Winter

Comfort Food

Without the Crash: How to Build Energy-Sustaining Plates

Quick Summary

As soon as the winter season arrives, the body starts craving fried food, sugary sweets, and other items that can boost serotonin (which lowers with a lack of sunlight), provide extra energy (required to keep the body warm), and satisfy the evolutionary instinct to build up fat reserves for survival. However, while it’s always a good decision to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables, the wrong combination of items can bring short-lived comfort. To enjoy winter comfort food without the crash, build energy-sustaining plates. Read ahead to know what that includes.   

Deep Dive

There’s a reason why certain dishes make an appearance during the winter season. It’s not just seasonal availability. It’s ancient wisdom trapped in stir-fries, curries, desserts, and snacks — all created to keep you energetic. However, while the dishes have crossed generations, the logic behind them has been lost for many. Building an energy-sustaining plate isn’t just about bringing different items together. It’s about creating a balance that ensures good food is not followed by an energy crash. To know more about this, you need to understand the ingredients in-season, the spices that leave a warming impact, and other cooking ingredients that can generate warmth and comfort. 

Indian Winter Vegetables & Comfort Food

Winter Vegetables

Winter is the unofficial green flag of Indian ingredients, because leafy greens take centre stage during the colder months. Spinach and fenugreek feature in curries, stir-fries, and even flatbreads, along with root vegetables such as carrots, beetroot, and radish, and other vegetables like cauliflower, peas, and sweet potatoes. Sweet potato is actually a favoured choice for a street-side snack, where boiled sweet potatoes are topped with chaat masala and served fresh. 

Comfort Food

Indian winter comfort foods include hearty dishes like sarson ka saag with makki ki roti, gajar ka halwa, and thukpa, as well as warm soups and stews such as rasam, khichdi, and undhiyu. These dishes are often made with seasonal root vegetables and other warming ingredients like mustard greens, ginger, garlic, and ghee, and vary regionally across the country. And when it comes to sweets, gajar ka halwa (made from carrots), pinni and aate ke laddu (made from whole wheat flour), and til pitha (made from sesame seeds and jaggery) are common. 

How To Create Balanced Meals

It’s not enough to know which items are available. It’s also important to select the right ingredients. The ground rule is to avoid refined carbs and sugar and practice portion control. Here are other things to keep in mind: 

• Prioritise proteins: Proteins are harder to digest compared to carbs and fats. Thus, the body works more to process proteins, generating extra heat that keeps you warm. Not to mention proteins boost immunity and satiety. Thus, add lean meats, fish, eggs, cottage cheese and legumes to your diet. 

• Choose complex carbohydrates: No one is saying stay away from carbs, especially when your body is instinctively craving their comfort. However, the type of carb is what makes all the difference. Opt for whole grains like oats, quinoa, brown rice, or farro, which digest slowly and provide steady energy. 

• Get in-season on your plate: Similar to carbs, choosing the right vegetables can also make a difference. Non-starchy vegetables are high in fibre and nutrients (like iron in spinach) but low in carbs and calories, especially in-season options like squash, carrots, and leafy greens. Roasting them can enhance their flavour. Non-starchy vegetables like broccoli and spinach also aid digestion, boost immunity, and, importantly, provide comfort without leading to a crash. 

• Add nuts and seeds: Why do Indian parents, across regions, pack in nuts and seeds to carry to schools, colleges, or even offices? It’s not just mother’s love or father’s concern on display. It’s because nuts and seeds offer sustained energy and can be a great snack. It’s also why they’re added to desserts like laddus and halwa. 

• Change basic ingredients – healthy fats and spices: The basic cooking ingredients chosen to make a dish also change in winter. For a sustaining plate, cook your dishes in healthy fats like avocado oil. Also, use spices like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and pepper to add flavour while potentially boosting your metabolism.

In addition to these, add warm drinks to your meals, dips like hummus to your snack platter, and swap out refined sugary sweets with fruits and dates, which are naturally sweet and low-calorie.  

Winter Dishes To Try

Still confused about which dishes to try? Then here’s a quick list of meals to try as is, or adapt to a winter-friendly version. 

Hearty, warm meals

• Soups and stews: Opt for broth-based soups or stews made with lean protein, beans, and lots of vegetables like carrots, spinach, and potatoes. Try a minestrone or a white bean soup.

• Roasted vegetables: Roast winter vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash, and Brussels sprouts to bring out their natural sweetness.

• Chilli: A chilli with lean ground meat or a vegetarian version using beans and lentils provides warmth and fibre.

• Nourish bowls: Create a warm nourish bowl with a base of quinoa or brown rice, roasted seasonal vegetables, and a lean protein like chicken or chickpeas. 

Smarter versions of classics

• Shepherd's pie: Top a lentil or meat-based filling with mashed cauliflower or a sweet potato and cauliflower blend instead of just mashed potatoes.

• Lasagna: Make a vegetable lasagna packed with veggies, or try a skillet lasagna for a simpler preparation.

• Pasta: Switch to lentil- or chickpea-based pasta and serve with a hearty vegetable sauce rather than a heavy, creamy one. 

Soulfood for the Winter

Winter does not mean loading up on carbs or giving up on comfort food. All it needs is a little extra attention to the cooking ingredients, the recommended pairings, and the perfect sides to enjoy meals that uplift spirits and warm the souls. After all, few things match the creamy, rich perfection of broths, curries, and gooey desserts like traditional winter dishes in India.