How to Care for Energy in Autumn and Winter

In autumn and winter, it is especially important to provide the body with the right amount of energy. How to do it in this difficult period are suggested by our experts, which are telling us their ways for being healthy in autumn.

​The Right Diet for Cold Months

In autumn and winter, it is especially important to provide the body with the right amount of energy. However, it should be remembered that this is not done by eating more calories in meals – advise our expert.

It is also improper to limit cereal products in meals, thinking that in this way we care for the line in the autumn - adds another dietitian - when the body, does not receive the right amount of energy from food, will demand more food, so we can achieve the opposite effect and take on on weight. Remember that in accordance with nutritional recommendations, cereal products, thanks to the high content of complex carbohydrates, should constitute for us the main source of energy in everyday nutrition.

Cereal products should be found in every meal during the day and should be the main source of energy.

What's the matter with this energy hidden in cereal products? Every cell of our body needs regular supplies of nutrients. Our body cannot function properly unless we also provide it with regular energy - it is necessary to maintain a constant level of glucose in the blood.

Complex carbohydrates, included in cereal products, they are the best source of energy because, subject to gradual metabolic changes, they help the body maintain a constant recommended level of glucose in the blood. If we understand these relationships - the professor notes - the fact that each of our meals should contain a portion of cereal products becomes clear. The complex carbohydrates contained in them are gradually absorbed by the body, and this makes it easier to maintain - repeat it again - the recommended glucose level and guarantees an even supply of energy. This energy is priceless. The body uses it to work the brain, breathing, work of the heart, so-called basic metabolism and physical activity - says the dietitian. And the professor adds - The fact that cereal products break down slowly in our body, giving energy for a long time, is an extremely important issue because we feel saturated for a long time.

​What, then, do you Eat when there is Cold, Rain, Rain and Snow Outside, and we have Absolutely no Energy?

Above all, we increase the amount of warm meals and we make sure that their products are always cereal products. On the “healthy plate” products, such as pasta, cereals and bread, occupy one of the most important places. This should be taken into account especially in autumn and winter, when there is a greater demand for energy.

Eating cereal products, let's not forget that the principle of a balanced diet is diversity, because each of the product groups has a different function and complement each other. The second group of products that should not be missing during the day are vegetables and fruit. In the autumn and winter season we have a huge variety of all kinds of vegetable and fruit preserves, including silage - cucumbers and cabbage, treated as taste components, rich in high amount of vitamin C.

We adhere to the principles of diversity every day, regardless of the time of year. What does it mean? Add braised vegetables or a portion of meat to the pasta and, for example, sauerkraut salad. Eat porridge or cereal with hot apples and plums and a portion of butter. Let's put a slice of bread smeared with butter, favorite additions, for example a slice of meats or cheese and some vegetable, even a pickled cucumber. For a second breakfast or an afternoon snack, we can quickly eat a slice of bread with cottage cheese and crunch a raw carrot. I recommend especially whole-wheat bread, rich in fiber, which in the colder months we need more, because usually we move less – says the expert.

Let's Start with Breakfast

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​Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in autumn and winter this fact is even more important!

​In the cold months the breakfast should be even more generous than usual and additionally warm, because we are exposed to cold and we need much more energy. We can eat, for example, a bowl of hot vegetables, preferably steamed or stewed with the addition of favorite spices, and add a slice of wholemeal bread with butter or a breadcrumbs. A good solution is also a bowl of cereal with stewed apples or a hot mousse of dried fruit. In the morning porridge works perfectly (it can be cooked the day before), seasoned with favorite herbs, butter, vegetables or a sliced ​​and heated slice of cold meat or melted cheese.

To understand why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and regardless of the time of year, we have to go back to the night hours when we sleep deeply. During sleep, our brain uses up to 25% of all glucose consumed by the body during this time. Therefore, in the morning her blood level decreases and when we do not eat breakfast and do not provide a fresh portion of energy, our concentration decreases, especially in autumn and winter, when the energy demand is much higher. Let's try to imagine - the professor urges us - how we function when we have weaker concentration, what happens to us behind the wheel, at work, at school - everywhere, wherever we go in the morning and whatever we do.

​We should eat more often, but less - the validity of this principle can be seen during the cold months

​The research showed that long breaks between meals mean that we also have lower productivity - adds the dietitian. Therefore, when we eat less, but often, we feel an unflagging level of energy and it is very beneficial for our body, especially in cold months, when we use additional forces to fight the cold.

In autumn and winter, change the type of drinks you drink

​In addition to warm dishes, in the autumn and winter it is also worth taking into account hot drinks, which also warm us. A good idea is tea with herbs and fruits. To make herbal tea, for example, chamomile, lemon balm or yarrow, or fruit I mean raspberries, hawthorn, blackberries, apples, chokeberries or black without - says the professor - we can add lemon juice, honey or various spices, for example cardamom, ginger or cinnamon. Such warm liquids, drunk before a meal, blend in well with warm dishes prepared on the basis of cereal products.