How to prepare your body for winter: a dietitian explains what to change in your diet in autumn
Kyiv • UNN
In winter, it is recommended to diversify your diet with protein, complex carbohydrates, fish, and seaweed. Vitamin D and supplements should be discussed with a doctor.
In autumn, it is worth reviewing one’s diet to support the body during the cold season and provide it with the necessary nutrients. A dietitian, Oleksandr Kushch, told a UNN journalist more about which foods should be added to the menu, why it is important to monitor protein intake, and how to control cravings for sweets in winter.
Details
Oleksandr Kushch explains that, along with the shortening of daylight hours and the drop in temperature, people may notice changes in their appetite and weight. Therefore, according to the doctor, when planning one’s diet, it is important to take physical activity and the amount of energy a person expends throughout the day into account. In particular, people with predominantly sedentary jobs should pay close attention to the amount of fatty food they consume.
We have an evolutionary mechanism that switches our metabolism from summer metabolism to winter metabolism. Therefore, in winter, our body spends approximately 300–400 calories per day on warming itself, because people used to live, in principle, in cold and hunger, and only over approximately the last 200 years have people more or less begun living in comfortable conditions. That is why our body switches to storing fat
That is why, according to the dietitian, cases when people notice that they begin gaining weight in winter are an absolutely normal situation,
So, if we want to maintain our weight, we naturally need to take these 300–400 calories into account. For example, if a person exercises and is often outdoors, these calories are used; however, if a person sits in an office, then, if unused, they will be deposited under the skin. In other words, the first thing to do is adjust one’s diet to the conditions of one’s own life
The dietitian advises against making fatty meat, full-fat dairy products, butter, and hard cheeses with a high fat content the basis of one’s diet. At the same time, it is not necessary to give up such products completely. What matters is taking one’s lifestyle and overall dietary balance into account. According to the doctor, in autumn and winter, particular attention should be paid to the variety of foods and providing the body with the necessary vitamins and micronutrients.
You can consume treats in small amounts, but you should not make them the basis of your diet. And to support the immune system, the diet should be enriched with vitamins and micronutrients. I believe that the only absolutely civilized way is to consume vitamins, micronutrients, and antioxidants in capsules or tablets. This is an entirely normal practice
Which foods should be added to the winter menu
Oleksandr Kushch explains that during the cold season, it is worth paying attention to offal, which contains various vitamins and micronutrients. It is also important to consume protein regularly, as it is needed not only to maintain muscles but also for the functioning of the immune system. In addition, the dietitian names complex carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy, as one of the important components of the diet.
During winter, we must support our muscular system. Let me remind you that proteins are not only about muscles; they are also part of the immune system, because proteins are used in the synthesis of immune complexes in our body and perform an important transport function in the blood. Therefore, in a balanced, varied diet, it is desirable to have between three and five sources of protein. This is also very important. Instead, in winter, carbohydrates should nevertheless be obtained from complex carbohydrates, for example, whole-grain cereals. Of course, you should not overindulge in sweets or in overtly fatty products containing saturated fats
Oleksandr Kushch also advises adding eggs, unsweetened fermented dairy products, such as Bulgarian or Greek yogurt, as well as fatty ocean fish and even seaweed to the menu. For dressing dishes, the dietitian recommends using a blend of different oils, including olive, pumpkin seed, and walnut oil. At the same time, he noted that the specific selection of foods depends on a person’s means and nutritional needs.
It is very good, of course, when your diet includes fatty varieties of ocean fish in winter. This is a very good source. Seaweed, by the way, is a very interesting product. It is a good source of iodine, zinc and selenium as well. There are no particular foods that are, so to speak, completely prohibited during the winter period, but the emphasis should be shifted appropriately
Should you take additional vitamins in winter, and how can you control your craving for sweets?
In autumn and winter, the issue of taking additional vitamins should also be considered with the body's needs in mind, the doctor says. At the same time, the expert draws particular attention to vitamin D, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Oleksandr Kushch emphasizes that before taking supplements, it is advisable to consult a doctor in order to determine the need for them and the appropriate dosage.
There are recommendations from the Ministry of Health to take additional vitamin D, for example, from September to May — 2,000 [IU] for adults who do not have a vitamin deficiency. For children and adolescents, it is 1,000–1,500 international units. Because, for example, vitamin D3, which everyone likes to discuss so much now, is a powerful immunomodulator and protective agent. Again, I will say that all beneficial substances, vitamins, trace elements and antioxidants are essentially immunomodulators. Our immune system should be flexible. Because if a person with a virus sneezes on you, then, of course, you will get sick, both with and without immunomodulators; however, it will of course be easier to endure the illness if the person is nevertheless protected
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During the cold season, the desire to eat sweets and calorie-dense foods may also intensify. According to the dietitian, sweets can be part of the diet, but they should not become the main source of energy. Instead, it is worth choosing more often foods that provide a longer-lasting feeling of satiety.
We are looking for a cheap source of quick energy. But this is the wrong approach, because we cannot constantly depend on sweets as a source of energy. We need a long-term source of energy, which we obtain primarily from complex carbohydrates
Thus, preparing for winter involves a varied diet, sufficient amounts of protein, complex carbohydrates and other nutrients. It is also important to take physical activity levels into account and not rely solely on individual foods or vitamin supplements to support the immune system.