It’s that time of the year again when anything served ‘hot’ looks tempting. And most of the time hot
soup and chai is on our mind to keep the chills at bay

But as well as a bowl of soup, there are other foods that help you keep warm and toasty. Certain
foods as the elderly in our families have often told us affect our internal temperature by heating and
invigorating us, pushing blood and energy to the surface of the body during the digestion process. If
you're looking to stay warm this season, I would recommend some of these.

Hot Chocolate – Right on top of the list as it’s my favourite midnight snack and my weakness too. I use two-three squares of dark chocolate and melt it in to hot milk. No harm in adding a little dark chocolate to your diet after all it’s an excellent anti-oxidant. Nothing like a cuppa on a cold wintery night.

Almonds and walnuts - Walnuts and almonds are good at any time of the year, but they make a lovely roasted snack in the winters. I remember as a kid my mother always increased the intake of these wonder nuts to keep me warm. Add them to your salads and cakes

Pumpkin Soup – This soup is easy to make and doesn’t necessarily need to be laden with cream as just the taste of roasted pumpkin tantalises the taste buds enough. Pumpkin is high on Vitamin A and has anti oxidant properties too, so there you go.

Bell peppers – Not only they add vibrant colours to your food, they are very high on Vitamin C too, keeping the cough and cold away by helping you build immunity. Add them to salads, sauté them with some broccoli and carrots, cook them with chicken, there are endless possibilities with peppers.

 

Avocado – I don’t think I can ever describe my love for this fruit in words. Apart from all the things
that I stated in my previous article about this super food, it helps you keep warm too. If you don’t
feel like having it raw or in smoothies, oven roasting is also an option. Or you can cut them and put it on top of another vegetable. It also keeps you fuller for longer periods of time cutting down your
constant craving for food in this season.

Sweet Potatoes  - Honestly, this is probably one street food that I look forward to all of winters. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and a bit of iron. Unlike contrary belief, roasted sweet potato

isn’t a very high calorie food. Moderation is the key of course. I love to have it with lots of nimbu and masala.

Ginger/Adrak chai – This is something I can’t do without. Ginger has thermogenic properties that can keep you warm. So if you're thinking of reaching for a cup of tea, brew it with ginger. Because of its heating powers, ginger may also boost metabolism and promote blood flow. I prefer black or with very little milk.

Oats - Traditionally, a steaming bowl of Oats is thought to be one of the best winter warmers. Oats is also very versatile, so you can make it savoury if you don’t want that extra sugar intake. I like to add raisins and roasted almonds too to my bowl to add crunchiness.

While eating the right food helps, I strongly recommend working out too during winters even though

that may be the last thing you feel like doing. Apart from giving you a rush of endorphins which

boosts mood, exercise will get the blood pumping around your body and, vitally, heat up your skin

and keep you active.