To think cold food is just as nutritious and filling as hot?

[TropicofCapricorn]

People seem to think that hot food for meals is inherently better than cold?

If I served my daughter cold chicken pesto pasta and some salad for dinner, some people look at me "aren't you giving her a proper meal?". Bit of id given her the pasta hit and with peas or something, they wouldn't bat an eyelid.

You see it on MN too, somehow people think a hot meal is more filling?

Is there any truth in that?

I'm of the opinion a cheese sandwich is the same nutritionally and as filling as a cheese toastie.

Well I have porridge for breakfast and I really appreciate the warmth of that to start the day.
However I very rarely cook anything else during the rest of the day. I usually have a bowl of salad with nuts and dried fruit and cheese in it for my evening meal. I try and vary what I put in them. I really enjoy my salads.

Somehow eating food hot satisfies me more than the same food served cold. Especially in colder weather.

It doesn't mean that cold food isn't "proper food" though.

Psychologically, I think it's more satisfying. It lets you know you're somewhere with warmth and comfort and the time and energy to prepare a hot meal. So people "feel" more fed, even if the nutritional content is the same.

I imagine it's because warm food actually warms the body and and a cold body temperature is not particularly healthy

For me it depends on the weather, the food you gave DC is nutritious but when it’s winter hot food is better. If you and your DC prefer food cold or room temperature it’s okay. Don’t bother listening to people judging.

But why is hot food better in the winter?

How much do you think warm food will raise your internal body temperature by? And why would it be low in the first place?

Also, the food is all surely, pretty much the same temperature by the time you start digestion?

I would have been lightheaded or just fainted entirely by lunchtime! A porridge and a salad for 24 hours.

Nutrition-wise, cold food may be far more nutritious, as the nutrients aren’t cooked off. I think the idea that hot food is more nourishing arises mostly from the (not necessarily true) assumption that hot food has required cooking, therefore is more likely to have been cooked from scratch, whereas cold food might just be a sandwich. But obviously a salad with a source of protein, seeds, with a dressing of fresh ingredients, or crudités and a good hummus will be more nutritious than a Happy Meal or a CuppaSoup.

It's not just about nutrition, it's also about satiation, flavour, and enjoyment. Really tasting the smells and textures as they are meant to be enjoyed. Hot food brings out all of that, depending on what you have cooked. Why subject anyone to fridge cold pasta?

I feel the need for at least one hot meal a day in winter. I assume it's purely psychological though. I don't see how you'd suffer physically only eating cold food if it's sufficient and a balanced diet.

In TCM and Ayurveda, cold food is demanding to digestive ability and cumulatively undermines health.

YANBU …. However I just don’t feel satisfied with cold food for lunch or dinner … lunch in summer ok but in winter I need hot food for lunch and dinner or I’m heading to the chocolate and lollies

Same tbh!

The UK is more usually, cold! Give me a hot meal for my dinner over cold straight-from-the-fridge pasta, any day. I don't mind a bit of salad for my tea, but prefer it if it has something warm to go with it.

Does it?

Personally, I’d rarely choose cold food because I just don’t enjoy it the same—unless it’s ice cream!

Even in summer, I’d be fine with a salad or sandwich for lunch but I don’t feel fully satisfied by cold food. I’d even prefer a hot sandwich over a cold one. I’m not sure why, it’s just preference. If I was to have a partly cold lunch or dinner (e.g. cold meat and salad/pickles) I’d still want hot new potatoes with it.

My response wasn't an attempt to be scientific hence the two words that I started with.

I stand by the my belief that in January a cup of coffee is going to make my body feel warmer than a cold can of Coke out of the fridge

I love cold food.
Apart from soup I never heat up leftovers. I just take them into work in a tub and eat them cold.

So you feel the need for hot food, prefer it and are driven to snacking if you don’t have it, but are asking if you should feed your DC hot meals? I’m confused

If I served my daughter cold chicken pesto pasta and some salad for dinner, some people look at me "aren't you giving her a proper meal?"

Who is looking at you like that?

Just ignore them.

I eat cold food all year round. I hate cooking and I'd rather just get some nutritious food on my plate which takes 5 minutes and makes less mess. I eat the same things every day, all year round with some mild variations. I don't really like cooked meals anymore. If I want to warm up, I'll have a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

I only have a hot meal once a week. The rest of the time, I eat a variety of salads, sandwiches, overnight oats and stuff like that. It’s a balanced, healthy, nutritious diet. If your child is happy and healthy, you’re doing just fine.

No. I wouldn’t want to eat cold food for dinner on a regular basis.

I don’t know. I’m just doing a FYI!