When the weather changes, the cold change can have us reaching for takeaways or comfort foods.
It’s easy to add extra warmth and nutrition with new flavours to what we’re cooking.
Many fruits and vegetables are in-season during the cooler months.
We can use them in creative and appetising ways to give our bodies an extra boost of vitamins and minerals.
See how you can make a healthy shift this winter…
Winter-fresh fruits and vegetables include apples, beetroot, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, chicory, cranberries, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pears, potatoes, pumpkin, purple sprouting broccoli, red cabbage, spring greens, spring onions, swede, swiss chard, turnips, watercress and winter squashes.
Busy holiday and work schedules often leave us time poor and reaching for pre-prepared meals on the go.
There are simple ways to plan and prepare nourishing foods in advance which can keep you feeling warm and full this winter.
What we eat can have an impact on our mental health and immunity, and it can be hard to know where or how to start.
If you need some extra inspiration for work lunches, something sweet, or your next round of bulk cooking for the week:
Fewer daylight hours in winter have a tangible affect our mood,
55% of people in the UK felt unhappier between November and February, a survey from HolidayGems has found.
This seasonally low mood can be known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
SAD affects more than two million people in the UK each year, according to NHSinform.
According to NHSinform, SAD manifests depression-like symptoms – feeling hopeless, lacking energy, changes in sleep or eating patterns, less desire to be social or intimate, or loss of pleasure from things you enjoy.
Subtle changes to our food can help support our mood:
You can eat a varied, healthy diet in a cost-effective way.
If you’re environmentally conscious, living on a budget or just looking to shake up your cooking, there’s some great benefits to eating seasonally.
Buying produce which is in-season means you’re buying cheaper, fresher, and more flavourful produce.
Jamie Oliver has a few tips and recipes to help you get started.
Some more tips help you get started include:
Gardening encourages the use of our motor skills, endurance and strength, and helps keep you to get moving, according to the Royal Horticultural Society. People who engage in gardening also report better mental health.
It is an activity which can accommodate all abilities and many different living spaces.
Go from patio to plate, with a range of fruits and vegetables to sow and harvest in cooler weather.
Don’t let low light stop you either, make use of tools such as grow lights to get through darker periods.
Do your research or consult with your local gardening centre to get started.
Workplaces can support their employees to be seasonally conscious in a few ways:
To get more people in the office involved in exploring simple, healthier choices you can try some group activities: