Here’s all you need to know about 5 rich food items of oncoming chilly winters. Where winters comes with a new wardrobe for us and off course with a high Electricity Bill, it also restyles our food choices and routine. No one wants to just rely on a wheat chapati any longer, rather warm foods rich in nutrition are preferred by people.
Pakistan is blessed to have four seasons annually. Talking about winters, cold breezes blow during freezing months of winters together with rain sometimes. In northern areas of Pakistan, there’s snow fall in midwinters which is the best part about winter season in Pakistan. People living in cities in hotter areas get a chance to enjoy snow and hailstorm in northern areas with a complete package of natural scenes which give us a feel of ‘Heaven on Earth’. We can observe nature at its best in peaky cold weather in our northern areas.
Winter is slowly and gradually making its way all around. In northern areas, people have already started to endure winters. Winter season comes with the rich food that can be enjoyed in the chilly cold weather that also help us to keep ourselves warm and heartfelt. Winters are not only about heavy and thick clothes, cracked heels and chapped lips in fact winters are the best time to boost our immune systems. Warm foods like fish fries, French fries, potatoes and chicken are common food alternatives for majority of us in wintertime.
Dry Fruits:
It has become a tradition in Pakistan that people enjoy chilly breeze of winters with dry fruit items. Good thing about dry fruits is that you can store them for a long period of time. Dry fruits can be super delicious for you during winters, so you really need to retreat your taste buds with dry fruits in your snack time! A variety of dry fruits like almonds, peanuts and almonds etc., are considered as heat inducing dried fruit items during winters because they contain Vitamins and Omega 3 fatty acids. If you have visited northern areas of Pakistan you might have taken notice of big bazaars of dry fruits where exporters are selling a variety of dry fruits including pistachio, prunes, walnuts, apricot, almonds, raisins, peanuts etc. and we are sure that you won’t resist yourself buying packaging bags of nuts on your way back. How about some toasty warm peanuts while watching your favorite movie on Saturdays!
Fried Fish:
Something which can be more chilling than just dried nuts is no more than dried fish. All you need is to add your flavor of spices. Fried fish is mostly available at all local restaurants during winters. Fish is a complete package of energy as fish is the great source of iron, proteins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids and it’s rich in potassium, calcium, iodine and phosphorus as well which makes it a balanced food item. It’s almost impossible to hold yourself from eating fried fish along seaside or on the road side restaurants.
Gaajar ka Halwa:
If you’re going to attend a wedding in December, I’m sure you will have Gaajar ka halwa in dessert list. Gaajar ka halwa can be an appetizing winter delicacy for your weekend’s dinning buffets. It’s topped with khoya and nuts which makes it appealing to those who love nuts. Gaajar ka halwa is among the traditional puddings of Pakistan.
Soup:
A basic vegetable or chicken soup is essential for the stomach in supercilious season like midwinters. There are different kinds of soups varying from sweet corn, vegetable to chicken and meaty one. It contains all basic nutrients and will help you get away from sore throats and flus during winters also. If you don’t want to cook at home, how about having your favorite soup at any Chinese restaurant in your town.
Kashmiri Chai:
We call it ‘Gulabi Chai’ (Pink tea). Well you don’t need to go to Kashmir to have your cup of Kashmiri chai. Kashmiri chai is available at majority of food places in Pakistan during winter months. This classic beverage is also served in auspicious events like weddings, dinners etc. Or you can have it from a local tea stall as well. Pink tea is made with unique tea leaves, salt, baking soda and cream and for its final touch its garnishing is done by nuts which make pink team festive.
Where winters bring us with lots of fun and enjoyment, we also need to ensure few safety measures related to our diet and health. Smog can be harmful to one’s health during winters so it’s better to quit running and outdoor exercises during smoggy days. One should take care of the matter that it could be harmful to eat more in winters because eating more will affect our digestive systems as it becomes difficult to digest more food and one may suffer from stomach issues. So, it is better to eat nutritious food which are rich in diet. We don’t drink much water during winters reason being we don’t feel as much thirsty as in summers, but that really doesn’t mean that our body doesn’t need water anymore, we should drink at least 5 to 6 glasses water a day. Our body needs water for its metabolic functioning and in case we’re not taking adequate amount of water in winters it will slower down the process of metabolism. So, one should avoid dehydration in cold or if you cannot drink much water then try to find alternative ways to fulfill your body’s requirements for water like eat fruits which have water in it like oranges and pomegranates will keep your immune system strong and our body needs of water will also be fulfilled.