In my current location, we’re experiencing the cooler months of winter. As I’ve adjusted my clothing options to adapt to the temperature drop, so should we change our food choices.
Eating seasonally is vital during this time. Today, let’s discuss why it’s important and how it benefits your health.
Eating the same foods daily throughout the year isn’t beneficial for your well-being. Instead, it is better to focus on embracing the local produce available in your area and eating for the season.
Choosing foods grown and produced closer to home is environmentally friendly and better for your body. When foods are transported halfway around the world, they can lose vital nutrients, such as vitamins and phytochemicals, during the journey.
In addition, by eating seasonally, you naturally gravitate towards the most nutritious options locally available. Farmer’s markets are a fantastic way to support local agriculture and prioritise your health.
Why should you make the switch to seasonal eating?
Let’s take broccoli as an example. Research shows that broccoli grown in autumn or winter contains twice as much vitamin C as spring broccoli. Considering that winter demands extra vitamin C to support your immune system, choosing broccoli with higher vitamin content is logical when you need it the most.
Plants respond to their environment by producing phytochemicals to help them survive environmental conditions like cooler, drier winters. These phytochemicals support our health and play a vital role in our bodies by communicating with our genes. So including foods with extra phytochemical content in your diet helps fortify your body against the colder, harsher weather.
But the benefits of seasonal eating go beyond nutrition. In winter, our bodies require increased thermogenesis to regulate body heat and keep us warm. This elevates metabolism and enhances circulation to the head, hands, and feet, helping us stay warm in colder temperatures. In addition, the digestive system requires warmer cooked foods for optimal nutrient absorption.
Embracing seasonal eating means enjoying locally available foods that contribute to your well-being. It’s a way to support local farmers, savour fresh and nutritious produce, and honour the natural rhythm of the seasons. Doing so provides your body with essential nutrients, vitamins, and phytochemicals that harmonise with the external environment.
Your food choices…
Your food choices can also support your body during the cooler months by increasing energy expenditure and aiding in heat generation. Root vegetables, such as potatoes, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes, are complex carbohydrates that provide longer-lasting satiety and nourishment. These hearty winter meals, including soups, casseroles, slow-cooked dishes, and baked vegetables, often incorporate root vegetables and other nutrient-rich ingredients like zucchini and squash.
Root vegetables offer complex carbohydrates that keep you full for longer, unlike the quick blood sugar rises associated with summer fruits. Additionally, they are high in fibre, which supports the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in your overall health, with 70% of your immune system influenced by the health of your gut flora.
By consuming fibre-rich foods and nourishing nutrients, you can strengthen your immune system and better defend against winter ailments like viral and bacterial infections.
It’s crucial to support your body through dietary choices and view food as medicine. You may reach for quick sugary treats when you neglect nourishing foods that keep you full for longer. The sugar-laden treats can lead to winter weight gain, as we often seek comfort foods like hot chocolate and sugary treats to sustain thermogenesis and heat regulation, which depletes quickly.
By eating hearty meals like soups, casseroles, and slow-cooked dishes, your body receives the essential nutrients needed to generate heat and maintain a healthy metabolism. Additionally, foods like leaks, onions, garlic, chilli, and ginger act as circulatory stimulants, aiding in warmth and supporting digestion.
By prioritising nourishing, warming, and nutrient-rich foods, you can support your body’s well-being throughout the winter and avoid the need to shed extra kilos later.
Cooking Methods..
Slow-cooked meals, casseroles, and soups offer the opportunity to incorporate a variety of spices and herbs, which enhance flavour, provide immune system support, aid digestion, and possess antimicrobial properties. These culinary additions can help prevent winter ailments.
It makes sense to align your diet with the seasons, particularly in winter, by consuming heartier and warming meals that promote a robust digestive system and warm your body. In addition, the cooking process involved in preparing soups, slow cook and baked vegetables further enhances the availability of nutrients.
Cooking methods can significantly impact the nutrient content of our foods. For example, baking potatoes with their skin intact helps retain vitamin C, a vital nutrient for our immune system. Similarly, cooked tomatoes in casseroles or Thai dishes increase antioxidant compounds, for example, lycopene, known for its potential anti-cancer effects.
Various cooking techniques like steaming, pressure cooking, and slow cooking can help reduce anti-nutrient compounds such as phytates, lectins and oxalates, thereby enhancing the overall nutrient absorption in our bodies.
When it comes to soups, the abundance of vegetables included can provide a concentrated dose of nutrients. Compared to salads, which typically have a smaller quantity of vegetables, soups offer a larger and more nourishing vegetable intake, supporting our body with a higher quality and quantity of nutrients. Moreover, soups are easily digestible, making them a convenient and nutrient-rich option.
In Summary…
It is essential to prioritise locally sourced and seasonal foods by visiting farmer’s markets. By doing so, we support local farmers and consume produce at its peak freshness and nutrient density. In addition, opting for locally available foods avoids the degradation of nutrients during long-distance transportation, ensuring we receive the maximum nutritional benefits.
Our food choices impact our genetics, as the food compounds communicate the external environment to our bodies. Embracing the natural cycle of seasons and consuming foods associated with each season allows our genetics to respond accordingly, supporting our overall well-being.
It is beneficial to favour warm and nourishing meals in winter instead of cold salads or sugar-laden comfort foods. Warm foods support digestion, help maintain body temperature and provide essential nutrients to bolster the immune system. By avoiding nutrient depletion and weight gain often associated with unhealthy food choices, we can maintain consistency in our health goals throughout winter.
If you need further assistance or guidance in embracing seasonal and nourishing eating habits, I’m here to support you in your health journey.
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This is how gut microbes can influence weight!
Probiotics can help you gain weight or lose weight by interacting with our genetics, food and metabolism.
And yes, I did say lose or gain weight……..
Firstly, let me explain that the trillions of microbes in the gut need to be varied, meaning that there should be a large variety of species. There are many different species (or breeds) of microbes, and they all have their place in aiding health — the more variety and balance, the better health results.
Back to the weight loss or weight gain issue….
Do you eat yogurt and berries for breakfast? Thinking that it’s helping you lose weight?
Well, Lactobacillus acidophilus (like the species found in yoghurt) has been connected to weight gain.
I am not saying throw your yoghurt and berries in the bin. Instead, I am suggesting looking at the overall picture. If Lactobacillus acidophilus is the predominant micro-organism of the gut, then weight gain can result.
It is about the variety of species of gut microbes. Imagine if we only have trained german shepherd guard dogs in the world. It may be a safe world, but I am sure that other breeds may be more suitable as a family pet.
While Lactobacillus acidophilus is associated with weight gain, other Lactobacillus species correlate with weight loss.
Species like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Bifidobacteria animalis have been found to support weight loss.
Want to lose weight?
Look at your gut flora to support your goal.
Tests can be performed to identify the predominant species of the gut, and specific species can be utilised to support weight changes.
Want more information about your gut health?
Or want to look at all the factors contributing to weight gain, I’d love to be able to help.
