Eating Healthy During the Colder Months
In the colder months, healthy eating can be a challenge. Here are some tips on how to adopt a nutritious diet while staying warm and fit during the winter:
Know the Seasonal Foods
Take advantage of seasonal foods like apples, pears, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. These can all be used in a variety of dishes to provide your body with necessary vitamins and minerals. Soup is also a great way to get nutrients during this time of year.
Stay Hydrated
It can be hard to stay hydrated when it’s cold outside, but make sure to choose water over sweetened beverages. Water is essential for staying healthy and should be an essential part of eating habits year-round.
Don’t Skip Meals
Eating healthy during the winter doesn’t mean skipping breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eating a balanced diet each day will help keep your body fueled and able to perform necessary tasks.
Check Food Labels
When shopping at the grocery store, check food labels for saturated and trans fat, sugars, salts and calories. Choose foods that are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and stay away from processed foods.
Stay Active
Getting enough exercise is also important during the winter months. Make sure to get outside and stay active, even when it’s cold. You can also take advantage of what’s available indoors. Things like yoga, weight lifting and dance classes are all excellent ways to stay fit and healthy.
Eating healthy can be a challenge during the colder months, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. With some planning and careful selection of foods, you can make sure to get the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and fit.
What are some healthy snack ideas for eating healthy during the colder months?
1. Roasted or baked vegetables with hummus, pesto, tzatziki, or your favorite dip
2. Fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
3. Trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate
4. Whole grain crackers with nut butter or avocado
5. Air-popped popcorn with seasonings
6. Roasted chickpeas
7. Homemade energy balls
8. Hard boiled eggs
9. Celery and nut butter
10. Apple slices with nut butter or cheddar cheese
What are some healthy snack recipes for colder months?
1. Spiced Apple Chips – Slice an apple into thin slices, sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and bake for about 30 minutes at 275F.
2. Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus – Roast cubed butternut squash in a 400F oven with a bit of olive oil and spices until tender. Combine the roasted squash with cooked chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and a bit of water in a food processor. Process until smooth.
3. Apple Pecan Crumble – This classic is perfect for the colder months. Toss together diced apples, cinnamon, and chopped pecans and top with a mixture of oats, brown sugar, and melted butter. Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes.
4. Baked Zucchini Fries – Slice zucchini into fry shaped pieces. Dip into a mixture of egg whites, then into a bowl of breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Turkey and Cranberry Wraps – Layer a wheat tortilla with a handful of baby spinach, thin slices of lean turkey, and cranberry sauce. Serve with a slivered apple on the side.
What are some winter snack ideas for kids?
1. Hot Cocoa on a Stick – Dip marshmallows into melted chocolate and freeze them for a fun, delicious winter treat.
2. Frozen Apples and Caramel Dip – Slice up tart apples, and dip them into some warm caramel for a delicious winter snack.
3. Frozen Yogurt Snow Cones – Simply mix some melted frozen yogurt with a spoonful of sprinkles, to make a sweet, flavorful snow cone.
4. Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow String Snowflakes – String mini marshmallows onto a piece of dental floss to make sweet little snowflakes. Melt chocolate chips, and dip the snowflakes into the chocolate before eating.
5. Snowman Snack – Make a fun snowman snack with pretzel sticks, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and white icing!
6. Cinnamon Toast – Toast some bread and spread with a thin layer of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
7. Orange Slices – Enjoy some bright and refreshing winter oranges as a quick snack!
8. Winter Trail Mix – Mix together nuts, dried fruit, seeds, pretzels and your favorite cereal for a delicious winter treat.
9. Roasted Chickpeas – Roast some chickpeas with your favorite seasonings for a light and crunchy winter snack.
10. Popcorn Balls – Make some sticky and sweet popcorn balls for a sticky and sweet winter snack.
What are some easy winter snacks for kids?
1. Trail mix with dried fruit and nuts
2. Apple slices and cheese
3. Popcorn with melted chocolate
4. Yogurt parfaits with berries and granola
5. Rice cakes with nut butter
6. Hot cocoa with marshmallows
7. Smoothies with fruit and yogurt
8. Muffins with nuts and dried fruit
9. Mini pizzas with tomato sauce and veggies
10. Cheese quesadillas with salsa
What are some fun winter snacks for kids?
1. Fruity Snow Cones: Fill small paper cups with crushed ice and top with a spray of flavored syrup. A few ideas for syrups are lemon-lime, orange or strawberry.
2. White Chocolate Popcorn: Pop some fresh popcorn and drizzle with melted white chocolate and festive sprinkles for a fun and tasty treat.
3. Hot Cocoa Mix: Make homemade hot cocoa mix with powdered milk, unsweetened cocoa and a bit of sugar. Top with mini marshmallows and sprinkles for a wintery treat.
4. Hot Apple Cider: Delicious served warm, this classic winter drink is made even better with added stick of cinnamon and a few drops of lemon juice.
5. Miniature Snowmen Cookies: Small sugar cookies iced with white and decorated with mini chocolate chips and gumdrops make for a cute and tasty snack.
6. Snowman Pretzels: Create a snowman out of mini pretzels and decorate with icing and white chocolate chips.
7. Snowy Cupcakes: Top off cupcakes made with your favorite cake mix recipe with a toasted marshmallow, an edible glitter and a sprinkle of coconut flakes.
8. Gingerbread Houses: Spend an afternoon building and decorating mini gingerbread houses with the kids.
9. Frozen Hot Chocolate: Make a chocolate treat by mixing frozen yogurt, hot chocolate mix and milk in a blender.
10. Candy Cane Oreo Pops: Melt some white chocolate and dip Oreos into the melted chocolate. Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces over the top and let cool.
