Food for beating the cold

When temperatures start dipping below freezing, the food you prepare can be a great way of recharging your battery and fighting the cold.
Here's a hearty approach to cooking capable of restoring both body and spirit and, although we will also be focusing on some of the lighter dishes in this robust type of cuisine, they too are still very healthy and nutritious.

◆ All The Energy of Pasta

According to tradition, there's nothing that equals a piping-hot broth with small egg pasta, or a rich consume enhanced with cloves and aromatic herbs, as surefire remedies for frigid winter temperatures.

For people who prefer sauces rather than broth with their pasta, we suggest Penne Rigate with mushrooms and bacon, a simple but energy-packed dish that works very well as a complete meal, especially if we want to keep things on the light side.

◆ Fruit and Vegetables, Precious Sources

Even during the winter we should always try to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, when possible opting for the winter varieties. And since this is the best time of year for enjoying cardoon, cabbage and turnips, we can have fun trying out all sorts of recipes featuring these ingredients (a valuable source of fiber), especially tasty in highly nutritional soups and side dishes.

When it comes to fruit, this is the best time to focus on kiwi and citrus fruit, inexhaustible sources of vitamins, which are especially crucial when working or playing outdoors this time of year and exposed to the risk of catching a cold.

For people who practice sports and are out in the sun even during the winter months, it is a good idea to eat plenty of yellow, orange, red and dark green vegetables, as they are brimming with natural antioxidant principles.

We advise, however, against drinking alcoholic beverages which, despite the illusory sense of immediate warmth that is provided, actually tend to accelerate the process of heat loss, causing the body's temperature to drop due to the way alcohol dilates blood vessels.