Photo: from open sources
Eat more fiber, that is, baked, stewed, boiled vegetables.
Winter is approaching, which can make us vulnerable, lead to poor health, uncontrolled fat accumulation, cardiovascular disasters and many other troubles.
How to eat in winter to be healthy, reports RBC-Ukraine with reference to a Facebook post by nutritionist Oksana Skitalinskaya.
Why is it important to eat right in winter?
Cold weather in winter and few sunny days encourage people to move less, spend more time in the warmth, spend less time in the fresh air, which means breathing more polluted air, eating more comfort food: fatty, sweet, and doing it often.
And everything in the body contributes to this: in winter, insulin resistance increases as an ancient adaptive mechanism for storing fat.
The liver also increases the production of fat and this fat is stored wherever possible: in the cells of the liver, pancreas, around internal organs (visceral fat), under the skin and in many other places.
The liver synthesizes more “bad” cholesterol, which is deposited in the blood vessels. Elevated cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease. This happens because unhealthy blood vessels poorly perceive nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels.
How to eat in winter?
Eat more fiber, that is, baked, stewed, boiled vegetables. Boiled/baked beets, carrots, pumpkin.
“That is, add 2-3 slices of baked pumpkin to your favorite cheesecakes for breakfast, and complement dinner with several slices of boiled beets,” Skitalinskaya noted.
If you replace white bread with rye bread, or at least consume it more often, you will get more fiber and feel fuller longer.
- Resistant starch. This is the name for a type of fiber that is not digested or absorbed, but when it enters the large intestine, it promotes the proliferation of very beneficial microorganisms that produce fats that block the absorption of carbohydrates. These are baked chilled potatoes, chilled legume dishes. It’s just important not to add a lot of saturated fat, such as melted hard cheese to potatoes or a lot of butter.
- Fish fat. When combined with exercise, fish oil can increase the activity of enzymes responsible for fat oxidation. Therefore, supplement your winter diet with it.
- Vitamin D. Antidepressant and anti-inflammatory vitamin hormone. You can take it in tablets, and also eat eggs with soft and runny yolks, shiitake mushrooms, chanterelles, and fatty sea fish.
- Vitamin C. A deficiency of vitamin C in the diet also slows down metabolism. Fresh sauerkraut, currants, parsley, and weak rosehip tea are good sources of vitamin C. It is important that vitamin C should be supplied to the body throughout the day, and not momentarily.
- Eat fermented (fermented) foods. This could be sauerkraut and cucumbers, pickled apples, beet kvass, fermented milk products – a source of lactic acid bacteria, the waste products of which support normal metabolism.
- Remember to drink warm water throughout the day, because biochemical processes in cells need sufficient water; Dehydration causes cells to shrink and become less efficient. Warm food and warm drinks warm you from the inside, promote the secretion of bile and the high-quality absorption of food.
What else do you need to know about winter lifestyle?
Sleep deprivation can increase insulin resistance and contribute to weight gain, and even short-term sleep deprivation can cause healthy people to perceive sugar as if they have diabetes. Before going to bed, it is important to ventilate the bedroom and turn off all light sources (then the hormone melatonin will be produced and sleep will be longer).
Don’t forget about physical activity. It improves the condition of blood vessels, reduces the risk of cardiovascular accidents (strokes, heart attacks, sudden death).
Even 10-15 minutes of exercise reduces insulin resistance and directs consumed food in the right direction, without turning into fat.
Movement in the fresh cold air in comfortable warm clothes helps to lose weight.
