As we all know, a serious cold wave has clouded over many northern parts of India. It is the correct time to sit at our homes and eat nourishing food that is not only comforting for the soul but also beneficial for our health and immunity. Choosing the ingredients that you are using to make your food is very important in deciding the trajectory of your health. You must consciously choose food that is warmer in tendency as compared to the other options so that your body remains warm from the inside. Here is a list of some common foods that are consumed in India that most of you did not know have a warm tendency.
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* Ginger
Ginger is widely used in making a lot of dishes in India. The strong flavour of ginger is quite evident and adds so much to a particular dish. Ginger has thermogenic properties that can instantly raise the temperature of the body and also boost our immunity and can help in fighting winter-specific problems like colds and coughs. It also has antibacterial properties which is why ginger tea and ginger kadha are so popular in India. Winter is the right time to eat some ginger pickles with your food. There are so many different ways you can make ginger a part of your diet.
* Millets
Millet is already a very popular winter grain that is high in energy. Millets contain a high amount of Vitamin C. You can make so many delicious dishes with millet, including Bajre ki roti, ragi Dosa and even tikkis. Millets can be easily replaced with any kind of conventional grain that you use at home. This gives your body the needed warmth and winter is the opportune time to consume as much millet as you want.
* Desi Ghee
All of us will agree that Desi ghee makes anything and everything better. It is the hero ingredient used in most of the Indian desserts. You can instantly sense the absence of this ingredient because a dish simply doesn't taste as good without the help of desi ghee. Winter is the perfect time to add Desi ghee to almost everything that you eat. During cold waves, the temperature drops immensely. So it is important to consume as much warm food as you can. Just simply pour a spoonful of melted desi ghee on top of your khichadi, soup, curry, sabzi, or anything that you have made at home.
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* Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is believed to be one of the healthiest cooking oils that you can choose to cook your food in. It is also one of the best options to use during extreme cold if you don't want to use Desi ghee. Also, it is impractical to use Desi ghee for things like tadka and deep frying. Mustards can warm your body from the inside as they have a heat-generating power. If you are using any other kind of cooking oil at home then you must instantly replace it with mustard oil.
* Onions
Chinese have been using onions for making energy tonics for many years. Onions are often credited for stimulating the process of perspiration that automatically increases the temperature of the body and helps in combating cold weather. Onion is already a heavily used condiment in Indian cuisine and you can even increase the consumption of animals during the cold wave. Try to consume onions as salads or make a simple and hearty onion soup at home. Onion is a very versatile ingredient and can be added to almost everything.
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* Jaggery
You will see that the consumption of jaggery instantly increases during the winter season. One of the most famous dishes that is made from jaggery is Chikki or Gajak. To keep our bodies warm during the winter season, we need to eat food that has a heat-generating capacity. Jaggery has the right kind of nutritional profile that helps in keeping your body warm and also may contribute towards dilating the blood vessels of the body that produce even more heat. It is healthier than white sugar.
These are some extremely healthy and warm foods that you must eat during this cold wave. You will see an instant relief and all these foods will make your immunity much stronger.