Wearing the right clothes can keep you warm. Eating the right food can also warm you up from the inside out. To prevent autumn colds, eat more kelp and seaweed.
"Foods rich in the three major nutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat—are the top choice for cold prevention," says Liu Zhenfang, a professor in the Department of Health and Nutrition at Taipei Medical University. In the autumn and winter, the body's demand for energy is naturally higher, and our instinct drives us to eat foods with higher calories to help the body generate heat. Therefore, it's okay to eat a little more in the winter.
Five-Spice Roasted Seaweed
Just consuming carbohydrates, protein, and lipids is not enough. B vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and iron are also essential for the body to generate heat. In the winter, you might consider eating more lean pork, dark green vegetables, whole grains, and seafood. Additionally, thyroid hormones maintain the body's normal metabolism, preventing excessive heat storage. In winter, you can eat more kelp and seaweed to supplement iodine and promote thyroid hormone secretion. Some warming foods, such as green onions, ginger, garlic, chili, and curry, can also stimulate the body to generate heat.
It's easy to get hungry in the autumn and winter, and it's easy to overeat. Liu Zhenfang suggests chewing slowly and eating each meal over 20-30 minutes. You can choose foods that require more chewing and are low in calories, such as bamboo shoots and water bamboo.