Top 10 Healthy Winter Foods For A Strong Immune System

24Dec
Healthy-Winter-Foods
Nidhi GuptaDiet, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Recipes

Cold weather got you feeling down? 

Don’t worry, delicious help is on the way! Discovering healthy food for winter can be both fun and rewarding. Nature has provided us with a whole host of tasty foods to keep us healthy and happy all winter long. These ingredients, like vibrant greens, zesty citrus, comforting whole grains, and warming spices, are the foundation for flavorful and nutritious low-calorie winter meals: a perfect recipe for cold-weather wellness.

Best Food For Winter Are:

1. Green Leafy Vegetables: 

Winter is known for its wide variety of green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, amaranth, bathua, kale, and mustard greens. Every region of the country offers unique types of green leafy vegetables that thrive in its specific soil conditions. These vegetables are nutrient-rich and are often regarded as winter superfoods.

Green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins A, C, E, and K. The antioxidants and phytonutrients present in them act as natural immunity boosters, protecting us from seasonal flu and infections. Additionally, they are rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which contribute to improved bone health and blood circulation.

2. Citrus Fruits: 

Winters flush the markets with various seasonal fruits, citrus fruits being one of them. Amla, grapefruit, lemon, oranges, kinnu, cherry, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, papaya, etc., are great varieties of citrus fruits found in our markets.

Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that promotes collagen production. This makes your skin glowing and youthful. These fruits are also full of water, which helps meet some of your daily water needs during winter. Oranges, lemons, amla, etc, are loaded with potassium. This makes them an ideal fruit to support your heart health by balancing your blood pressure. These fruits help freshen up your mood during the cold and dark winter.

3. Vitamin D-Rich Foods:

Vitamin D-rich foods such as salmon, mackerel, cod liver oil, mushrooms (exposed to sunlight for 5–10 minutes), ghee, butter, and cheese are excellent sources of vitamin D during the cold winter months when sunlight exposure is limited. Always cook vitamin D-rich foods with some fat, as this vitamin requires fat for proper absorption.

4. Flax Seeds:

Flax Seeds are a healthy food for winter. These are packed with nutrients. They are an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 fats, which help keep joints lubricated, maintain heart health, and reduce inflammation. The antioxidants in flaxseeds protect against flu and infections during winter. They are also a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which keeps your digestive system healthy and prevents constipation. Additionally, flaxseeds provide warmth to the body, which is essential during the cold winter months.

How to add flaxseeds to your winter meals?

Flaxseeds, or alsi ke beej, are best eaten during the winter. 

Instructions:
  1.  Dry roast the flaxseeds in a thick bottom pan at low-medium flame. 
  2.  Keep stirring the flaxseeds continuously to avoid their burning.
  3.  After 15-20 minutes of dry roasting, a pleasant fragrance starts from the flaxseeds.
  4.  Also, the flax seeds have turned out to be golden in color.
  5.  At this stage, turn off the flame and remove the flaxseeds on a plate.
  6.  Keep them aside and let them cool.
  7.  Now, grind the roasted flax seeds to make a fine powder.
  8.  You may use this powder to make flaxseed laddoos.
  9.  You can add this powder to your regular whole wheat atta before kneading in the proportion of 4:2 (whole wheat flour and roasted flaxseed powder).

5. Dry fruits and nuts: 

Nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and raisins are good sources of healthy fats, such as PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids). These fats provide warmth to the body and keep you energetic during the cold winter months. Dry fruits are rich in fats, proteins, and fiber, offering ample nutrition while promoting overall health. Additionally, nuts boost and protect our immunity due to antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium, helping safeguard against common colds, flu, and infections during winter.

A transition in season brings a transition in our food as well. Including nuts and seeds in our winter foods in one form or another provides us with warmth and energy. These boost our immunity and provide healthy fats. 

Apart from this, many more delicacies are a must to be included during the winter, like soups, ghee, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, millets, and much more.

