Winter Cravings
While researchers disagree on the bottom line for what I call the “winter coat” phenomenon, the colder months seem to cause our best intentions to fall and our waistlines to grow.
Perhaps it’s because we’re short on Vitamin D, which science has shown to aid the body’s fat burning process. That lack of sunlight could also mean higher levels of melatonin – the sleep hormone – and a resultant slump in motivation and increase in appetite.
Or perhaps it’s the colder temperatures that are to blame. Despite all our HVAC systems, colder weather still increases our metabolism, at least to a certain degree, as we seek to regulate our body’s temperature, which could also cause an increase in appetite. Or, like chipmunks and bears, we could just be biologically wired to store up fuel for the winter, our evolutionary clocks not having caught up to the fact that holiday parties are in store.
Whatever the reason, researchers do agree that we eat roughly 200 more calories per day on average during this time of year, often craving carbohydrates and sugars. While protein-rich diets are the best way to feel full, who are we to argue with biological needs – at least in reason? Feed your body’s cravings with this healthy winter recipe. And read on for ways to help shed that winter coat.
-Jennifer Bardoner