Recently, the temperature has dropped sharply, and while many people have added thick clothing, they still find it difficult to ward off the cold. In fact, eating the right foods can also help you stay warm.
Heat-producing foods: Fresh rice and flour
Low temperatures can affect the body's endocrine and digestive systems, accelerating the metabolism and breakdown of the three major nutrients—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—and increasing energy consumption. Therefore, in winter, you should appropriately increase your intake of these heat-producing nutrients, such as staple foods and sweets with a small amount of sugar, or high-quality proteins and fats from fish and dairy products. Additionally, B vitamins are beneficial for normal metabolism, so it's a good idea to eat more fresh rice and flour, fruits, and vegetables, and try to eat more coarse grains.
Warming foods: Lamb
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, foods like lamb, dog meat, longan, chives, walnuts, and millet have the effect of warming the body and replenishing qi. Eating more of these can improve your ability to withstand the cold. Conversely, it's best to eat less of cooling or cold-natured foods such as duck, crab, banana, cucumber, watermelon, pear, mung beans, and rock sugar.
Minerals: Calcium and Iron
Supplementing with foods rich in calcium and iron can also enhance the body's ability to resist the cold. Feeling cold is related to a lack of minerals in the diet, especially calcium deficiency, which can affect the flexibility and excitability of the heart, blood vessels, and muscles. Therefore, in winter, you might consider eating more calcium-rich foods like dairy products, soy products, and dried shrimp. Many women, in particular, feel very cold; in winter, even in a heated room, their hands and feet are often ice-cold. Insufficient iron intake is one of the main reasons. Women who feel cold can moderately increase their intake of iron-rich foods, such as liver. Additionally, the human thyroid gland secretes a hormone called thyroxine, which has a heat-producing effect. Thyroxine is composed of iodine and tyrosine; while tyrosine can be synthesized by the body, iodine must come from external sources. Therefore, in winter, you should appropriately eat more iodine-rich foods like kelp, seaweed, and shellfish. Root vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, lotus root, green onions, and potatoes contain a large amount of minerals, and regular consumption can also enhance the body's ability to resist the cold.