When I first started off on the raw food journey, most of my meals were eaten straight from the fridge. As a result, I felt cold pretty easily.

In Singapore’s humid weather, it is almost impossible to store any fruits and vegetables in the open for long. Everything from the shopping trip has to be loaded into the fridge to preserve freshness.

When I returned hungry and tired from work, it was so easy to just reach into the fridge for fruits. And even when I do prepare salads with vegetables, I made the mistake of eating them before they warmed up to room temperature.

Over-consumption of these cold foods require the body to generate more energy to keep us warm. Eating cold foods especially at night is not advisable, since our body temperature drops naturally during sleep.

Of course, the occasional indulgence in ice-cream and ice smoothies is okay, but not in excess, and definitely not before you go to bed.

1) Make Your Smoothies Room Temperature
If you are having a smoothie (green or not) at night, do not make it icy-cold. The greens usually adapt to room temperature faster after washing, but remove the fruits earlier to let them warm up.

Some people are not accustomed to having room temperature smoothies (especially green smoothies!), so if you are not a veteran green drinker, opt for other meal choices at night.

But the fact is, green smoothies at room temperatures can still be quite tasty - provided you get the servings correct and drink it immediately!

2) Include some Healthy Fats in the last meal of the day
Essential fatty acids are required for proper body functioning. Natural and healthful fats can be obtained from living foods like avocados, flax seeds, soaked nuts and seeds.

Throw in some diced avocados or a sprinkle of ground flax meal into that evening meal. This will help you to feel fuller and more satisfied, which also helps you to sleep better.

3) Ginger
If you are watching your fat intake, and wish to limit oil/nuts/seeds consumption, you can consider adding some ginger to your evening meal.

If you are preparing a salad dressing, grate some ginger into the sauce for a warming effect. If you are making just a large structured salad, simply throw in some thinly sliced ginger into the vegetables mixture.

4) Basil And Dill
These are 2 other warming herbs you can add into your evening meal. Basil leaves taste great with Italian flavored salads, while dill can easily be incorporated into any fruit smoothie.

You can either throw in a small handful of dill into your regular fruit smoothie, or substitute dill as the greens in making your usual green smoothie for a satisfying and warming meal!

5) Lifestyle
Our primary way to keep warm should always be exercising and keeping fit. Working out produces heat in the body which keeps us warm.

For those who are unable to exercise due to health reasons, try taking a warm bath at night before you sleep. Adding a tablespoon of grated ginger into your hot bath will do wonders in keeping you warm at night.

(C) Copyright 2008, Linda Loo

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