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Winters can be hard on health. Most people tend to stay indoors and are less physically active. The days are shorter; less daylight makes outdoor exercise tough and promotes more passive entertainment like television watching and snacking. Reduced sunlight is reported to affect moods too, altering our commitment to health goals. Some people suffer from 'seasonal affective disorder' (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, in which a person with normal mental health experiences depressive symptoms during winter. Studies have suggested that the incidence of depression during winter increases by up to 30 per cent. Depression also increases the severity of pain related to joints, bones and muscles.
Nature has its own ways of keeping the body warm. The body generates heat; it burns more calories to keep itself warm but that also increases the need to eat more. Eating, again, raises body temperature and helps cope with the cold outside. Certain foods, have a 'warming effect', also known as 'diet-induced thermogenesis' Have these warming foods: 1. Whole grains and pulses (bajra, oats, maize or corn, millets) 2. Herbs, spices and condiments (ginger, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, fenugreek seeds or methi, black mustard seeds, omum or ajwain, nutmeg, saffron, black pepper, asafoetida and cloves) 3. Nuts and oilseeds (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, black and white sesame seeds, flax seeds etc) 4. Honey and jaggery
We should also stock fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C (which boosts immunity and thus helps fight infections) like carrots, pumpkin, turnips, cabbage, tomatoes, oranges, guava, lime and amla. Also, dark green leafy vegetables like mustard greens and amaranth greens (bathua) are protective as they are rich in iron and folate and help maintain good hemoglobin levels. Studies show that people choose more high-fat food in winter. Halwas, besan ladoos, chikkis and plum cakes are so much part of winter food. Combined with being sedentary, weight gain during winter is thus no surprise. Winter produces many physiological changes in the body. For instance, the body tends to concentrate cholesterol. The average total cholesterol in winter can be four to five points higher than it is in summer and for those with high cholesterol, the difference can be up to 11 points. A 2008 epidemiological study by the American Dietetic Association showed that people being treated for hypertension achieve blood pressure control more often in summer than they do in winter. Cold-induced changes in blood composition include increase in red blood cell count, plasma cholesterol and plasma fibrinogen (protein responsible for clotting of blood), which increase the risk of a clot formation and thereby a heart attack or stroke. It has been found that the mortality from heart attacks is significantly higher in cold weather. Angina attacks also appear to be more frequent in winters than during the rest of the year. The increase in mortality is one per cent for a one-degree Celsius fall in temperature.
Respiratory infections represent about 25 per cent of additional winter deaths. Other problems include significantly lower levels of vitamin D which has been associated with compromised immunity and increased risk of inflammatory conditions including arthritis, asthma, digestive disorders, auto-immune diseases and depression. High-risk groups include the elderly, children (who lose heat faster due to their higher body surface /weight ratio), people with histories of heart disease or stroke and those with chronic respiratory disease or asthma. Tips to stay healthy in winters: 1. Keep a calorie count 2. Decrease cooking oil, increase intake of warming foods, soups, hot liquids and vegetables. a. Exercise indoors. Avoid early morning walks or walking against cold winds. 3. Monitor blood pressure 4. Drink plenty of fluids 5. Moderate alcohol intake. Alcohol dilates blood vessels near the body's surface, giving a feeling of warmth. But as the body's heat escapes, alcohol cools the inner body. You may also like to read-
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