their consistency and juice. It is better to cook vegetables in a double boiler, cook with a minimum amount of water, over low heat and for a short amount of time. Most fresh frozen vegetables can be cooked without thawing.

To ensure sufficient amounts of protein, calcium, vitamins B2 and A, pay attention to dairy, and better yet, fermented milk products. In addition to protein, they usually contain fiber, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, which will have a beneficial effect on the condition of your digestive tract and, as a result, increase immunity.

But don’t think that it’s better to completely give up fats - in winter they are needed more than ever. While foods that are too fatty can lower your immune system, a diet that is too low in fat does not provide the body with the required amount of fatty acids. Polyunsaturated oils are very healthy. Legumes, nuts, vegetable oils and seafood are tasty, valuable and healthy for the body.

If you are a lover of scrambled eggs in the morning, do not give up your favorite dish, but know that the norm is 4 eggs a week, they have too much cholesterol, but it’s better to switch to quail eggs. And, of course, don’t forget about the vitamin and mineral complex!

What drink

Remember: morning, office, beginning of the day. What's the first thing you do after taking off your outerwear? That's right, go to the coffee maker or kettle. Who would argue - coffee invigorates, black tea warms