For Good Health This Winter Look To Seasonal Vegetables For Immunity Support

As the cold weather sets in across Aotearoa, thoughts
turn to how we can keep ourselves healthy, therefore the
arrival of locally grown, tasty winter vegetable crops
couldn’t come at a better time.

5+ A Day Project
Manager, Carmel Ireland says eating at least five servings
of seasonal vegetables every day is a delicious, and
nutritious way to keep healthy and happy no matter what the
weather.

“Winter vegetables crops are starting to
arrive in stores now, try adding as many as you can to your
diet to support the health and wellbeing of your whole
whānau.”

Julie North, Registered Nutritionist with
Vegetables.co.nz adds
that vegetables play an important role in
immunity.

“A strong immune system is our best
defence against winter illness and plenty of wholesome
natural foods, like vegetables, are the best way to ensure
we get all the nutrients we need for immune
support.

“New Zealand vegetables provide a huge
range of key nutrients that support immunity, such as
vitamin C, folate and iron. These are naturally found in
many winter vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, silver
beet and kūmara,” she says.

Ireland notes that the
COVID-19 pandemic has raised the profile of products which
provide natural immunity support and suggests that selecting
vegetables in a wide variety of colours and flavours is the
best way to serve up healthy meals.

“Try to eat a
mix of colours at each meal. Vegetable soup is an excellent
lunch option on a cold day, start with a mix of root
vegetables such as parsnips, potato and yams and throw in
sliced leeks and silver beet for a fresh boost of colour and
flavour.

“I love serving a slice of vegetable
frittata for an affordable breakfast. Mix leftover roast
vegetables such as carrots and kūmara with pan-fried leeks,
stir in lightly beaten eggs and a splash of milk and bake
until the egg is set. You can add fresh herbs for delicious
flavour combinations,” she says.

Ireland adds that
seasonable vegetables represent the best value for
shoppers.

“Buying in season is the key to keeping to
a manageable budget. Look for vegetables that are in good
supply such as broccoli, carrots and silver beet. Make sure
you store your produce correctly to keep them fresh and use
as much of the vegetable as you can to reduce waste,” she
says.

“Careful meal-planning makes this job easier
too, for example if I know that we have sports practice on a
Wednesday, I’ll choose fast recipes such as steamed
broccoli with vinaigrette and honey-glazed carrots for our
evening meal. On nights when we have more time, I’ll plan
to cook a garlic roasted cauliflower while the oven is
already on for some baking or a casserole,” advises
Ireland.

Shoppers looking for inspiration and advice
about using vegetables for immune support can download the
following helpful resources from the 5+ A Day and vegetables.co.nz
websites:

1. Winter vegetables and
   immunity
2. Winter vegetables – shop for
   value

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