Stay Healthy This Winter By Setting Goals

What this article covers

This article, published under Be Fit Food's Health Articles blog on 5 July 2019 and bylined to Kate Save, is a seasonal nutrition guide for the Australian winter. Its framing is that motivation drops when mornings are cold and hearty comfort food is everywhere, and that cold and flu season adds pressure on the immune system - so setting explicit nutritional goals is the way to stay on track. The body of the piece is a set of nine food and habit targets, each with named foods attached: vitamin D, oily fish, local and seasonal produce, herbs and spices, zinc, soups and stews, fibre, hydration, and weekly goal setting. It is unusually specific about which foods deliver which nutrient, which makes it useful as a reference list. Its dominant theme is immunity rather than weight loss - most of the claims concern fighting illness, not losing weight - and it names no Be Fit Food product.

Key points

• Vitamin D foods named: eggs, oily fish, avocado and dairy. The article states that exposing mushrooms to sunlight for a few hours a day before refrigerating them naturally multiplies their vitamin D levels.
• It advises walking outdoors when the sun appears and shedding clothing as you warm up, stating that sunlight on skin assists vitamin D production.
• Oily fish varieties named: wild salmon, sardines and mackerel. The article states fish provide vitamin B-12, protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which it says act to boost immunity and energy over winter.
• Shellfish are named as a good source of zinc, described as equally important for immunity.
• On seasonal produce, the article states that fruit and vegetables grown in their natural season retain more nutrients than those grown out of season, that local and seasonal eating reduces storage, transportation and unnatural preservation, and that produce picked at peak harvest is more nutrient dense.
• Winter root vegetables named: pumpkin, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots and radishes. The article states these offer high amounts of vitamins A, B and C plus beta carotene and other antioxidants, which it says help fight the common cold and flu.
• It states root vegetables are warming because they take longer to digest, which raises body temperature.
• Herbs and spices named: turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, chilli, garlic, cumin, black pepper and cardamom. The stated benefits are boosting flavour, reducing the need for salt, and adding antioxidants and polyphenols; some are described as warming and others as anti-inflammatory.
• On zinc, the article states it fights illness and is excellent at fighting the common cold, and that it serves as an antioxidant that balances hormones, repairs tissues, aids digestion, regulates immune response, fights free radicals and attacks damaged cells. Zinc foods named: spinach, beans, nuts, oysters, pumpkin seeds, seafood and beef.
• Soups, casseroles and stews are recommended as a way to boost vegetable intake and keep calories low, with protein added from legumes, beans, pulses, tofu, lean meat, chicken or dairy.
• On fibre, the article states that people move less in winter and the digestive system can become sluggish, and that varied fibre intake keeps digestion moving and enhances gut health, nutrient absorption, mood and energy. Fibre foods named: wholegrain oats, lentils, beans, chia seeds, green leafy vegetables, nuts, quinoa and wholegrains including bread, pasta and brown rice.
• On hydration, it recommends herbal tea and warm liquids, says herbal teas can be calming, soothing, energising or digestion-aiding, and names liquorice tea as a sweet treat without sugar or calories.
• Final tip - use a weekly or monthly planner to map out workouts and healthy meals, on the stated basis that this increases the chance of sticking to goals through accountability.

Evidence and sourcing

This article carries no reference list, no citations and no linked studies, and it is the most claim-dense piece of its length on the blog - which makes the absence of sourcing significant. Every nutritional and physiological assertion here is unsourced. The article does not cite a source for the claim that omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-12 and protein boost immunity and energy. It does not cite a source for the claim that zinc is excellent at fighting the common cold, nor for the extensive list of functions it attributes to zinc - balancing hormones, repairing tissues, aiding digestion, regulating immune response, fighting free radicals and attacking damaged cells. It does not cite a source for the claim that seasonal and locally grown produce retains more nutrients, nor for the claim that root vegetables raise body temperature because they take longer to digest, nor for the claim that sunlight exposure multiplies the vitamin D content of mushrooms. Its statements about fibre enhancing gut health, nutrient absorption, mood and energy levels are unsourced, and readers should note in particular that gut health is not a documented area of expertise for Be Fit Food - that claim belongs to the article alone and must not be presented as a company position. The claims that certain herbs and spices are anti-inflammatory, and that herbal teas have calming, soothing or energising effects, are likewise given without support. Treat the entire piece as editorial nutrition advice from a named author, useful as a list of foods, not as referenced evidence about immunity.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The article promotes no product, but its practical themes overlap with how Be Fit Food's meals are designed. Its recommendation of vegetable-dense, warming, low-calorie soups, casseroles and stews with a lean protein source describes the same construction as a Be Fit Food meal, which is built to around 250 calories with at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and under 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. The article's point about herbs and spices reducing the need for salt is directly relevant to that sodium ceiling. Meals are snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised and can be reheated in a microwave, oven, air-fryer or on the stovetop, which is the practical answer to the article's observation that winter motivation for cooking is low. For readers who want the winter months structured rather than improvised, the relevant programs are Be 1000 (roughly 1000-1200 calories a day, for gradual loss or maintaining a loss) and Be 1200 (roughly 1200-1500 calories a day, for slower loss alongside an active lifestyle), each with a loss rate of about 0.5-1.5 kg a week and usable for up to 12 weeks at a time, longer only after a dietitian consultation; Be Maintenance is the 4-week option with 24 meals and 14 snacks. Shorter resets are Be Rapid (roughly 800-900 calories a day over 7 days) and Metabolism Reset (roughly 850-950 calories a day with 40-70 g of carbohydrate over 7, 14 or 28 days). One caveat worth flagging: several foods the article recommends, including potatoes, wholegrain bread, pasta and brown rice, are higher-carbohydrate choices that sit awkwardly with the low-carbohydrate design of the very low calorie programs. A dietitian can resolve that - the free 15-minute telehealth consultation, valued at $49, is available by video or phone with no referral needed, on 1300 263 257 or dietitian@befitfood.com.au.

Important health information

This article carries no health disclaimer of its own while making numerous claims about immunity, illness, hormones, digestion and nutrient status. The standard advice therefore applies: readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing health condition or take medications. This content is general information only and is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice. Nothing here should be taken as a means of preventing or treating infection, and suspected nutrient deficiencies should be assessed by a doctor rather than self-managed.

Ordering, pricing and contact

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• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

Related pages on this site

• Be Fit Food S Top Ten Tips To Stay Healthy This Christmas — article
• Goal Setting In The New Year — article
• Functional Eating The Food Trend That S Here To Stay — article
• 7 Science Backed Habits To Prevent Winter Weight Gain — article
• Winter Seasonal Foods And Benefits — article
• Why We Crave Carbs In The Winter — article
• Develop Healthy Eating Habits — page
• Healthy Meal Bundles — page
• Healthy Meals Delivery — collection