As the season gets chilly, sipping some piping hot soup can actually help you fight against winter ailments. It is a must to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables during winter for your body to remain strong and healthier. Winter is the peak of the harvest season when some wonderful and juicy fruits and vegetables are available to relish. These foods not only boost your immunity but also help keep seasonal infections and diseases at bay.
Benefits Of Eating Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables
- Winter season fruits are not only tasty but also have nutritional health benefits.
- Vegetables available in winter are rich in flavours and are a good source of vitamins.
- Seasonal fruits and vegetables are fresh and easily available.
- Winter veggies are not only rich in fibre but also high in potassium.
- Apples, apricots and peaches have got heart-healthy benefits.
- They are low in sodium and cholesterol.
Top 10 Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables In Winter That Help Boost Immunity
Here’s a list of winter vegetables and fruits that have to be a part of your daily diet during winter.
1. Carrots
Vegetables in winter are a good source of vitamins and minerals like one of them are carrots, loaded with beta-carotene which helps to keep our immune system strong in winter.
Benefits:
- Carrots are a wonderful source to improve vision.
- It is also an excellent source of Vitamins B, C, D, E, and K.
- Boost your immunity.
- Keep the winter-flu at bay by adding carrots in your daily diet.
How To Include:
Indulge in all-time favourite gajar ka halwa or carrot raita, or you may simply eat a carrot salad. Enjoy carrot and beetroot soup by boiling carrots, garlic and beetroot then blend it in a mixer. Sauté bay leaves, garlic, and cumin seeds then add the purée with salt, pepper, and red chilli powder. Add vegetable stock to it. Let it simmer then add lemon juice. Relish this hot soup.
2. Oranges
Oranges are loved by all. Oranges are one of the winter season fruits that are juicy and can be eaten at any time of the day.
Benefits:
- It is rich in high fibre and vitamin C.
- Healthy for the skin.
- It has got anti-inflammatory properties as well.
How To Include:
You may blend the oranges into a smoothie by combining milk, oranges, ice, honey, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, freeze it and enjoy a chilled orange smoothie.
3. Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)
Especially in India, the most grown winter season vegetables are green leafy ones. Fenugreek leaves (methi) are one of them and are a delicious addition to your diet. In fact, fenugreek for hair has multiple beauty benefits too. It can help you deal with hair woes like dandruff, hair fall, scalp issues, hair thinning and baldness, which is another reason to include them in your daily diet.
Benefits:
- Rich in vitamins, minerals, lots of fibre, and phytonutrients.
- Keep your cholesterol and blood sugar level in check.
How To Include:
This winter season, prepare methi muthiya or malai methi matar recipe or try out methi pakoras by mixing besan, rice flour, onions, methi, salt, chilli powder, ajwain, jeera, and hing. Add enough water until it turns a thick batter. Deep-fry the spoonfuls of pakoras and relish it hot with your loved ones.
4. Custard Apples
This sweet and tasty fruit is the best seasonal fruit to relish.
Benefits:
- This is one of the winter season fruits that are backed with vitamin B6.
- It keeps your bowels working smoothly.
- It also works well in gaining healthy weight.
How To Include:
Give a classic basundi recipe a seasonal twist by adding custard apples to it. Boil the milk till it forms thick like basundi then add saffron to it. Once the level is reduced, add sugar and cook. Let the basundi cool completely then add custard apple pulp. Freeze it and enjoy it with your family.
5. Spinach (Palak)
Palak is one of the winter season vegetables. Including spinach in your diet is beneficial for health as it is rich with numerous antioxidants and vitamin C.
Benefits:
- It is loaded with minerals.
- It is also rich in vitamins A, C, and K.
- Furthermore, it has got omega-3 fatty acids as well.
How To Include:
Blend it into palak paneer gravy or roll out some palak puri for lunch by boiling and blanching the palak and make a purée. Mix wheat flour, carom seeds, hing, salt, and palak purée. Knead it into a dough then roll out puris. Deep-fry the puris. Serve it with chana masala.
6. Radishes (Muli)
Radishes not only keep your blood pressure in check, but it is also rich in potassium and calcium.
Benefits:
- It is high in potassium, folic acid and ascorbic acid.
- Also acts as antioxidants that can protect your cells from damage.
How To Include:
Relish a Muli paratha in your morning breakfast or eat radish salad and muli lachha in your lunch by mixing chopped tomatoes, black salt, green chillies, ginger, coriander, lemon juice, jeera, salt, and radish (peeled, grated, squeezed).
7. Pineapple
Eating seasonal fruits in winter is exceptionally wonderful for health benefits. Pineapples are great for fighting infections and killing bacteria in winter.
Benefits:
- Pineapple is super nutritional with vitamin C.
- It has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Ease digestion and boosts immunity.
How To Include:
Grill it, grind it or have it as it is. Pineapple keeps seasonal diseases at bay.
Savour the caramelized pineapple in winter. Slice the pineapples. Add butter to the pan and stir-fry the pineapples then add sugar to it. Cook until golden brown. Let the sugar melt completely and the pineapple slices should be caramelized. Serve it with frozen yoghurt.
8. Papaya
Winter season fruits are not only delicious but loaded with nutrients. Papaya is one of the best and yummy winter fruits one must eat.
Benefits:
- It is best known for keeping the body warm.
- It is also the most advised fruit for ladies as it eases menstrual cramps.
- Powered with antioxidant benefits.
- It improves heart health.
How To Include:
This winter, try papaya halwa. Grate or blend papaya. Roast the almonds and cashews on ghee and transfer it to the plate. Stir-fry the grated papaya. Once it starts oozing out the juice sprinkle some rice flour onto it. As rice flour gets absorbed, add sugar and elaichi powder to it. Once the sugar is blended, take it off the heat. Papaya halwa is ready to relish.
9. Beetroot
Beetroot is one of the veggies to add to your diet during winters to get amazing health benefits. While you enjoy the chilly weather do not forget to indulge in beetroot halwa or beetroot soup.
Benefits:
- It helps to prevent heart and liver diseases.
- It also provides immense nutrients.
- Furthermore, it is one of the vegetables in winter that helps to enhance the blood flow to the brain.
How To Include:
Winter calls for something warm. Try this beetroot, carrot, and kulith soup. Pressure-cook sliced carrots and beetroots and horse gram sprouts (kulith). Then blend it into a purée. Once the veggies are blended, simmer the purée on ghee or butter and add salt to it. Let the mixture boil. Enjoy the hot and healthy soup by seasoning it with black pepper.
10. Grapes
Grapes are one of the fruits in winter which is loved by all and loaded with a lot of vitamins and proteins.
Benefits:
- It is rich with vitamins and a protein known as sirtuins which is good for longevity.
- It improves your vision as well as your memory.
- Good for weight-loss.
- Works amazing for constipation relief as well.
How To Include:
Ice-creams are loved by all and though it’s commonly savoured in summer. But do try this hatke and lesser-known grapes ice-cream recipe when the season gets chilly. Freeze the grapes and remove the grape skin then blend it into a purée then add honey, finely grated lemon zest, and lemon juice. Blend it once again. Now, freeze the grape mixture in an ice-cream maker. Once done scoop out the grape ice cream and enjoy it with your loved ones.
Boost your immune system with these power pack fruits and vegetables. Devouring seasonal fruits in winter is beneficial to fight the winter flu. Along with the above-mentioned list even turnips, sweet potatoes, and green peas add to the list of the best seasonal vegetables in winter to give your body the necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrition.
