Winter's cold climate impacts the endocrine system, increasing secretion of thyroid hormones and adrenaline. This accelerates the breakdown of the three major thermogenic nutrients—protein, fat, and carbohydrates—to enhance the body's cold resistance, leading to excessive heat loss. Therefore, winter nutrition should prioritize increasing caloric intake. Nutrition experts recommend moderately increasing consumption of staple foods and fats while ensuring adequate supply of high-quality protein.Foods like lamb, beef, chicken, venison, shrimp, pigeon, quail, and sea cucumber are rich in protein and fats, generating significant heat. Traditional Chinese medicine considers them beneficial for kidney health, warming the body, boosting energy, and promoting blood production, making them most effective for cold resistance.
Additionally, sensitivity to cold is linked to deficiencies in calcium and iron. A person's susceptibility to cold is related to insufficient intake of certain minerals. For instance, calcium levels in the body directly affect the contractility and excitability of the heart muscle, blood vessels, and muscles. Iron deficiency in the blood is a major cause of iron-deficiency anemia, often manifesting as low heat production and low body temperature. Therefore, supplementing with calcium- and iron-rich foods can enhance the body's ability to withstand the cold.Calcium-rich foods include milk, soy products, kelp, laver, shellfish, oysters, sardines, and shrimp. Iron-rich foods primarily consist of animal blood, egg yolks, pork liver, soybeans, sesame seeds, black fungus, and red dates. Kelp and laver promote thyroid hormone secretion, which generates heat.Thyroxine, a hormone secreted by the thyroid gland, accelerates oxidation in many tissues and cells, boosting the body's heat production capacity. This enhances basal metabolic rate, accelerates skin blood circulation, and improves cold resistance. Iodine-rich foods promote thyroxine secretion. Examples include kelp, laver, seaweed, jellyfish, spinach, Chinese cabbage, and corn.Animal liver and carrots can enhance cold resistance. Cold climates significantly alter vitamin metabolism in the human body. Increasing intake of vitamins A and C can strengthen cold tolerance and adaptability while providing beneficial protection for blood vessels.
Common foods like sesame seeds and sunflower seeds also provide essential cold-resistance elements. Cold weather increases the body's demand for methionine. Through transmethylation, methionine supplies methyl groups crucial for cold adaptation. Thus, winter diets should include more sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and vegetables.