As the weather turns cold in autumn and winter, in addition to strengthening physical exercise and wearing more clothes, people who are afraid of the cold can also improve their body's cold resistance by eating more warming foods in their daily lives. Common warming foods in life include:
Meat: Dog meat, lamb, beef, and venison have better warming effects. They are high in protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and have the effects of nourishing the kidneys, strengthening yang, warming the middle and lower body, and replenishing qi and promoting blood circulation. Eating these meats can speed up the metabolism of yang-deficient bodies, enhance endocrine function, and thus achieve a warming effect.
Root and tuber vegetables: Medical researchers have found that a person's sensitivity to cold is related to the lack of inorganic salts in the body. Root vegetables like lotus root, carrots, lily, sweet potatoes, as well as green vegetables and Chinese cabbage are rich in inorganic salts. These foods can be mixed with other foods.
Spicy foods: Chili contains capsaicin, ginger contains aromatic volatile oils, and pepper contains piperine. Eating these spicy foods can dispel wind and cold, promote blood circulation, and increase body temperature.
Iodine-rich foods: Iodine-rich foods such as kelp, seaweed, sea salt, fat choy, jellyfish, clams, Chinese cabbage, spinach, and corn can promote the secretion of human thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones have a thermogenic effect. They can accelerate the oxidation process of most tissue cells in the body (except the brain, glands, and uterus), increase heat production, raise the basal metabolic rate, and enhance skin blood circulation, thereby resisting cold.
Iron-rich foods: Researchers at Pennsylvania State University in the United States have found that people with low iron levels in their blood are also more sensitive to cold. Women with anemia have a body temperature 0.7°C lower than women with normal hemoglobin levels and produce 13% less heat. After increasing their iron intake, their cold tolerance significantly improved. Therefore, women who are sensitive to the cold can consciously increase their intake of iron-rich foods, such as animal liver, lean meat, spinach, and egg yolks.