Weekly Tips by Zonya, America’s Nutrition Leader

Oh the weather outside is frightful… so I’ll eat to feel delightful!

Ever wonder why we eat more in cold weather? It’s because a drop in body temperature stimulates appetite. And when we eat, the act of digesting food raises our body temperature. This can be a contributing factor to packing on some winter pounds! You can combat this by changing the definition of your comfort foods. Instead of reaching for mashed potatoes dripping in butter and gravy, opt for some piping hot broth-based soup. Warm, healthy soup will raise your body temperature and give you comfort without needless calories!

It’s important to identify stress eating, boredom eating or emotional eating, especially during the shorter daylight hours of winter when we tend to be less active. Learn to replace this with a more healthful coping response. Find out what constitutes your “plunge into oblivion” that is something other than food or drink. Learn to listen and respond correctly to your internal appestat, which tells you when you are hungry and when you are satisfied. It’s amazing how many times you don’t really need food; you just need the “escape into oblivion.”