It's that time of the year again when anything served 'hot' looks tempting. And most of the time, hot soup and chaiis on our mind to keep the chill at bay.As much as I love a good bowl of hot soup, there are other foods that help you keep warm and toasty from within. Elders in our families have often told us that certain foods affect our internal temperature by heating and invigorating us, pushing blood and energy to the surface of the body during the digestion process. If you're looking to stay warm this season, I would recommend some of these.Hot Chocolate – Right on top of the list as it’s my favourite midnight snack and my weakness too. I use two-three squares of dark chocolate and melt it into hot milk. No harm in adding a little dark chocolate to your diet, after all it’s an excellent anti-oxidant. Nothing like a cuppa on a cold wintery night.
Almonds and walnuts - Walnuts and almonds are good at any time of the year, but they make a lovely roasted snack in the winters. I remember as a kid my mother always increased the intake of these wonder nuts to keep me warm. Add them to your salads and cakes.
Pumpkin Soup – This soup is easy to make and doesn’t necessarily need to be laden with cream as just the taste of roasted pumpkin tantalises the taste buds enough. Pumpkin is high on Vitamin A and has antioxidant properties too, so there you go.Bell peppers – Not only do they add vibrant colours to your food, they are very high on Vitamin C too, keeping the cough and cold away by helping you build immunity. Add them to salads, sauté them with some broccoli and carrots, cook them with chicken, there are endless possibilities with peppers.Avocado – I don’t think I can ever describe my love for this fruit in words. Apart from all the things that I stated in my previous article about this superfood, it helps you keep warm too. If you don’t feel like having it raw or in smoothies, oven roasting is also an option. Or you can cut them and put it on top of another vegetable. It also keeps you fuller for longer periods of time cutting down your constant craving for food in this season.