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7 Foods That Will Warm You Right Up, According To Science
Winter is here, and baby, it's cold outside. Keeping warm when temperatures drop means grabbing jackets, gloves, and scarfs to swaddle your body as you brave the outdoors. Sure, wrapping yourself in all these layers helps to protect you from the elements, but what if I told you what you snack and sip on throughout the day could warm you from the inside out? It turns out that eating certain foods warm you right up, but you don't have to take my word for it — it's science.
The process is called diet-induced thermogenesis and, for those of us who aren't scientists, that means eating foods that contain certain compounds which raise the body's temperature. Thanks to a small group of foods, staying warm never tasted so good. Simply noshing on items that have thermogenic properties will temporarily heat up your body, resulting in greater warmth as well as a helping to boost immunity. It's nature's two for one.
As Science Daily reported, just like a fever helps to fight off a cold, having an elevated body temperature kicks up the potency of immune cells. This extra perk is especially welcomed in the winter months, when germs and viruses are keeping cozy on every doorknob you touch.
Staying warm and healthy may be as simple as what you stir into your next meal, and eating these seven foods that will warm you right up is the perfect place to start.
1Ginger
An favorite go-to for nausea and morning sickness, ginger is earning more accolades with it's body warming potential. As the National Center For Biotechnology Information found, ginger's thermogenic powers also help people feel full longer after eating it. When it comes to power roots, ginger is ruling the scene.
2Tumeric
Fans of curry rejoice! Turmeric, which gives curry it's yellow color, does more than just make a bowl of veggies and rice delicious. As Today reported, eating foods with turmeric has many health benefits, aside from just staying warmed up. It also helps with digestive issues and could possibly increase memory. As if you needed another reason to grab a bowl of curry.
3Green Tea
Good news for caffeinated drink lovers. According to Reader's Digest, you can thank the caffeine in green tea for helping to heat you up. The caffeine works together with catchins — an antioxident flavinoid — to give you that toasty feeling inside. Don't dig on hot tea? No problem, try a treat flavored with green tea, or matcha, for the same effect.
4Whole Grains
Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal are just winter comfort foods, they also get your motor running and help you burn calories. As Health reported, your body works hard to break these grains down — and the harder your body is working in the digestion process, the more your core temperature is staying up.
5Hot Peppers
Spicy peppers, such as cayenne, not only kick up flavor, but warm up your insides as well. No matter if they're dried, cooked, powdered, or raw — the ingredient capsacian is what gives peppers thermogenic powers.
6Cinnamon
Not only is it the best part of a snickernoodle, butNatural News reports that cinnamon will keep you feeling toasty long after you sprinkle some on your favorite treat.
7Coconut Oil
According to Wellness Today, a website run by the Institute For Integrative Nutrition, coconut oil helps to increase your core temperature by turning all those healthy fats into energy. The more the body works to digest the foods you eat, the better it is for keeping your temperature up.
Images: Daxiao Productions/Fotolia; Dwight Sipler, Carol Mitchell, Alpha, Bobbi Bowers, James Diedrick, trophygeek, Alex Juel/Flickr
