Eating healthy in winter
Christmas goose, Stollen, cookies and mulled wine are the culinary hallmarks of the festive season. And thanks to the busy social schedule and miserable weather that so often accompanies the holidays, there are plenty of excuses not to exercise. The result? After a few weeks, the extra pounds start accumulating and those pants grow ever tighter. So what can you do?
At our premium fitness clubs, there are plenty of options for those looking to get back in shape, from workouts on the gym floors to group classes. And of course, good nutrition is vital. Here are our healthy eating tips.
Eating healthily in winter: how to succeed
While the selection of fresh produce is a little more limited in wintertime than it is in the warmer seasons, there are still plenty of nutritious seasonal foods to be enjoyed. Vegetables like beets, carrots, pumpkin, chicory, members of the cabbage family (such as savoy cabbage or Brussels sprouts), lamb's lettuce and spinach are all as delicious and healthy as they are versatile.
Beets, for example, are rich in vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C, folic acid and beta-carotene, as well as minerals like iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. You can enjoy them raw in salads, pureed in soups, or as a tasty cooked accompaniment to rice dishes.
Carrots are also veritable vitamin bombs, containing beta-carotene, potassium and biotin. Boasting just 31 calories per 100 grams, they are ideal for a low-fat diet, while their high fiber content aids digestion. They are also wonderfully versatile: you can juice them, whip them up into a delicious carrot and ginger soup, add them, finely chopped, to rice and pasta dishes, or cook them as a colorful side dish to accompany meat or fish.
Pumpkins are the ultimate fall/winter comfort food, boasting many varieties with very different flavors. Especially popular is the Hokkaido pumpkin or Red Kuri Squash (NB: you can also eat its peel). Pumpkin contains an abundance of beta-carotene, iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium, and is also very rich in fiber. A handy reminder: don’t toss away your pumpkin seeds – toast or roast them. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to speed up the metabolism. They also stimulate the production of the happy hormone, serotonin. Not a seed fan? Then simply use pumpkin seed oil to enjoy the same effects. Pumpkins are the ideal ingredient for curries, purees and soups. While small pumpkins can be peeled and roasted as a satisfying side dish.
With its subtly bitter taste, chicory isn’t for everyone, but it’s a brilliant digestion aid. The winter vegetable contains plenty of folic acid, potassium and zinc, as well as vitamins A, B, and C. Top tip: the chicory’s stalk is particularly bitter, so to tamp down the taste, you can always remove it. Chicory is delicious as a raw salad ingredient (especially when combined with fruit and blue cheese), but it can also be cooked, which softens the taste. It’s a particularly good ingredient for casseroles.
Cabbage, and its many iterations, are typical winter veg. And while the leafy food is notorious for its flatulent qualities, some varieties are milder than others. Think: savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts, both of which are rich in vitamin C, and broccoli, which contains plenty of calcium and potassium, as well as vitamins A, B, C, and K. It’s best to steam cabbage variants to ensure fewer nutrients are lost. Handy tip: a teaspoon of caraway seeds makes them more digestible.
Lamb's lettuce is a real health-giver thanks to its high levels of provitamin A and vitamin C. It’s available to buy throughout the winter, and is super simple to prepare – simply toss it in oil and vinegar, or a honey-mustard dressing. It also tastes great paired with fruit, nuts and herbs.
Spinach is rich in nutrients, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium, and is full of fiber. It’s also very versatile. Baby spinach in particular is the perfect raw salad ingredient and a healthy smoothie addition, while cooked spinach is a surprising delicacy (we recommend it mashed with potato and fried egg).
Last but not least, that root vegetable favorite: the parsnip. It contains high levels of vitamins C and D, as well as minerals like phosphorus and calcium. With its aromatic, slightly sweet taste, the parsnip makes an ideal side dish (they’re great baked!), but it also doubles as a delicious soup or puree ingredient.
We hope we’ve proved there are plenty of tempting vegetables to choose them, and just as many ways to enjoy them. For an extra health boost, try treating yourself to a daily glass of hot water and fresh ginger for additional protection against infection. And, if your inner glutton gets the better of you, show him who's in charge and head to the gym. You won’t regret it!
At Holmes Place's premium fitness clubs, you’ve got plenty of exercising options. Work out with the punching bag, join a yoga or Pilates session, or get your heart pumping in a spin class. And afterwards, wind down in the relaxing wellness areas.