Did you know that what you eat could influence how warm you feel when the temperature drops? Helen Foster finds out more
RECIPES EMILY JONZEN
This winter, many of us will be battling the urge to turn the central heating up, in a effort to save money and stop our energy bills lurching up. But aside from huddling under duvets and wearing thermals, is there anything else that can help us feel warmer, without hitting the thermostat? Maybe… Well, being younger is helpful – thicker skin, greater muscle mass and more insulating fat all help the under 55s ward off the winter chills more effectively than older people. Research also suggests that exercising is good news for our body warmth, and helps every generation stop feeling so cold. And what we eat can also make a difference; certain foods fire up our body’s heat-generation process with the happy result that we feel warmer, even when it’s cold outside. How? Through the magical action of the three Ts: thermogenesis, the thyroid, and transportation.
THE MAGIC OF THERMOGENESIS
Have you ever noticed that you want to eat a bit more when it’s colder? The reason is simple. ‘Food releases energy in the form of heat when it’s digested – and that makes us feel warmer,’ says Rebecca Dent, a specialist dietitian who has worked with athletes doing polar and cold-water challenges. ‘You might have noticed this reaction if you’ve ever eaten a very big meal and suddenly felt hot, but it happens to a smaller extent after every meal or snack.’
For this reason, winter is not the best time to go on a low-calorie diet; instead, keep a healthy number of calories coming in via three meals a day. But you can also maximise the heat-boosting effect of food by understanding a bit more about the process. ‘Different foods produce energy at different rates,’ explains Rebecca. ‘Protein has the highest thermic effect, carbohydrates are next and then fat. So, make sure all your meals contain some protein like meat, fish, eggs or dairy.’
While protein generates internal heat quickly, carobohydrates give us a double whammy of heat-boosting goodness. Not only do they have a thermic effect, eating carbs is also the quickest way to replenish our supplies of glycogen (we feel colder if glycogen stores are low). Include carbohydrates at every meal, and use our recipe for banana and walnut bread on page 28 to create a perfect, body-warming snack.
THYROID POWER
Inside our bodies, the thyroid gland is the master controller of how hot, or cold, we feel. ‘Thyroid hormones increase the amount of energy that we have – and energy generates heat, so if the thyroid is sluggish, we’ll feel colder,’ says Alice Godfrey, a nutritionist who specialises in thyroid issues (alicegodfreynutrition.com). ‘Thyroid hormones also activate a type of fat called brown fat, and brown fat cells generate more heat than other fat cells
