Staying healthy can be a challenge in the winter. As the days get colder and shorter, people stay indoors more, exercise less, and indulge in unhealthy treats during the holidays.
When all of these factors combine, it can be easy to slip into bad habits. However, as an aspiring nutritionist, you can help clients avoid some of the common pitfalls of the season, and stay on track to achieve their goals. Keep reading for a few helpful tips that will keep your clients’ health from being left out in the cold during the winter months.
1. Advise Clients to Opt for In-Season Fruit and Vegetables
It is quite common for people to consume fewer fruits and vegetables in the winter. While most produce is available at grocery stores all year round, the quality of out-of-season fruits and vegetables tends to go down during the winter, while prices go up.
To keep their clients’ diets healthy, cheap, and tasty, graduates of top nutrition and health programs will often incorporate in-season produce such as pomegranates, cranberries, winter squash, and root vegetables into nutritional plans. This ensures that clients can continue to enjoy fresh, delicious meals throughout the season, and helps encourage them to keep their fruit and vegetable intake up.
2. Grads of Nutrition Diploma Programs Help Clients Eat for Immunity During Winter
As the elements take their toll, colds and the flu can become a fact of life during the winter months. While there is no magic formula that can stop clients from getting sick, certain nutrient-rich foods can help boost the odds of staying healthy.
Broccoli and cauliflower, for instance, are rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, which are both vital to helping maintain a strong immune system. Nutritionists may also recommend that clients increase their intake of zinc, which can be found in poultry, eggs, milk, and unprocessed grains, to better stave off infections.
3. Ensure Clients Drink Enough Fluids in Winter After Your Certificate in Nutrition
One of the most overlooked but common nutritional pitfalls people fall into in colder weather is not drinking enough fluids. Cold weather diminishes the body’s natural thirst response by up to 40 per cent, which can lead to clients becoming dehydrated without even realizing it. This problem is especially common among athletes who participate in winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, or ice hockey.
Athletes can forget to drink enough fluids during the winter
As you will learn in your nutrition diploma program, proper hydration is crucial to maintaining health and fitness, so making sure that your clients drink plenty of fluids during the winter could be extremely important to staying healthy.
4. Healthy, Hot Foods and Fluids Are Ideal for Clients During the Winter
One of the reasons that clients tend to overeat in the winter is that the body’s temperature tends to drop in cold weather. Because food helps to warm up the body, clients tend to crave more of it when they are cold.
To mitigate this effect, it’s better to encourage them to opt for warm dishes, such as healthy soups and stews. Colder food and fluids will have a cooling effect on the body, meaning they will be less likely to satisfy your clients’ appetites.
Hot dishes like soup and stew are ideal for winter nutrition plans
5. Encourage Clients to Stay Positive About Their Health and Nutrition Goals During the Winter
Even with the best of intentions, it’s possible that your clients will let their diets slip a little during the winter. If this happens, it’s important for you to remain upbeat and positive. Reassure them that it is not the end of the world, and work with them to figure out ways to recover. The training you receive during your program will give you the knowledge to help them overcome their issues and bounce back from a temporary setback.
Do you want to help clients stay healthy during the winter and beyond?
Contact AAPS today to find out how to earn your certificate in nutrition!