Tips and motivation for how to thrive in winter weather

Can food help keep us warm in the winter?

Eating well and staying hydrated can boost both energy and mood in the winter.

You’ll have heard it before, but especially in the winter, breakfast is important to give you energy for the day ahead, especially foods like cereals, oats and wholegrain bread. These contain nutrients and fibre which give us energy and help keep us feeling fuller for longer. People who skip breakfast are more likely to snack on high-energy foods by break time. It can help improve concentration and metabolism too.

Cold weather can also make you feel less thirsty, but the dry air from inside heating and warmth from layers of clothes can lead to dehydration, sapping your energy. So it’s important to keep your drink topped up, the NHS Eatwell Guide suggests we have 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day, including sugar-free drinks.

Many foods, including fruit and vegetables, also contain water as well as great nutrients: yoghurt, apples, oranges, broccoli and carrots are 80 to 89 percent water. Tempting as it might be to reach for comforting high-fat foods such as pizzas, cakes and biscuits, they contribute very little water or nutrition. Plus high-salt foods like sausages, cheese and crisps may dehydrate you even more, as more water is required to remove the salt from the body.

Trying to eat a balanced diet to give you nutrients, healthy fats, protein and slow-release carbohydrates (oats, wholegrain bread and sweet potatoes). This will all help keep you energised, healthy and warm.

Try resist the chocolate to boost your mood too, opt for foods containing vitamin D which can support your body when there’s no sunlight to give you a lift. Oily fish, egg yolks and mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D – while milk (both cow’s and plant-based) and many cereals are also fortified with key mood-boosting vitamins.