Nutrition Tips For Winter Health and Wellbeing

Posted 10 December 2024

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Looking to stay healthy, energetic, and productive this winter? With the cold weather and shorter days, it’s vital to focus on your diet to keep your immune system strong and your energy levels high. A study of 2,000 UK adults revealed that winter often brings illness, lower mental health, and reduced motivation. However, with the right nutritional choices, you can protect your health and wellbeing while beating those seasonal blues.

Here are some expert tips to maintain your health this winter:

Fight the Winter Blues with Vitamin D 

With the sun being far more elusive and the days getting less bright, consuming enough foods rich in vitamin D will work well to keep you in a good mood. As our source of the vitamin is greatly diminished without much we can do (it is the sun after all) we need to supplement our reduced intake with plenty of foods rich in vitamin D to stay as healthy as possible.

Fish (cod, tuna, and salmon) as well as eggs, avocado, red meat and fortified foods are ideal for incorporating a good dose of vitamin D into your diet. Other benefits include improving lung function and also brain, immune and nervous system function.

Curb Carb Cravings with Healthy Options

When it gets chilly outside, we tend to crave carbs more and more. Hormonal changes in the body occur commonly in many individuals during colder seasons (changes to the ghrelin and leptin hormones) which induces the body to feel increased hunger and less satiated. It can be easy to succumb to cravings for cake, pastries, and chips. Over winter, on average, we consume an extra 90-200 calories a day. 

If you want to embrace carbs in a healthier, more nutritious manner that will keep you feeling great throughout winter, ideal foods to go for include whole grain bread, beans, parsnips, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole oats, quinoa and buckwheat. They’ll give you a little serotonin increase over the dark months, fuel your central nervous system and boost your energy levels. 

Stay Hydrated and Embrace Healthy Teas 

Ensuring that you’re drinking enough water over the winter months is important for a number of different reasons. A lack of water in your system can dry out the mucous membranes in your sinuses and lungs which reduces the body's abilities to fight infections and is needed to ward off impurities in the body. Plus, when you’re dehydrated, you’ll easily become more fatigued and less productive. Drinking enough water daily will help sustain your energy levels, especially with the days getting darker earlier and earlier. 

Exploring healthy teas is another useful option for boosting your health over the winter months. A nice, hot and healthy tea can work wonders to warm up your muscles and organs and promote healthy blood circulation. One great option that has a lot of fantastic health benefits is matcha (ground-up green tea powder) which has to be consumed on its own or with milk in latte form. As well as its capabilities of flushing toxins from the liver and boosting brain function, matcha is very high in catechins, which is a naturally occurring antioxidant. Antioxidants combat compounds in the body which cause cell damage and disease.  

Boost Your Immune System with Vitamin C and Zinc

Increasing your vitamin C intake is highly beneficial for building up protection for your immune system and reducing your chances of getting sick from common colds. Foods that are particularly high in vitamin C include grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes and red peppers. It also improves blood flow and helps to prevent dry skin over winter. 

Foods high in zinc also help to strengthen your immune system by regulating the immune response to infected cells within the body. Lamb, beef, spinach, oysters, chicken and dark chocolates are all high in zinc and will give your immune system an extra boost to stay healthy and maintain a balanced diet. 

Choose Foods with Antibacterial Properties

Food such as garlic, onions, leeks, and chives are great to consume over winter because they’re able to fight off pathogens (in short, any organism which can cause disease) and generally provide disinfecting, antibacterial properties within your body.

Garlic in particular has long been used for preventing seasonal colds, you can even get garlic pill supplements if you’re not a fan of the taste.  

Mushrooms also are handy for fighting against pathogens because they have strong antimicrobial qualities - which cover all microbes, so not just bacteria but viruses, fungus, and parasites which can all cause infections in the body. They’re also a source of antioxidants. 

Learn More About Nutrition and Boost Your Winter Health

Understanding the power of nutrition is key to maintaining health and wellbeing, especially during winter. If you’re passionate about improving your health—or helping others do the same—why not take it further?

Study a nutrition course with The Training Room and gain the skills to support a healthier lifestyle year-round. Whether you want to help clients beat the winter blues or learn to manage your own wellbeing, our courses offer the perfect foundation.

Take charge of your health today. Enrol in a nutrition course and transform your wellbeing this winter!