Good-for-you winter foods

Good-for-you winter foods

Eating the right winter foods will do you a whole lot of good. Discover which foods will help boost your immunity during this time of year.

If you’re looking to up your wellbeing game, then eating seasonally will help to offer the most bang for your nutritional buck. The cooler months offer a wealth of foods with amazing health properties, so whether you’re feeling a bit blah, need an immunity supercharge, a powerful cleanse from the inside out, or are desperate to find the solution to beating pesky cravings, there’s a food remedy to help. These are our top five picks to fill you up as the temperatures drop.

Cranberries

A Christmastime staple, cranberries are one of the best antioxidant foods that the cooler months have to offer. These little nuggets may be best known for fending off urinary tract infections thanks to the powerful bacteria-fighting tannins they contain, but they are also a key source of vitamin C which protects against premature ageing.

Apples

There’s a lot of truth in the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. They contain quercetin (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), an antioxidant which helps to keep the immune system healthy by dampening down inflammation. And remember not to skip the skin – it’s a great source of fibre which helps to keep the digestive tract functioning well.

Cinnamon

The scent of cinnamon is synonymous with winter, and this Christmas spice is probably most well known for its ability to balance out blood sugar levels. It does this by increasing the secretion of insulin from cells, which helps to minimise blood glucose peaks and troughs.

Parsnips

There’s nothing quite like cosying up with hearty comfort foods made from root vegetables like parsnip on a cold winter’s day. We love parsnips for their naturally sweet flavour which work just as well when roasted as when mashed and used as a topping for veggie shepherd’s pie. The knobbly root is also rich in blood pressure regulating potassium and skin-perfecting vitamins C and E.

Brussel sprouts

There’s so much to love about these little green morsels. Brussel sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable which offer good cleansing benefits. They contain sulfur compounds which activate special enzymes needed for detoxification. The are also rich in vitamin K which keeps blood healthy and immunity-preserving vitamin C.

For more…

Nip the winter blues in the bud with these top tips.

Need a helping hand this time of year? Here are 5 of the best health shots out there.