Healthy Changes to Your Diet in the Winter

As the temperature drops, our nutritional needs change. Except for winter-sports 
enthusiasts, people become less physically active. After all, when it’s cold and snowy 
outside, even a trip to a neighborhood grocery store is a daunting task. And with the 
advent of cold and flu season, staying healthy takes a bit more effort. What’s more, 
nutrition-packed fruits and vegetables that were plentiful during the summer may be in 
short supply—and take a bigger chunk out of our wallets.

However, there are many delicious and affordable ways to ensure proper nutrition 
during the dark days of winter. These tips will help you maintain optimum health and 
please your palate at the same time.

Go for Beans

There are many varieties of legumes, including garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), lentils, 
lima beans, and pinto beans. These hearty foods have something in common: they are 
fiber and protein powerhouses. Beans can be added to stews and soups, served in 
salads, and cooked and eaten by themselves. To reduce gassiness, soak them in water 
for six to eight hours and rinse before preparing.

Try Some Spuds

Potatoes have an undeserved bad reputation for their starch content. However, they are 
chock full of vital nutrients. One potato provides hefty amounts of immunity-boosting 
vitamins B6 and C (29% and 25% of the recommended daily allowance of each). 
Fiber—4 grams in an average-size potato—and folate, essential for the proper 
development of unborn babies, are added bonuses. Purple potatoes are great sources 
of anthocyanins, antioxidants with a variety of benefits ranging from keeping heart 
disease at bay to reducing inflammation. Adding carrots, parsnips, turnips, and other 
roots vegetables to mashed potatoes is a delicious way to include vegetables in a 
wintertime diet.

Talk Turkey

This bird is not for Thanksgiving only. Low in calories and high in protein, it’s a natural in 
sandwiches, soup, salads, stir-fry, and by itself.

Include Winter Squash

Spaghetti, acorn, and butternut are only a few types of this colorful, tasty, nutritious 
vegetable. Winter squash is low-calorie and rich in fiber, vitamin A, folic acid, and 
vitamin C. Acorn squash also has 30% of the RDA of vitamin B1, 25% of B6, and 31% 
of magnesium. And butternut squash is a powerhouse of vitamins A and C: 179% and 
31% of their respective daily requirements. Leave off the butter and syrup and try a little 
margarine, applesauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, or cinnamon. 

Add Some Greens and Reds

Chard, collards, and kale flourish in winter; frosty weather can reduce kale’s bitter taste. 
With healthy amounts of vitamins C, A, and K—and plenty of folate in escarole, mustard 
greens, and collards—leafy greens can keep people’s immune systems in good shape. 
Red cabbage, a cousin of kale, contains few calories and lots of vitamin A, plus 
zeaxanthin and lutein, phytochemicals so important for eye health as people age.

Don’t Forget Fruit

Citrus fruit is loaded with vitamin C. Grapefruit, oranges, and their cousins are also 
excellent sources of all-important flavonoids. Hesperidin, the dominant flavonoid in 
citrus fruit, is known to raise HDL cholesterol (the good kind), reduce LDL cholesterol, 
and lower triglyceride levels. And if you have not yet tried pomegranate juice, you may 
want to add it to your daily regimen. It contains more antioxidants than any other kind. 
Studies show that pomegranate juice may help prevent free radicals from doing 
damage—and increase the flow of blood to the heart in patients whose tickers do not 
receive sufficient oxygen because of blocked arteries.

By adding these good-tasting and nutritious foods to the menu, you can ensure that you 
and your family will weather the chilly season. Enjoy!

