Experts recommend 9 must-eat warming foods and 3 key warm-up moves

Many people experience low body temperature in winter, leading to issues like fatigue and dull skin. Experts recommend consuming 9 warming foods to help maintain an ideal body temperature, along with 3 sets of exercises to promote blood circulation and effectively address cold hands and feet.

According to a report by Japanese media Women's Seven Plus, Japanese warmth expert Dr. Niina Ishihara states that the ideal temperature for maintaining health should be between 36.5°C and 37°C. However, in recent years, many people's normal body temperature is only around 35°C. When the body gets cold, blood circulation and metabolism slow down, leading to sluggish organ function, which in turn causes various discomforts such as stiff shoulders, chronic fatigue, and dull skin tone.

If body temperature can be raised by 1°C, it not only activates immune cells, increasing immunity by about 30%, but can also boost metabolic rate by about 13%. This is because a warmer body improves blood flow, making it easier to expel waste, thereby enhancing metabolism, helping to reduce swelling, making skin appear brighter, and aiding weight management. Improved blood circulation also alleviates shoulder and neck stiffness. The human body maintains temperature by burning energy obtained from food. Several experts particularly recommend the following 9 foods to help warm the body:

Warming Food 1: Ginger

The spicy component gingerol in raw ginger has a body-warming effect. When heated, it converts to shogaol, further enhancing the warming effect. It can be grated, thinly spread on cling film, and frozen for long-term storage and convenient use. The recommended daily intake is about 20 grams.

Warming Food 2: Spices

Spices like chives, garlic, spring onions, perilla leaves, onions, basil, coriander, and myoga ginger promote blood circulation and accelerate metabolism. They can usually be stored in the refrigerator, chopped, and added to miso soup or other soups.

Warming Food 3: Carrot Juice and Apple Juice

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, and apples contain polyphenols, both with antioxidant properties that help strengthen the immune system. If the temperature during preparation is kept below 56°C, vitamins can be fully preserved, and it's convenient for drinking anytime.

Warming Food 4: Lotus Root Soup

Add grated lotus root and a little salt to bancha (coarse tea) to make lotus root soup. Alternatively, add chopped Welsh onion and miso to hot water to make onion soup. Both soups are suitable for drinking in the early stages of a cold. In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, they are categorized as "warming and nourishing" (Yang) ingredients.

Warming Food 5: Fermented Foods

When intestinal function is good, blood circulation in internal organs also improves, thereby warming the entire body from the inside out. Fermented foods increase the number of beneficial gut bacteria, maintaining intestinal health. In daily diet, simply replacing salt with koji salt and soy sauce with koji soy sauce can easily combine intestinal health care with body warming.

Warming Food 6: Natural Salt

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, people with pale complexions and slim builds are often classified as having a "cold" (Yin) constitution. This type of constitution is prone to cold hands and feet and often lacks salt. Consuming natural salt rich in minerals helps warm the body and gradually improves the constitution.

Warming Food 7: Choose Dark-Colored Drinks

In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, dark-colored teas like oolong tea, black tea, and pu-erh tea are believed to have body-warming and nourishing effects. Additionally, rooibos tea, rich in superoxide dismutase (SOD), promotes blood circulation, while black bean tea containing isoflavones helps dilate blood vessels.

Warming Food 8: Dried Fruit

For snacks, choose warming "Yang" foods like dried fruit, and nuts and beans that promote blood circulation. Compared to Western desserts, Japanese sweets containing red bean paste are more suitable for body warming.

Warming Food 9: Root Vegetables, Lean Meat, Fish, and Black Foods

Red meat, fish, and shellfish are rich in heme iron, effectively warming the body. People with anemia are usually more prone to feeling cold, so it's recommended to consume more black foods such as black sesame seeds, seaweed, hijiki, and black beans. For vegetables, prioritize root vegetables, as they are more warming; conversely, leafy greens with high water content tend to make the body feel cooler.

3 Must-Do Warm-Up Moves to Promote Blood Circulation and Banish Cold Hands and Feet

The report cites experts stating that about 40% of the body's heat is generated by muscles. Therefore, exercising the large muscle groups in the lower body and around the shoulders through the following 3 movements can effectively raise body temperature:

Warm-Up Move 1: Stimulate the "Second Heart" – the Calves

The calves help pump blood throughout the body. Specific methods:

• Grasp both feet with your hands and massage from the ankles towards the knees to promote blood circulation and relieve swelling.
• Keep your back straight, bend the base of your toes, slowly raise and lower your feet, but do not let your heels touch the ground. Repeating this action strengthens calf muscles and improves blood circulation.

Warm-Up Move 2: Seated Thigh Muscle Exercise

Method:

• Sit lightly on a chair, interlock your hands behind your back. While raising your interlocked hands, draw your shoulder blades together. Keep your chest up and head high, relax your back and chest muscles to promote blood circulation.
• Keeping one ankle bent at 90 degrees, bend and extend the knee, letting the toes lightly touch the ground but not fully rest. Repeat 30 times, then switch legs. This action helps exercise the large muscle groups from the waist to the thighs.

Warm-Up Move 3: Flamingo Pose

Method:

• Stand on one leg for one minute, or use your hands against a wall for support. The load on both feet from this pose is equivalent to walking for 53 minutes.

Persistent Drop in Body Temperature Can Lead to Hypothermia: Severe Cases May Be Fatal

If body temperature continues to drop, it may lead to hypothermia! According to information from the Hong Kong Department of Health, hypothermia occurs when the human body's temperature drops to 35°C or below. Symptoms vary depending on the patient's age, degree of hypothermia, and duration. Initially, the patient feels cold, experiences uncontrollable shivering, has icy hands and feet, and superficial capillaries constrict. When the patient's temperature drops to around 32°C, they may become confused, speak incoherently, experience uncontrollable shivering, and exhibit irrational behaviors, such as removing clothing in the cold.

If not handled properly, allowing the patient's body temperature to continue dropping below 32°C, shivering may start to fluctuate in intensity until it stops. The body may huddle, muscles may become rigid, skin turns pale, pupils dilate, entering a frozen state, followed by death.