Keeping well through the winter with FastTrack

7th May 2023

With winter approaching we thought we would let you in on some of our hot tips on how to stay well through winter! Winter often comes with sniffly noses, sore throats, often symptoms of the common cold virus. A cold is your body telling you to ‘slow down’ and too ‘look after yourself’.

The good news is! If you read everything below and think ‘I need to do more of those things’ , signing up to FastTrack can help you in the right direction and take some of the thinking away.

1.EAT IN SEASON PRODUCE

Eating fruit and vegetables that are in season means that they are readily available and are generally more nutrient dense compared to produce that isn’t season. With winter bugs lurking around our bodies can endure more stress, so it’s crucial to get an abundance of nutrients from your food! Buying in season can be cheaper too – so it’s a win win! All of our FastTrack recipes are in season too!

2. THE MIGHTY VITAMIN C

Eating a variety of fruit and vegetables helps keep our immune system strong and to fight against those nasty winter viruses. However, there is one vitamin in particular that helps the body in the defense against bacteria and viruses. It’s called Vitamin C. Fruits that are in season now and throughout winter, such as kiwifruit, oranges and mandarins are all rich in vitamin C. In FastTrack, we include a lot of these fruits within our smoothies and meals or encourage you to have them as snacks!

3. EAT MORE WARMING FOODS

Soups, curries and stews in the colder winter months are good for our digestive system as warm food is easier to digest and nutrients can be more easily absorbed within the gut. It also helps to warm you from the inside out and is a great way to get a lot of veges in one hit to keep you nourished. Eating ‘comforting’ foods can release a neurotransmitter which makes us happy as it stimulates our brain’s reward system! We have a lot of delicious veg curries and stews within the winter FastTrack season!

4. SPICE IT UP!

Hot-topic-image-keeping-well-in-winter.jpgYou know when you have something with spices in it, it can make you feel warm on the inside or for some people even sweat a bit..? That is because certain spices can increase circulation in the body and bring blood to the surface of the skin- this is a good thing!. Not only do these spices literally warm you, they can also help to improve your digestion and are very nutrient dense. It’s all about nutrients in winter! In FastTrack we absolutely love spices. You will see a lot of these spices throughout all of our recipes from ginger and turmeric in our curries, to cinnamon on our breakfasts and nutmeg in our smoothies

Some of the spices that we call ‘warming spices’ are:

  • Cinnamon
  • Cardamon
  • Turmeric
  • Ginger
  • Nutmeg
  • Cloves
  • Back pepper
  • Cayenne pepper


6. EAT MORE HEALTHY FATS

Have you noticed that your skin is starting to get dry now it is getting cooler? Well we are going to let you in on a secret which might save you some cash instead of buying expensive hydrating face moisturiser. Consuming healthy fats and oils provides your skin with the oils and moisture it needs to allow it to stay hydrated and not dry out. Within all of our FastTrack meals we make sure we include ‘good fats’ because along with being hydrating they are also very good at increasing the ‘good cholesterol HDL’ within the body which is a protective mechanism for the heart.

Below are some of the best ‘good fats’ that you can add into your diet:

  • Avocado
  • Olive oil
  • Flaxseed oil
  • Raw nuts and seeds
  • Tahini
  • Oily fish – such as mackerel, sardines and salmon


7. STAY HYDRATED

We know it can often be hard to drink more water throughout the winter months as we tend to not feel as thirsty when it’s cold. However, it is equally as important to make sure you stay hydrated over winter. If the body doesn’t stay hydrated, blood volume or the amount of blood circulating around your body can reduce.This can cause your heart to beat faster which can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. What can also happen is your body holds onto more sodium, which can cause your blood to thicken and make it harder to pump blood around your body. Overall putting more load and stress on the heart.

Water is also an important transporter of nutrients, aids digestion, helps to regulate your body temp and helps improve your overall energy levels. Therefore, you hopefully can now see why it’s important to stay hydrated. If you are struggling to drink cold water you could try increasing the amount of herbal tea you have or have a warm glass of water with a squeeze of lemon.

So, keep well and warm this winter whānau