Nutritious Foods to Keep You Warm In Cold Weather
As frigid weather rolls through the Midwest you may be reaching for soups or teas to warm you up from the inside out. While there are many old wives tales about certain victuals’ ability to heat us up, science has actually been able to prove what works.
Keep reading for seven food and drinks that will help alleviate the cold that seems to have settled in your bones.
Coffee
It may be unsurprising to know coffee helps heat you up, but it may be less known that the temperature of the coffee actually does not matter. In actuality, you would be better off drinking iced coffee.
As previously mentioned, the temperature of the coffee is not what will warm you up, but the caffeine. Caffeine stimulates your metabolism, which encourages your body to burn fuel. Drinking your coffee black is ideal because cream and sugar break down instantly, causing a sugar crash.
Fresh ginger
Although it is not the most delicious way to consume ginger, eating the root raw will help get your blood flowing, warming your extremities and keeping away the cold. Ginger is particularly good at raising body temperature because it features heat-producing oils called gingerols.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is full of healthy HDL cholesterol, which helps increase your temperature. Use it as a salad dressing, granola topping, or as cooking oil to help implement it in your diet easily.
Cayenne Pepper
This spicy pepper will help you break into a quick sweat and you will also notice the prolonged effect of digesting it. This effect is caused by the chemical capsaicin, which is found in all peppers. You will have similar warming experiences with jalapenos and habaneros as well.
Brown rice
Refined carbs, like white bread and white rice, turn into simple carbs almost instantly, which cause sugar crashes. Brown rice is a complex carb, meaning your body will break it down slowly over time, resulting in an extended release of energy and heat.
Peanuts
Peanuts are very high in vitamin B-3, which starts up your metabolism and promotes blood flow, which are key components for staving off the cold.
What won’t work:
Alcohol
Many reach for the bottle to help them warm up, but the effect of alcohol on the body is short-lived and not as helpful as one may think. A stiff drink can help you feel warmer, initially, it actually lowers your body’s core temperature. Alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate, moving the blood flow closer to your skin. This is the reaction that causes people to think their temperature is increasing, but because your blood is further away from your body’s core, the core temperature will decrease.