When the temperatures drop and holiday decorations go up, many men may wonder whether they need to alter their eating patterns. You can take a few simple steps to maintain your health this season.
There’s no need to overhaul your entire eating routine. Making minor tweaks and adjustments can help you keep a balanced diet, stay on track, and help you stick to your goals during the colder months.
5 Winter Meal Planning Tips to Stay Ahead of a Slump
Colder weather can hinder your daily routine, metabolism, and mental health. Pay attention to what you’re putting into your body. This will help you stay ahead of the health challenges of the winter season.
The wintertime is excellent for getting focused on making additional positive changes to your health. Men need to pay attention to their diet when the coldest season rolls around. Here are four ways to improve your diet to stay fit and beat the winter blues this season.
1. Eat Foods Rich in Vitamin D
The body’s vitamin D level, which it gets primarily from the sun, tends to drop during the winter because the colder temperatures make it harder to spend time outside. You can supplement this loss of vitamin D by aiming to eat foods like shitake mushrooms, fortified cereals, and red meat. These foods contain higher levels of vitamin D and can help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression during winter.
2. Incorporate More Cruciferous Vegetables
Upping the number of servings of cruciferous vegetables you eat can improve immune function, especially when entering cold and flu season. Examples of these types of veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. You can eat these in many forms, whether buying them frozen, making them into a salad, or roasting them as a side dish.
3. Choose Foods That Boost Serotonin
Many people associate winter months with feelings of lethargy and sluggishness, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Try eating foods rich in the serotonin-boosting amino acid tryptophan. Foods notably high in tryptophan include:
- Eggs
- Nuts and Seeds
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Oatmeal
- Skim Milk
Try incorporating more of these into your winter food routine to achieve maximum mood-improving effects.
4. Remember to Hydrate Your Body Adequately
Proper hydration is crucial for maintaining your health and achieving your fitness goals during the winter. In addition to drinking water, sipping on herbal tea can be a tasty way to meet your hydration needs. You can also set a goal to consume more foods with high water content, like fruits and plain yogurt.
5. Get Your Calcium Fix
You lose more bone density during the winter, so it can be a good idea to increase your calcium consumption. Adding more of this mineral into your diet will help prevent this type of winter bone loss. You can easily incorporate more calcium into your diet with low-fat milk and cheeses.
Final Thoughts on Men’s Winter Eating Habits
These tips can keep you feeling and looking your best all season, whether your winter fitness goal is to build muscle, lose body fat, or maintain weight.
Remember that an investment in your health is an investment in yourself. Your body and mind will thank you.