  1. Root Vegetables: Carrots, radishes, beetroot, turnips, and other root vegetables are excellent sources of nutrients, warmth, and antioxidants. Because they are seasonal, they are rich in vital nutrients and antioxidants required during winter. 
  1. Wholegrains: Wholegrains like buckwheat, amaranth, wholewheat, bajra, oats, quinoa, etc., are excellent sources that provide sustained energy and warmth. These are rich in antioxidants that protect our bodies, such as seasonal flu and infections. These must be added to one’s everyday diet. Therefore, the daily
  1. Spices: Spices are a natural warmth provider and immunity booster. Various spices, like pepper, cardamom, sesame, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, etc., are used in Indian cuisines, especially during winter due to their warming nature.
  1. Ghee: In Indian cuisine, ghee is used all year round, but it is especially valuable in the winter months because it helps neutralize the excess warming nature of many spices and dry fruits. Thus, dry fruits roasted in ghee and turned into Ladoo are very nutritious during winter. Ghee, the best food for winter, can be given to lactating and pregnant women.

Healthy winter recipes for weight loss:

The winter months don’t have to mean giving up on your health goals. By using what’s in season and cooking smart, you can make yummy and filling meals that help you lose weight. These healthy winter recipes use warm spices, lots of veggies, and lean meats to keep you feeling full and energetic without gaining too much weight.

  • For Weight Maintenance: These recipes can also be helpful for keeping your weight steady. They offer balanced meals with the right amount of nutrients.
  • For Kids Nutrition: These recipes can be great for kids too! They provide a variety of healthy foods that are important for their growth and development.

1. Bajra ki tikki: For meethi tikki or roti

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups bajra
  • 1 cup jaggery (Gur) in 1 cup water
  • Sesame seeds
  • Saunf
  • Desiccated coconut powder
  • Elachi powder
  • Ghee

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients and knead dough. 
  2. Make small tikkis and cook on low flame on both sides. 
  3. Apply ghee on both sides.

2. Methi bajra ki roti

Ingredients:

  • Bajra: 2 cups
  • Methi: 2 tbsp
  • Anardana:1 teaspoon
  • Green chilli
  • Salt
  • Red chilli
  • Cumin powder
  • Coriander powder

Instructions:

  1. Mix all ingredients.
  2. Knead dough with water.
  3. Make tikki and enjoy.

3. Local fruits:

Fruits grown locally in an area are highly nutritious and beneficial to those of that area, despite the ones imported from far away. Such fruits are filled with various nutrients and vitamins. Moreover, being rich in many antioxidants, these must be preferred over those imported and stored for a long.

4. Amla Carrot Juice:

Ingredients:

  • Amla: ½ cup
  • Carrot: ½ cup

Instructions:

  1. Peel and wash the carrot.
  2. Wash and deseed the amla.
  3. Dice the carrots.
  4. Put the chopped carrots and amla in a blender jar.
  5. Blend them to make a juice out of it.
  6. Drink this amla carrot juice on an empty stomach every day during the winter.

5. Amla Beetroot Juice:

Ingredients:

  • Amla: 2 pieces
  • Beetroot: ½ piece
  • Orange: 1 piece
  • Ginger: ½ inch

Instructions:

  1. Peel and wash beetroot and ginger.
  2. Deseed the amla.
  3. Peel the orange.
  4. Wash everything thoroughly.
  5. Dice the beetroot and ginger.
  6. Put everything in a blender jar.
  7. Blend it to make a juice out of it.
  8. Drink it every day on an empty stomach during the winter.

Conclusion:

Incorporating these top 10 healthy winter foods and recipes into your diet can help you stay warm, energetic, and resilient against seasonal illnesses. From nutrient-dense green leafy vegetables and immune-boosting citrus fruits to warmth-providing whole grains and spices, these foods offer a well-rounded approach to maintaining health during the cold months. The simple, nutritious recipes ensure you can enjoy flavorful meals while supporting your immunity and overall well-being. 

Stay healthy and enjoy the winter season with these superfoods and wholesome meals, And stay connected with Fitness With Nidhi…

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Nidhi Gupta is an ACE certified personal trainer and nutritionist with over 10 years of experience helping people reach their fitness goals. She is passionate about helping people live healthier lives and loves sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. Get in touch with her to learn more about how she can help you on your fitness journey.

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