Eating in Season
Given that we are still a good month away from Spring, if you haven’t looked into it yet, they are some awesome winter vegetables that you can include in a variety of delicious recipes. If you eat in season, you usually get fresher produce that can offer more beneficial nutrients. Eating in season is also a nice way to support local farmers and help the environment. Most winter vegetables grow from November through March. What follows is a list of 9 awesome winter vegetables, so yummy in those fall/winter comfort food recipes.
9 Awesome Winter Vegetables
- Beets: they offer fiber, folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. They also contain nitrates, which help with blood flow and blood pressure.
- Broccoli: it contains antioxidants like carotenoids, chlorophyll, vitamins E and K, essential minerals, and it is also high in fiber and cancer-fighting compounds such as glucosinolates.
- Brussels Sprouts: they offer a wide variety of antioxidants (that can be good against cancer too), fiber, calcium, potassium, folate, vitamins C and K.
- Cabbage: all types of cabbage contain a high amount of fiber, vitamins C and K, manganese, and antioxidants like anthocyanins. As mentioned in a previous post, anthocyanins can help with heart disease, among other things.
- Carrots: they offer beta-carotene (vitamin A), helping with eye health and skin health. They have numerous antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin (that can help with healthy aging), plus vitamin K, potassium, vitamins B1 and B3, and fiber.
- Cauliflower: it is packed with essential vitamins, carotenoids, fiber, soluble sugars, folate, potassium, and several antioxidants that can help lessen oxidative stress.
- Escarole: one of the many dark greens that offers fiber, vitamins C, A, and K, calcium, plus iron. It contains antioxidants and polyphenols, helping with aging.
- Kale: it is high in flavonoid antioxidants like quercetin, and vitamins A, C, and K, B vitamins, calcium, copper, manganese, potassium, plus magnesium.
- Winter Squash: just like sweet potatoes, it is high in vitamin A (alpha-carotene and beta-carotene), vitamins C and B6, magnesium, fiber, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.
In Summary
After gathering a few of these nutritious vegetables (organic whenever possible), the choice is yours: you can simply roast them, make a vegetable soup or stew, saute some greens with garlic, or add some cut-up roasted veggies to a frittata or to a leafy green winter salad. What will you try first?
Until next time!
References
Cowan, M.D., Thomas. How (& Why) to Eat More Vegetables. Library of Congress No. 2016934925, 2016, p. 25.
Levy, Jillian. “Top 12 Winter Vegetables to Eat & Grow.” Dr. Axe, 12 Jan. 2021, draxe.com/nutrition/winter-vegetables/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2021.
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