Stay in tip top shape this winter by eating well

Winter can be a tough time to stay healthy – we tend to stay indoors much more and in much closer proximity to friends, family, and colleagues who may have the sniffles. It’s also true that it’s easy to gain weight over winter because winter comfort foods are often energy dense, and it is less appealing to exercise when it is chilly. That’s why watching what you eat in winter is very important. Last month we gave you some good ideas for how to keep fit this winter, and this month with the help of our brand new HealthyFood Studio, we want to inspire you to eat well and stay healthy this winter with some great winter eating tips.

Choose a range of colours: In winter, as during the rest of the year, it’s a good idea to eat a range of foods with a variety of nutrients. One way to ensure that you do this is to eat foods with a range of different colours. Think avocado, freshly sliced grapefruit or a naartjie, butternut and carrot soup, a vegetable curry with spinach and green beans, roast beetroot and a tomato and aubergine bake.

Experiment with legumes this International Year of the Pulses: Beans, lentils and chickpeas are a delicious and nutritious way to ingest protein and fibre. In addition, they can be added to a meat stew or bolognaise. Go for the convenient tinned option (just remember to drain and rinse off the brine) or soak dried legumes overnight before cooking.  Soup, stews, stir fries and curries can all benefit from the addition of lentils, kidney beans, black beans, or even chickpeas.

Choose hearty cooking methods: Winter is the perfect time for low maintenance cooking including slow cooking and roasting. Try roasting a range of vegetables in the oven, and slow cooking a stew. Soup is also an easy and healthy meal you can allow to simmer slowly on the stove while you do other things. These cooking methods are perfect for winter and they’ll fill your home with the delicious, warming aroma of winter cooking.

Start your day with a wholesome breakfast: Breakfast in winter is a special kind of treat – not only does a warm breakfast help to warm you up quickly, but warm breakfasts can be delicious and experimental. Try cooking oats in milk with raisins or fresh berries and skip the sugar or honey. You can also boil or poach eggs and serve them on whole wheat toast with roasted cherry tomatoes, baby spinach and sliced avocado

Remember your fruit: Winter is the season for delicious citrus fruits including easy peeling and sweet naartjies. Other fruits like pineapple, granadilla, and gooseberries are also in season. These are perfect for a snack or as a dessert to ensure you get enough fruit in your diet every day. Lemons are also in season at this time of year and can add delicious flavour to many dishes or add a slice to a cup of hot water as an alternative to tea and coffee.

Shop the season: Part of ensuring that you always use the most fresh and delicious vegetables is to shop the seasons. Vitality’s HealthyFood partners stock the best of the season, even in winter. Seasonal foods, from meat, fish, nuts, berries, fruits, and of course vegetables, are always at their most delicious and are often much more affordable than off-season foods.

Learn to cook to avoid fast food: If cooking seems like a drag, give a cooking course a try. The brand new Vitality HealthyFood Studio is the perfect way to learn how to cook and to get inspired to make healthy and delicious foods like Lamb cassoulet with haricot beans and rainbow carrots. Dishes like this can feed you and your family for a few days and make for a great family evening cooking together. Find out more about HealthyFood Studio and how we can help you to improve your cooking skills and your food repertoire.

Finally, remember that even though it’s cold, it’s still important to keep hydrated. If the thought of drinking water in winter makes you shiver, try making your own tea by putting some lemon or orange slices in a mug and pouring hot water over them. Caffeine free drinks like rooibos, honeybush, and herbal teas are also great winter water substitutes. But skip the sugar or honey and prepare your own hot chocolate at home with boiling milk, cocoa and stir with a cinnamon stick.

Bundle up and embrace winter for all the wonderful, hearty, and warming foods you can enjoy at this time of year, knowing that you can enjoy them healthily.