What food in the winter period will help maintain health?
In winter, because of the cold, our food consists of more high-calorie, warm food. So that the deficiency of healthy vegetables and fruits does not affect the immune system, it is important to know which food grown in late autumn and winter should be consumed.
Keeping your body healthy is a mandatory thing at any age. Eating healthy food is also important. Using an online age calculator you can easily calculate the age of a person.
Winter avitaminosis
In winter, the human body is deprived of a large number of vitamins. The onset of cold weather and a decrease in daylight hours causes a seasonal deficiency of some important substances in the body. For example, a decrease in magnesium levels is accompanied by a dull mood, sleep disturbance, and increased emotionality, and a vitamin D deficiency is accompanied by a loss of stress resistance, a slowdown in the immune response, and weight gain.
Frost acts aggressively on the skin and hair, severely drying them out. The sharp contrast between indoor and outdoor temperatures causes the skin to quickly lose moisture, leading to irritation.
Eating winter products grown in the late autumn and winter periods and therefore retaining a greater amount of nutrients, can support your immunity, and provide the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals.
Seasonal Food That Will Benefit Your Health
As in summer, in winter you also need to adhere to the rule – 500 grams of vegetables and fruits per day.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut improves digestion, strengthens bones, the immune system, and lowers blood cholesterol levels because it contains a storehouse of useful substances: vitamins of groups K, C, and B, as well as copper, zinc, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, boron, and silicon. If you add olive oil, red onion to sauerkraut, then vitamins A and E will also be added.
When choosing cabbage, you should give preference to one that is cooked at home with less salt and no sugar.
Pumpkin
Winter pumpkin varieties are especially beneficial during the cold season. The composition of pumpkin includes: vitamin C, carotene, calcium, pectins, high content of vitamin A. Pumpkin helps prevent premature aging, normalizing metabolic processes and the work of the gallbladder, stimulating the outflow of bile.
Eating raw pumpkin helps people with heart disease and gout. With pumpkin in the diet, wound healing is accelerated.
Turnip
Turnips are harvested in late autumn, so at the beginning of winter, they are full of vitamins. The root vegetable contains a high content of vitamin C, B vitamins, carotene, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, sodium, sulfur, and a large number of amino acids. The root vegetable is beneficial for the regulation of metabolic processes, as well as for the health of the skin and hair.
Turnip, like most root vegetables (carrots, beets, parsnips, radishes, etc.), has anti-cancer properties, protects against fungi, bacteria and prevents inflammation in the body.
Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts are harvested by the end of November and sold until March. Such cabbage contains more vitamin C than white cabbage. During colds, it helps to strengthen the immune system.
Iron in the composition prevents anemia, and vitamin A, which is also in the composition, helps to improve vision.
The high fiber content helps lower cholesterol levels. Brussels sprouts are rich in folic acid, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins, and provitamin A.
Shallot
This type of onion is harvested in the fall and keeps well throughout the winter. The content of vitamin C is higher here than in all other types of onions.
Shallots support immunity, are actively used as a prophylaxis for colds, as a remedy for flu, sore throat, runny nose. Stimulates the secretion of gastric juice and improves appetite, as well as normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Oyster mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms grow from late autumn to early January. In terms of the useful substances they contain, they can be compared with fish and meat. Therefore, they are recommended for vegetarians.
Contains high protein, vitamin D, B vitamins, selenium, niacin, copper, seven of the eight essential amino acids, and plenty of fiber. Due to the easily digestible protein, oyster mushrooms, like most mushrooms (milk mushrooms, porcini, and dry), easily compete with meat in terms of saturation and are an excellent alternative to it.
Avocado
The avocado season begins in January, so it is from the new crop on the shelves in stores. Avocado has long been recognized as the main fruit of youth and skin health. It contains a complex of healthy fats for skin that suffers from cold, wind, and heating.
The composition includes vitamin C, polyunsaturated acids, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The fruit helps to maintain performance, reduced by the New Year holidays. Nutritionists recommend this product to people with diseases of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.
Tangerines
What is the New Year’s period without tangerines? Most varieties ripen from late autumn to early January. This type of citrus nourishes the body with the vitamins we need to fight colds, improves digestion due to its fiber content.
And of course, it is an additional source of vitamin C. These bright and juicy fruits, like oranges, can rightfully be called the “front flank fighters” of our immunity in the battle against viral diseases.
Persimmon
With the onset of winter, the main berry appears on the shelves – persimmon with a unique composition of vitamins and minerals: vitamins A and B, PP, iron, calcium, iodine, magnesium, potassium, calcium, copper.
Persimmons have twice as much fiber as apples, so it is useful for those who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Due to the high content of dietary fiber, it easily removes toxins from the body, normalizes the intestinal microflora. And has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system and heart function. Persimmon helps fight fatigue and improves sleep.
The more seasonal vegetables and fruits in the diet, the fewer chances of acquiring a vitamin deficiency during the winter period. Do not forget vegetables that perfectly retain their vitamin and mineral composition during almost the entire storage period – these are roots (carrots, beets, parsnips, radishes, etc.), berries, nuts, seeds, cereals, and legumes.
