What is the ideal amount of typical winter foods to consume without suffering negative consequences? It is a typical question on cold and rainy days, especially in more centralized regions.
Although it is traditionally thought that In winter we need more calorie intake, this is not true, since we are not in such direct contact with the cold. However, our typical preparations vary from season to season, mainly in the center of Chile where the Mediterranean climate predominates, with a dry summer and a rainier winter, a reality that predominates less in the south of the country, where the rains start at March, which delivers different foods depending on the season.
But, although there are no recommendations in our Food Guides for Chile, from the Ministry of Health about some specific preparations, we can make some general recommendations during the rainy months, in which we can incorporate daily at least one of the following preparations of our traditional Chilean dishes such as:
1. Beef casseroles.
2. Poultry or turkey casseroles (depending on the region).
3. Carbonades.
4. Valdivian.
5. Ajiaco.
6. Pantrucas.
7. Caldillos of different fish.
8. Legumes.
These meals not only provide flavors from childhood, but also incorporate foods such as vegetables, potatoes, cereals and a moderate amount of poultry and meat, all ingredients present in our country and which favors the purchase of local foods.
On the other hand, many of them contain a lot of liquid, so which helps with hydration during the winter.
Incorporating these dishes daily will not only maintain a balanced diet, but which will be lower cost, since they contain seasonal foods, favoring the farmers of our regions.
In the case of higher calorie foods, which are also associated with winter, especially rainy days, such as:
- Sopaipillas.
- Past soups.
- Picarones.
- Birdies.
- Schoolboys.
- Kuchen.
- Milk desserts.
They can be enjoyed with moderate consumption 1 or 2 units, or 1 regular serving in the case of adults. Remember that these preparations are designed for enjoyment with family and friends, and not for “surviving” during the winter. These traditional preparations can be part of a healthy diet, since their consumption is occasional, and it is not necessary to “massacre” a sopaipilla, transforming it into a “healthy sopaipilla” by adding whole wheat flour and baking it in the oven, in which case eat whole wheat bread.
If the consumption of traditional preparations and sweets or foods consumed on rainy days is sporadic, there will be no consequences such as weight gain, body fat or a spike in cholesterol.
*Samuel Durán Agüero, PhD, MSc. Nutrition and Food. Academic Researcher and director Master of Nutrition in Public Health at the San Sebastian University.
