Winter fat
Winter bacon generally describes the build-up of fat tissue in order to survive the limited food supply in winter. This occurs in both animals and humans.
Wildlife
Animals cannot find food in winter , or foraging is made difficult by snow and ice and a lack of food. In order to survive this time, there are different strategies of wintering , a common one is weight gain before a lack of food, often combined with hibernation .
People
In pre-industrial times, especially in the Middle Ages and in the time before, people lived in a much greater dependence on the seasons. In summer and autumn, because of harvests, people had more food available than in winter and spring. This greater food supply was increased by the animals slaughtered in autumn, because the farmers were not always able to feed the cattle over the winter. Martin's goose and Christmas goose are well-known as they were the last opportunity for many families to eat their fill before winter .
Even today, people still put on winter fat: both because of a lack of exercise in the cooler and more humid weather from autumn onwards, as well as more high-calorie food, people still gain weight both before and in winter. The Christmas season with large traditional feasts on several consecutive days contributes to weight gain. The term Christmas bacon is also used as a joke .
In addition, many people suffer from depression , especially in autumn , which is also caused by a lack of light in the gray autumn. They then tend to eat more, especially chocolate and other high-calorie foods. In addition, physical activities are limited in winter due to the temperatures.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Winter depression and winter fat. In: Spiegel Online accessed on February 5, 2013 ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Winter bacon and fur coat - South Tyrol Museum of Nature. In: naturmuseum.it. Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Winter bacon : be careful, fat and sugar traps! In: vigo.de. December 15, 2014, accessed March 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Winter fat : the cold makes you hungry. In: Focus Online . December 21, 2005, accessed on March 3, 2019 (from: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition).
