Many people mistakenly believe that following a diet in winter is not beneficial at all, as one tends to feel more hungry given the cold and low temperature, causing storing up of body fat.

A nutrition specialist at the Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) has provided a number of advice to those wishing to reduce weight during the winter season.

Sara Darraqi, a nutrition specialist at PHCC’s Al Rayyan Health Center has said that it is necessary to reduce sugars in the winter season, as the appetite increases and there is a natural tendency to automatically eat more sweets, so one must rely on natural sugars such as fresh fruits, and eat low-sugar sweets, and stay away For high-fat, creamy desserts, as well as reduced sugar added to coffee and tea.

Darraqi also warned that many mistakenly believe that following a diet in the winter is not beneficial at all, as the individual accepts food greedily with cold and low temperature, which causes storing body fat, and stressed that it is possible to reach the ideal weight in the winter season by having strong will and choosing the appropriate diet.

The PHCC nutritionist advised people to rely on meals with complex carbohydrates, because firstly they are more beneficial to the body than simple carbohydrates, and secondly, they make us feel full for a longer period such as whole grains and pulses, and increase the amount of fiber in our daily meals, especially if the meal contains fat, so fiber has a magical effect in getting rid of Unhelpful excess fats in the meal and preventing them from being absorbed by the body.

Darraqi pointed out that consuming low-calorie warm drinks such as green tea, cinnamon and cumin helps the body feel warm, in addition to exercising and not responding to lethargy and the desire to sleep, this matter causes weight gain, so we recommend that we fill our time with sports, especially running in order to be able to lose weight, and at the same time we can maintain a constant body temperature.

The qualified nutrition specialist stressed the importance of dividing daily meals in order for the individual to overcome binge eating by dividing the meals into four or five daily meals distributed over the entire day, but with the same amount of food that you are used to eating and you will succeed in losing weight in the winter.

She added, “It is important to focus on foods rich in vitamin D, and to obtain foods that raise the level of this essential vitamin because the deficiency of this vitamin increases the accumulated fats in the body, and therefore we will suffer from difficulty in keeping our bodies from increase or decrease in weight.” 

And this vitamin in the winter is little, because it is also found in the sun's rays, and the sun often does not shine in the winter as well as in the summer, and we have to compensate for the lack of this vitamin from foods, Darraqi noted.

And she advised not to stop drinking water in large quantities, as many of us do not drink enough water with the winter season, and there are those who refrain from drinking water at all, and this is normal for our lack of thirst due to not producing a lot of sweat, as happens in the summer, but water is necessary. It is very important in the process of losing weight, as it contributes to the expulsion of excess salts from the body, works to clean the stomach and contributes to speeding up the metabolism process, and therefore we have to force ourselves to drink at least 2 liters of water a day even if we do not feel thirsty, and we can put water bottles are everywhere we get used to so we can always remind ourselves of them.

“Finally, do not to eat food before bed, noting that the worst habit that causes weight gain is eating and sleeping directly, because you do not allow the digestive system to burn excess waste from your food,” she concluded.