As we are in the initial time period of winters, it has just started, so as our cravings for high enriched foods which gives us an ease, a calm kind of comfort to our taste buds and leaving us with a feeling of warmness inside. These are all natural cravings which winters beings along, and thus, could leave an ill-effect on our health, when the winter season is about to end.
Since a long time, I am listening to these types of talks, when there used to be made a sort of pre-planning for winters along with rich foods to be made by old people during winters to resist it. I too noticed on my unusual consumption of food in winters leading to my extreme cravings for food and gradually took me to a stage of realization that we people tend to eat and take in more to feel good and warm during winters. It goes about the frostier the season becomes, the more delightful food attracts our taste buds. These cold and dark days, makes the temperature fall, the same it does to our bodies and to fill up that space and tune back the normal temperature, we become more tend to fuel up our bodies with certain types of comfort foods.
The big deal becomes when, we fulfil our cravings, but without noticing that our energy from those foods aren’t consumed in the way it should. Hence, addition of unwanted calories and increase in weight, though in winters weight doesn’t keep up with it’s same pace, it does go up and down running via the fuel provided by ‘food’. In a scientific way, our mood is reflected by the food which we take, and like wise it also changes with the seasonal time periods which ultimately brings upon the change in our eating habits, time-tables and perhaps what food we eat to nourish our body. Mainly, we are likely exposed to weight gain in the cold season just because of the rich foods we take.
It is a simple understanding, that we won’t be getting cravings for health concerning foods like salads, fibre-enriched or protein rich foods during this season rather than this, there are lots of foods or eatables containing starch or sugary items which makes the mood happy. Moreover, people are more attracted towards eatables like nuts, jaggery contained sweets, cakes, buns, butter cookies which they take for themselves or as to give their loved ones. Not only this, literally children, whether they are kids or teenagers, they have these kinds of comfort foods merely for its sweet taste and the heavy feeling which kicks in their tummies, disregarding the health perspective. Naturally moms becomes a bit worried for their children relating to the things they eat or demand for.
Foods basically good in taste like pasta, cookies, sweet buns, whipped cream, cakes makes us feel cozy and relaxed just leading its role to play with blood sugar levels, high sometimes low, to daily regularize our appetite mainly affecting the serotonin levels in bodies (responsible for every clings in mood and affecting the thought process as well).
There are few ways to control our appetite during winters and importantly to feel good in this season :
1. Fill up your munching time with more healthy snacks :
We more find ourselves doing munching between or after meals just replace the unhealthy foods with a whole-wheat snack, pasta or pizza with low fat cheese or cream. If you are more attracted towards nuts then walnuts could be the best choice. You can give children carrot sticks with dark chocolate sauce to ease their cravings.
2. Try to stay hydrated most of the time :
3. Reach out for more nutritious foods replaced by rich foods :
You can even try out hot soups, roasted veggies or even a tuna sandwich to make a more healthy choice and let go off the cravings.
4. Get yourself involved in planning some activities for winter :
Another best way is to get curious and involved in activities or special tasks to get done in winters to think less about those cravings.
5. Pre-preparing some dishes, while making list of some healthy foods for the complete week :
On the other hand, you can also pre-prepare some meals, applying combination of foods like (Salmon+Veggies), (Chicken Soup), (Baked beans+veggies), look out for highly protein content foods and healthy fats containing foods. Just sit back and enjoy it throughout the week.
6. Re-create your comfort foods in a more healthier style :
The fabulous option is to give the comfort foods, a healthy touch like replaced starchy foods with whole wheat or using low-fat butter for your snacks, some low-fat cream on donuts, using maple syrup instead of sugar. Moreover, preparing these exciting recipes at home would give you the desired taste and less cravings again.
Hope you would enjoy winters with less cravings applying these simple yet exciting hacks.