Winter Warmers

Winter is here and we are definitely feeling the chill early this season, with the rain, wind and drop in temperature. Even though warm clothes and layers will help us to keep the cold out we need to make sure we are warm inside as well to keep us well and healthy through this blustery season. In this blog I am going to give you some ideas to help you keep warm on the inside by having the right foods.

• A nice warm bowl of porridge is the perfect way to start your cold day. It will warm you up and keep you full for longer. Why not add fruits such as sliced banana, grated apples or berries to add a bit of variety and help you get your 5-a-day.
• Have a herbal tea with your meal if you feel you need to warm up that bit extra.
• Soup is a great winter warmer, I love having soup with a wholemeal roll for lunch or dinner. There is so much variety to choose from, my favourite is spicy butternut squash soup. Other flavours you can choose from, chicken and corn, junky vegetable, leek and potato, minestrone, carrot and coriander, sweet and spicy prawn soup.
• Keep up your 5-a-day, look out for seasonal fruit and vegetables and try out any new ones you may come upon, like, parsnips, kale, cauliflower, pumpkin, rhubarb, artichoke.
• In the evening we all feel like cosying up with a nice warm mug of hot chocolate, although it may warm you up the calories can add up, so opt for herbal teas or Options or Horlicks sachets where you just add water instead, saving you about 200 calories. 

It is so easy to put on weight in the winter, as we tend to eat more food and do less exercise which will lead to us piling on the pounds. Especially with the festive season about there are many foods out on the supermarket shelves which we like to indulge in a few too many times.

So keep control of what goes in your mouth and keep moving. If you don’t like going out in the cold, why not try doing following a fitness video/DVD to help you keep you with your exercise regime. 

Have a healthy winter!

www.ahnutritionist.co.uk

A H Nutritionist

5^th December 2012