Seeking out vitamins in their natural form is an ongoing journey, even during winter. While finding seasonal and local fruits and vegetables can be challenging in some regions during this time, with the right approach, we believe that we can make the most of what’s available and reimagine familiar foods creatively.
Some simple guidelines for nutritious cooking during the wintertime:
- Stick to seasonal vegetables and root vegetables. These often include starchy options like pumpkins, turnips, beets, yams, and potatoes. To lower their glycemic index, cook them al dente to preserve their firmness and crunchiness. Another way to increase the healthy resistant starch content is to consume starchy vegetables when they are chilled rather than hot. It’s proven that following this simple advice can make a significant difference when aiming for a healthier choice.
- Frozen goods are also a harvest. If homemade preservation is not an option, store-bought options work just as well. These vegetables are preserved at their peak ripeness and quickly frozen, thus retaining some benefits. Our top frozen picks for winter include organic broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and berries.
With this approach, be mindful of the “Dirty Dozen” – products more likely to be contaminated with pesticides due to their scale and cultivation methods. In 2024, these included strawberries, spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, apples, bell peppers, hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, and green beans. - The right time to delve into the world of wild fermentation! While sauerkraut is well-known for providing vitamin C and prebiotics for gut health, let’s expand our options. Kimchi, fermented beets or carrots, cauliflower, apples, and many more offer endless opportunities for experimentation.
- Harness the power of sprouts. Microgreens are incredibly easy to grow on your windowsill in just a week. Their benefits in terms of vitamin and micronutrient content far exceed those of their adult counterparts several times over, and their antioxidant activity is tens and hundreds of times higher.
Winter Bowl Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Hummus. Simply blend tahini and roasted pumpkin in a blender. Adjust the consistency with water, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Quick patties made of mung beans and sweet potatoes. Start with the standard formula for plant-based burgers and improvise. The result is a quality source of plant protein.
- Chips made from turnips and kale. You can simply use a vegetable peeler to create thin slices and roast them in the oven. Alternatively, you can use a dehydrator to dry these chips. What you’ll end up with are delicious, crunchy snacks rich in long-lasting carbohydrates and fiber.
- Food for the microbiome. Add a portion of sauerkraut or any other naturally fermented veggies. Our absolute favourite is Sauerkraut with pineapple, ginger, lime, and turmeric.
- A true iodine treasure trove. Create an easy salad by tossing together wakame seaweed, kelp noodles, green beans, and Brussels sprouts.
- Elevate it to an ultimate superfood bowl! Just add a tablespoon of wheat germ oil on top, fulfilling your daily requirement for vitamin E!
This iodine pre- and probiotics-packed bowl is a goldmine of micronutrients!
- You get a great boost of vitamin C from turnips, sauerkraut, sweet potatoes, and kale.
- The salad with wakame and kelp brings a ton of iodine to the table.
- You’re scoring big on B-group vitamins, beta-carotene, calcium, zinc, potassium, and phosphorus.
- And you are getting the whole array of phytonutrients with this bowl: glucoraphanin (turnips), carotenoids (sweet potatoes and pumpkin), phytosterols and sesamin (sesame), lutein and chlorophyll (kale), and sulforaphane and indoles (cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts).
The best thing? Loading up your meals with these nutrients not only gives you antioxidant power but also fights aging, helps prevent cancer, and keeps your heart happy. And it tastes SO great!