Recommendations for Healthy Eating During the Winter Months

 In these days when we are starting to feel the winter season, providing adequate and balanced nutrition is important for the defense of our health.

With the cooling of the weather in the winter season, there are different types of nutrition, and the tendency to fatty and sugary foods increases. During the winter months, more time is spent in indoor environments, and there is a decrease in the intensity of physical activity. During the winter season, there may be undesirable differences in body weight due to reasons such as low physical activity, spending too much time in front of the TV due to longer nights and snacking on foods. Weight control, which mostly starts to be paid attention to in the summer, leaves its place to sloppiness in the winter months. A lot of people, thinking that they can hide their weight more comfortably in thick clothes, move away from healthy eating habits.

HEALTHY NUTRITION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WINTER MONTHS

Adequate and balanced nutrition at all periods of life is prime for the defense of health. Therefore, the various nutrients found in the four food groups should be taken in sufficient quantities at least 3 main and 3 Decaf meals.

Within the scope of the possibilities, it is recommended to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables in season every day. In order to increase body resistance and ensure adequate intake of vitamins and minerals to the body during the winter months, vegetable and fruit varieties should be used. It is important to consume fruits such as carrots, broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, as well as vegetables rich in antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A and C, which strengthen the defense system, as well as fruits such as oranges, tangerines, apples, grapefruit, which are abundant in winter.

It is also important to consume freshly squeezed fruit juices both to meet the need for vitamin C and to contribute to fluid intake. What is important in the consumption of fruit juices is that they are consumed immediately after being squeezed. Because the retention of fruit juice opens the door to a decrease in vitamin C.

Vitamin E is also effective in strengthening the immune system. It increases the body's resistance to colds and other infections, and prevents vitamin A from being oxidized. It is important to consume green leafy vegetables, oil seeds such as nuts, walnuts and dried legumes, which are good sources of vitamin E, in sufficient quantities.

The sun's rays, which are deprived during the winter months, open the door for the body's inability to meet vitamin D requirements. Vitamin D, which is important for bone and dental health, is a vitamin produced by the skin with the sun's rays and is not found in many nutrients. In addition to vitamin D, fish is also a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega 3), calcium, phosphorus, selenium and iodine minerals, as well as vitamin E, which are needed for the development of brain functions. For this reason, it is recommended to be eaten 2-3 times a week within the possibilities during the winter months.

It is the tendency to consume more fatty foods at the beginning of eating habits, which usually happens during the winter months. Particular attention should be paid to fat consumption, solid margarine and butter should be avoided, dense fatty meats should be avoided.

In ensuring body weight control in winter, it is important to pay attention to consuming whole grain products such as whole wheat bread, pasta, bulgur instead of pure sugar and sugary foods that are easy carbohydrates, milk desserts instead of high-energy dumpling desserts, fruit desserts, consuming dried legumes high in pulp content (2-3 times a week) and regular physical activity to prevent digestive problems that increase due to inactivity.

For the most part, there are few vegetables that children especially like during the winter months. Ensuring that children eat winter vegetables such as leeks, celery, spinach with challenging attitudes is a problem for many mothers. Therefore, instead of insisting, it would perhaps be more useful to present these vegetables in different ways. For example; to your child who does not like celery food, grating this vegetable, mixing it into yogurt, adding some walnuts to it and presenting it to the child, in the same way to children who do not like spinach food, using spinach as an interior; pies, pastries or pancakes should be made and children should be allowed to consume these nutrients.

In order to keep the body temperature in balance, it is necessary to take plenty of fluid intake. Adequate fluid intake The elimination of toxic substances (harmful elements) that occur in the body plays an extremely important role in the regular functioning of body functions, ensuring the balance of metabolism and the realization of many biochemical reactions in the body. Therefore, at least 2-2.5 liters (12-14 cups) of water should be drunk every day, drinks such as linden, sage, rosehip tea, open tea should be preferred to meet the liquid intake.

SOURCE: Public Health Institution of Turkey - Department of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases