Each year, same observation: the days are short, the sky is gray and, above all, we tend to eat richer. We say goodbye to salads and we welcome the dishes in sauce, potatoes and cheese do you want it here. But then, where does this almost automatic reflex come from? And above all, do we really need it?
A richer diet for better morale
This idea that it is necessary to eat richer in winter comes mainly from the fact that in the past, we spent more time outside in the cold and that we therefore needed more calories to maintain our body temperature. The organization had to compensate for heat loss. This is called thermoregulation. But today, our body really needs more food when it is cold? Above all, in our modern lifestyles, less exposed to intense cold, mainly heated and stamped in several layers of clothing. Not really. It is above all our brain that plays tricks on us by combining winter in the need for food comfort. Our winter appetite is, in fact, linked to a completely different factor than our physiological needs: our morale. The days shortened, the sun is rarer and the lack of light impacts the production of serotonin, the hormone of well-being. This is what encourages us to seek comfort in food and what pushes us towards sugar and fat. In addition, in winter, it is difficult to escape it, because the season is associated with well -established culinary traditions: raclettes, fondues, tartiflettes, gratins, simmered … Gourmet dishes that bring us together and warm us up.
Eat well in winter
That said, in winter, it is above all important to favor foods that support immunity, rich in vitamins C and D, Zinc or magnesium, and which bring energy. We therefore favor vegetables and seasonal fruits – cabbage, squash, carrots, citrus, kiwis for example – good fats – fatty fish, vegetable oils, oilseeds -, legumes and complete cereals for lasting energy as well as soups or simmered dishes that feed well. We do not forget the hydration, because unlike summer, where heat naturally pushes us to drink, in winter, the feeling of thirst decreases. As a result, we do not hydrate enough while our body continues to lose water. Water of course, but also herbal teas, infusions, bubbles … so many options to hydrate while warming during the cold season.
Finally, in winter, like the rest of the year, the secret of a good diet is to listen to your body, eat its hunger and favor balanced meals … while obviously agreeing some well -deserved pleasures !
