Nutrition in Winter: Maintain Your Immune System

Healthy Diet in Winter

Depending on what part of the world you are in, the winter months may mean dark, blistery weather, but that doesn’t mean that we get to hibernate like bears and slack off on our vitamin and nutrient intake. As flu season is at its peak and outdoor activities seem to take the back burner, essential vitamins are crucial to maintaining healthy minds and bodies throughout the cold and grey winter months.

Come Thanksgiving, we are all ready to sink our teeth into warm comfort foods and family favorites. There is no problem with indulging in these things in moderation, however, when its Valentine’s Day and we’ve been eating like that since the last Thursday in November, these habits can take a toll on our waistlines. Other than pure reasons of vanity, our insides can take a big hit as well.

The poorer our diets in general, the less we are receiving the nutrients we need to maintain and repair our immune system. As much as you enjoy indulging in those winter favorites, think about how awful you feel when you are sick with a fever and runny nose. Comfort foods are o.k. once in a while, but think about re-vamping your couch-potato favorites by adding in nutrient-dense food options. Compromise is key.  Trading in your favorite pasta dish for spaghetti squash or hearty beef dishes for leaner cuts of meat can go a long way. To ensure that you are not spending the winter in the pharmacy aisle of CVS, stock up on some immune-boosting, cold-fighting nutrients such as zinc, probiotics and of course, vitamins! Most people know about the immune system benefits of Vitamin C and therefore, may already have this essential in their medicine cabinets. There are however, other vitamins to consider for the winter months that we should all be introducing into our lives.

What Vitamins Do We Need

To begin with what’s familiar, you can find Vitamin C in natural sources, such as citrus fruits, broccoli, red cabbage, red peppers, green peppers, tomatoes and cantaloupe. So pop any or many of these into your next winter stew recipe or pack as a healthy snack to increase your intake. Ideally, you should achieve 500 mg a day of Vitamin C, so get slicing and dicing on these fruits and veggies.

Vitamin A is another immune booster that is especially useful for fighting off viruses. The cold/flu season is named so particularly for the high prevalence of infection during the winter. Vitamin A targets the mucous membranes, helping the cells resist cell damage. Maintaining this nutrient during the winter should be fairly easy as it can be found in seasonal fruits and vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, kale and collard greens.

Another lesser known essential nutrient for your immune system is zinc. Zinc is not only another cold-fighter, as seen in cold & flu products (e.g. lozenges and nasal sprays), but is also crucial for wound healing. So if you take a fall on the ski slopes this winter, you better had consumed ample amounts of the nutrient. Ways to do this are by consuming oysters, toasted wheat germ, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, lamb and even dark chocolate/cocoa powder. The current recommended intake for zinc is 15mg.

Probiotics are another nutrient that you should be mindful of in the winter as they help combat other harmful bacteria that enter our bodies. Probiotics are often referred to as the “good bacteria” because although they are still bacteria, they work to fight other “bad” bacteria. Everyone’s body may have a different amount of either the good or bad bacteria, however, balance is key. When the proportion of these bacteria is thrown off, a host of health issues can occur, including yeast infection, diarrhea, stomach and other respiratory infections. During the winter, when you are sharing space with others in the office or classroom who happen to be coughing and sneezing in your direction, consuming probiotics may give you a fighting chance to protect your health and prevent illness. This is when your immune system may be the most compromised and you are most likely to catch a cold. And if you do get ill this winter with a bacterial infection and are prescribed antibiotics, be aware that this type of medication is a common culprit for throwing off this internal balance. A popular source of probiotics is yogurt, which can be consumed to maintain a healthy balance.. Another source is milk and for you vegans out there, probiotics are also present in tempeh, soymilk and even some juices.

The Importance of Vitamin D

If there is one Vitamin that you make sure you get enough of this winter, it should be Vitamin D. Aside from the traditional change in diet that accompanies the winter, the actual seasonal change can affect the way we absorb vitamins that we are used to having access to throughout the rest of the year. The sun is an excellent source of Vitamin D-3, which is important for calcium absorption. Therefore, consuming the same amount of calcium during these greyer months does not necessarily mean that your body is receiving the same amount of calcium as it does from your normal diet when the sun is shining bright for the rest of the year. Seratonin uptake is directly associated with Vitamin D, so the lack of the nutrient affects the presence of the hormone in the body. Seratonin can be thought of as the “happiness hormone.” It affects our perceived feelings of happiness and pleasure. Rest assure, the lack of sunlight does not mean that we have to then be miserable and sick for the winter. An alternative way to get Vit. D back in your life is to take a natural supplement. Great foods to incorporate into your diet in order to get your Vitamin D helping are shiitake and button mushrooms, mackerel, sockeye salmon, herring, sardines, tuna, cod liver oil and eggs. As far as mental wellness and keeping your “happiness hormone” in check, surround yourself with laughter and friends, or better yet get moving! Physical exercise, specifically aerobic forms of exercise, has been linked to one’s seratonin uptake as well.

As the winter winds down, make sure that you stay healthy by incorporating these nutrients into your diets and lifestyles. They are important for our physical and mental well-being. Although it may be tempting to just go and purchase a one-size-fits-all multivitamin, getting these winter-specific vitamins from their natural sources is the best way to go. They can be easily added and should be a priority for you and your family this year.