Foods which warm you up during winter

Although it’s officially spring next month, the weather is definitely still in winter mode. Thanks to the dark nights and non-stop rain, ‘foods that will keep me warm’ remain a priority when we hit the supermarkets, and our craving for comfort food is at an all-time high. We all have our favourite meals we default to when the longer days still seem a long way off, but are there any ingredients we can include to raise our body temperature? We take a look at the foods you can eat to warm up until spring arrives and how you can incorporate them into your diet.

Root vegetables

If you’ve been wondering, ‘Are there any healthy foods that will keep me warm?’ root vegetables will tick all of your boxes. Parsnips, carrots, and sweet potatoes are made of complex carbohydrates and have a high fibre content, which means your body digests them slowly. This generates heat in the body and helps to warm it up. Root vegetables are also full of vitamins and minerals and are incredibly versatile. Whether you mash them, roast them, or use them for soups, they’re a healthy way to add some nutrition to your dishes, making them the perfect winter warmer.

Coffee

It’s not strictly food, but your morning cup of coffee could warm you up for the day as well as wake you up. This is because the caffeine it contains activates thermogenesis (the process of heat production in organisms), which has a warming effect on your body. If you’re not a huge coffee fan, caffeine is also found in hot chocolate, which is made from cocoa and some teas. Just make sure you avoid the decaf options and stick to the strong stuff if you want a drink that’s truly warming.

Ginger

Ginger adds a kick to whatever food it’s added to. Its ability to relax blood vessels helps to increase blood flow throughout the body and create a warming effect, making it the perfect spice to add to stir-fries, curries, winter drinks and soups. In fact, the heat of ginger tea has the capacity to raise your body temperature within ten minutes of consumption, so it’s worth keeping some in your cupboards to sip on those cold winter days.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon should be high on your ‘foods that keep me warm’ list thanks to its thermogenic properties that increase your body temperature when cold. Despite being regularly added to sweet treats and lattes, cinnamon has multiple benefits, such as helping to improve gut health and memory and supporting healthy blood sugar levels. Its high antioxidant content makes it a great choice to add to hot drinks, porridge, and cakes so that you can get a sweet treat and a warming health kick at the same time. 

Cayenne

Many spices are known for encouraging perspiration to cool you down. But cayenne can also warm you up because it contains a phytochemical called capsaicin that helps to heat your body and increase gastric blood flow. If you like spicy foods, try adding some jalapenos to your dishes. They also contain capsaicin and will have the same warming effect (and heat!) when consumed.

Contact UK Food Intolerance to assess your dietary needs

If you want to assess your diet this winter, our food intolerance tests will identify any ingredients that your body has difficulty digesting. For more information about how our tests work, please take a look at our website. You can also email any questions you have to [email protected] or fill out our contact form. Please remember you should always speak to your GP if you’re concerned about your health or diet.