food that warms up

How To Stay Warm This Winter With Food and Drinks

There are various ways to stay warm in winter, from turning up the heater to installing wall insulation. However, did you know that food and drinks also provide warmth? Your body experiences heat internally and externally. Food and beverages supply warmth in both means. Consuming them causes internal reactions that heat your body, and eating, holding, or even making certain drinks and dishes warm you up physically. Here are four food and drinks that will warm you up this winter and keep you cozy in the cold.

Hot Cocktails

Alcohol increases your blood flow, causing your body to heat up as your blood circulates. Combining it with a hot beverage doubles up the drink’s heating abilities. The liquor warms you up internally, and a heated mug warms you externally, spreading heat to your hands. This winter, explore different hot cocktails and stay warm with a buzz and a tasty drink.

Baked Treats

With the freezing forecasts dominating the outdoors, many people spend their time indoors baking. Whether you whip up banana bread or make cookies, all types of oven-baked treats produce plenty of warmth. Ovens generate a lot of heat; it’s their job. Along with heating up your food, they also warm up their surrounding space, especially in a small kitchen. Turning on the oven and baking something keeps you and your space warm. It’s like a mini heater.

Baked treats also generate heat with their rich carbohydrate composition. Compared to other nutrients, carbs take longer to digest since they require more energy to completely deconstruct. Like most reactions, one side effect of energy consumption is heat gain. As your body uses its energy to digest the carbs from your baked treats, it warms up.

Root Vegetables

Root vegetables and starchy bites also contain complex carbohydrates that require more energy consumption for digestion. They stimulate thermogenesis: the process of heat generation through metabolizing. Popular root vegetables to consume in the winter include:

Plus, on top of thermogenesis, these veggies also offer many other benefits. They provide a lot of healthy nutrients, from fiber to potassium. For the ultimate warm winter dish, concoct a vegetable soup filled with various roots.

Spiced Dishes

Turn up the heat with a bit of spice. There are many types of spiciness to explore. No matter the form of spice you like to indulge in, they all get your heart racing, blood pumping, and body temperature up. The capsaicin in spices also triggers heat receptors in your body and skin, tricking your brain into thinking you’re overheating. Serve up some curries, apple cider, and hot wings to get a healthy dose of stimulants that’ll keep you heated despite the weather’s forecast.

Stay warm this winter with food and drinks that’ll get your internal and external heat circulating. This winter, experiment with your food and drink selections and warm up with items in your pantry or fridge.

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