As the days get shorter and the nights become longer, nature gives a sign that the winter season has arrived. Every season brings a different lifestyle and challenge, and you should always keep yourself prepared and equipped with knowledge that helps you live the best life during any season, in this case, the winter season.
During the winter, you might become more susceptible to catching a cold, a cough, or a fever. So, to keep yourself strong and to protect your body from illnesses, we are often told to eat certain foods, like jaggery. But apart from that, we must also avoid foods that can potentially make our immune system weaker.
Dairy
We are always told to consume dairy or milk, as it makes us stronger and healthier. Dairy products like cheese, yoghurt, milk, and paneer are naturally mucus-generating, which could make you prone to sneezing, wheezing, or any other infections.
So, don’t completely eliminate dairy from your diet but reduce its amount in order to avoid any side effects. It’s also recommended to always consume your dairy by lunchtime and avoid it after.
Low-Temperature Foods
It’s a common practice to stay away from foods at low temperatures, as they lower the strength of your body’s defence system. So, think twice before you get the chilled bottle of cola or the chilled cup of ice cream from your fridge.
Avoiding cold foods becomes necessary in the winter season because then your body has to work a lot harder to keep your body’s temperature normal and stable.
Sugary Foods
Just like during any season, you should limit your sugar intake or simply avoid it. But when it comes to the winter season, you must give this extra importance. While sugar is a friend to your soul, it doesn’t do any favour to the body and makes the condition worse in winter by weakening immunity when the body is already working hard to fight against diseases and maintain body temperature. So, avoid foods like sugar-loaded bakery foods, fruit juices, soft drinks, and more.
Fried Foods
Just like sugar, you are also advised to limit your intake of fried foods, no matter which season. The problem with fried foods is that they take a long time to completely digest and because of that, during the winter months, when your body is pushing all its energy into other activities, as mentioned earlier, your metabolism becomes slow, and you end up feeling lethargic after consuming fried foods. So, make sure you don’t indulge in those samosas, pakoras, and bread rolls too much.
Raw Veggies
It’s always recommended to enjoy the winter produce but make sure it's not raw. The main reason behind this is that raw veggies take a long time to digest, just like fried foods. This doesn’t mean you should completely avoid salads or raw veggies but make sure you don’t consume them in large quantities.
Red Meat
Red meat is a heavy food, and it is not recommended during the winter season for the same reason as fried foods and raw veggies.
The body takes a long time to digest red meat and during the winter months, when the body is already investing in keeping you warm. This could cause digestive issues along with weight gain.