Five healthy vegetables you should be eating in winter

Thursday, November 14, 2013 by: Yanjun
Tags: vegetables, winter season, healthy foods

(NaturalNews) Winter is fast approaching. During the winter months, your body needs extra vitamins and minerals to help combat cold weather and illness and to maintain your good health. Sure, these vitamins can be found in supplements and over-the-counter vitamins, but instead of filling your body with pills, why not try getting your vitamins naturally through the foods you eat?

Here is a list of the five healthiest vegetables for winter.

1. Artichokes

Artichokes are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C. It has also been said that artichokes can increase your bile flow and aid in your digestion. Before eating artichokes, you must first remove the prickly outer thorns. Artichokes may be fried or boiled. If you are boiling artichokes, you should avoid covering the pot of boiling water, because this allows acids in the vegetable to escape.

2. Kale

Kale is packed full of beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium. These vitamins and minerals have been known to control inflammatory processes, strengthen the immune system and even fight cancer! Kale is a form of cabbage and can be found in many varieties such as curly, dinosaur, Russian and ornamental. There are many different ways to prepare and eat kale. It may be boiled, sauteed, fried, steamed or served raw in salads. Oftentimes, kale is frozen before being used for cooking, because it is sweeter once exposed to frost. With all of the vitamins in one vegetable, eating kale is an excellent way to boost your daily intake of essential vitamins.

3. Cabbage

Cabbage, also known as Brassica oleracea, may be found in various forms. There is red cabbage, cone cabbage and standard cabbage. It is considered an herbaceous flowering plant and is unique due to its short stem. It is often served raw in salads but can be cooked for soups, stews, stuffed cabbages etc. The great thing about cabbage is that it is full of vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, protein and zinc. These vitamins have been known to work as an anti-inflammatory which can help or prevent swelling in the body. It has also been known to aid with headaches, ulcers and skin diseases.

4. Arugula

Arugula is a green leafy vegetable that is in the same family as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. It may be eaten raw or cooked. It is recommended by nutritionists to consume arugula cooked with a small amount of oil. The oil that you use to cook the arugula in contains fat which may help your body absorb the nutrients better. Arugula is full of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium and iron. In addition to these great vitamins, it also has very low level of oxalate which can interfere with your body's ability to properly absorb nutrients. Arugula has been shown to prevent cancers and macular degeneration.

5. Winter Squash

Winter squash is a category of vegetable that contains pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti and acorn squash. These are all full of high levels of carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, folic acid, fiber and potassium. These nutrients have been shown to protect the human body from cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Winter squash needs to be cooked. It may be steamed, boiled, baked or roasted.

In conclusion, winter is a time that the body needs extra vitamins and minerals to protect it and help boost its immune system. By eating these five healthy vegetables, you can give your body the boost it needs to stay healthy and prevent future illness.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.motherearthnews.com

http://www.nutrition411.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
Sofiya has written articles on most health-related topics, including traditional medicine, alternative and naturopathic and natural treatments,health insurance, wellness, medical marijuana, diets and fitness.