Eating well in winter

The winter months are not especially conducive to healthy eating.  During summer, my cravings usually lend more towards salads and fruit smoothies.  But when it's cold out, all I want is noodle soup, baked goodies, and hot chocolate.

The problem is not that we don't know what foods are healthier than others, according to Jana Frawley of Taste.com in her July 2 article "How to get the most from winter vegetables":

The problem lies in breaking old habits. Sure, our dinner vocabulary these days is not limited to meat-and-three-veg, but when one of the kids asks "what's for dinner?", chances are the response will be chicken, lamb, steak, fish, pork or sausages... Risotto or pasta may get a look in, but it would be a rare night when you'd breezily answer cauliflower or eggplant.

A big concern, every time, is the cost of the food you buy.  Generally speaking, veggies are cheaper than meats.  If you can only afford one, the veggies are your best bet.

Despite the cold weather, there are plenty of options in most super markets.  Check to see if there are any farmer's markets open year-round near where you live. From my apartment in Northeast D.C., I have access to Eastern Market's weekend farmer's market as well as the inexpensive grocery store Aldi and therefore, I have no valid excuse to eat unhealthy.

Yanjun of NaturalNews.com said it well in a concise post, "Nine healthy winter foods to include in your diet," on November 8:

Being able to get fresh fruits and vegetables, even in the dead of winter, is a great advantage in today's world. Fresh fruits and vegetables are available year round, and these are the foods that are most likely to ensure health and wellness, as they impart vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances to the body.

The nine foods that Yanjun thought important enough to base the post on are: Brussels sprouts, leeks, beets, kale, pomegranate, kiwifruit, persimmon, guava and pomelo.

One important addition to this list that I (and Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor of EatingWell Magazing) would make is all things citrus:

Citrus fruits, including lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit are at their juiciest in the wintertime and can add sunshine to the dreary winter. Citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C--one medium orange delivers more than 100 percent of your daily dose (from the article "5 of the Healthiest Winter Foods").

This is precisely the time when your body needs as many vitamins and nutrients as it can get to fight off those inevitable bugs that spread like a winter wildfire.

Soups are a fantastic go-to in the winter.  They are warm, comforting, filling, simple enough to prepare and just perfect for those chilly days.  A variety of recipes will clear out all those unwanted or old (but not yet rotten) veggies in the bottom of your fridge.

Don't neglect good health simply because it seems so much more fitting to bake cookies.  You and I both can begin winter healthy, happy and satisfied--and sustain that through the months ahead.