Should you eat more when it's cold?

gratans, the souptartiflette, raclette, King cakesSoup… There are many hot dishes that comfort us in the winter and refresh us on the coldest days. But do we need to eat more calories? Cold resistance And be in good condition despite negative temperatures?

Natural increase in appetite

“During cold waves, the human body will seek to increase metabolism and fight heat loss.“, describes Dr. Faiza Busi, general practitioner and nutritionist.

“To increase your metabolism, your brain will send you a message indicating that you need to increase your appetite.“Hence the food. That's why we have it.”Increased hunger in cold weather“, confirms Dr. Bossi.

Match calorie needs and intake

“We must not forget that centuries ago, we had a tendency to stock up thanks to this increased appetite in winter.“, she remembers.

But be careful, today we are much more sedentary than our ancestors, so there is no need to build up large reserves like Neanderthals! “Make sure your calorie intake and needs are related to each other“If you spend your day sitting on your couch under a blanket, your needs obviously won't be the same as if you were hiking in the snow,” says Dr. Posey.

Maintain a balanced diet

If your appetite increases during cold weather, also be sure to maintain your nutrition A healthy and balanced diet. You can increase the amounts of food consumed, provided that you respect a good balance in the plate, which consists of a third of animal or vegetable proteins, preferably a third of whole starchy foods and a third of seasonal vegetables.

If you feel the need to take Snack In the morning or afternoon, don't throw yourself on a box of artificial muffins but choose fresh fruit, dairy products, dried fruits or even oil seeds like a handful of almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts.