By Bhavna Malhotra
Consultant – Nutrition & Lifestyle
Email: bhavna.nutritionqueries@
With every season we not only see a change in our environment but in our own body too. During winters skin and hair become drier, we start feeling more hungry (due to increased metabolic rate), there is stiffness in joints, and some of us even experience depression due to long periods without sun exposure. Added to the natural bodily changes are the man-made challenges like increased pollution, which further takes a toll on the body. Viral infections are more common in this season as viruses thrive in lower temperatures. So, is there anything that we can do to make the transition smoother for our bodies?
Let us first understand the nutrients that our bodies need to deal with dropping temperature:
- Vit A – to deal with dry skin and for keeping immunity up to fight out viruses
- Vit C – For good immunity and collagen build-up for supple joints
- Vit E – For healthy skin
- Omega 3 fats – For healthy skin and better mood
- Iron & Folic acid – For better haemoglobin levels which in turn will keep immunity up
- Calcium – For better bone health
- Vit D – For better calcium absorption (bone health) and to keep depression away
- Collagen – For supple joints
- Selenium, magnesium, zinc– These minerals help keep the immunity up. Magnesium helps in keeping the muscles supple and hence avoid stiffness.
So, does mother nature provide us with additional food sources to meet these requirements in winters? We need to be observant to get our answers.
- Vit A – Greens and root vegetables like carrots are readily available in winters which are an excellent source of this vitamin. From sarson, bathua, palak, methi, kulfe saag to chana saag and rajgira the markets are flooded with the green goodness.
- Vit C – Amla, guava, oranges, lemons and berries are available to take care of this nutrient. Greens are a good source of Vit C too. We need to ensure that we eat some fresh fruits and vegetables as cooking destroys Vit C. A simple way of increasing Vit C content in your diet is to squeeze some lime on your dals and vegetables just before consumption.
- Vit E – Nuts & seeds are available all through the year, but they are better digested in this weather.
- Omega 3 fats – Walnuts, flax seeds, green leafy vegetables are all a good source of omega 3 fat. Add to this fatty fish if you are a non-vegetarian.
- Iron & Folic Acid – Green leafy vegetables, eggs (especially yolk), non-veg, millets like bajra and ragi are a good source of these nutrients. Isn’t it surprising that we are able to digest all this better too as in winters as our metabolic rate is higher than in summers.
- Calcium – Nuts, green leafy vegetables, dairy (most absorbable), til seeds, ragi (millet) are all a good source of this nutrient.
- Vit D – Egg yolks, fatty fish and yes bright sunshine. This is one nutrient for which nature wants us to be outdoors as not many food sources of Vit D are available.
- Collagen – Bone broths like the traditional paya(trotter) soup is a good source of collagen. If you are a vegetarian taking enough protein, zinc and Vit C will help your body produce enough collagen.
- Selenium, magnesium, zinc – Nuts and seeds, green leafy veg, legumes & pulses are a good source.
All our requirements are well met if we eat seasonal foods. Our grannies did know this well and made pinnis, til/ gond/ nuts jaggery laddus, sarson saag with makki’s roti, carrot kanji, paya soup, gobhi-gajar-shalgam pickle ,fresh ginger and chilli pickle to name just a few. Ayurveda also advocates ghee or home-made butter. The presence of CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and Vit K2 in ghee/ butter justifies its use for bone and joint health in winters. Our bodies are so amazingly designed that with a raised metabolic rate we are able to stomach it all up too. So, listen to your granny and indulge in traditional recipes made with seasonal produce to sail through this winter!!
