Is your kitchen winter ready? Really, do we have to work towards getting it winter ready? Why, you might ask. So here the answer to that. Our health is linked to the food we eat and eating as per the season is the key to good health. So it makes sense to get your act together and set a winter ready kitchen!
Winters is my favorite season of the year. Though I dread the chill and like many, would like to spend some endless extra moments curled up in the razai, but its the time of the year, to look forward to the bounty of nature. It’s the season for the abundance of nature to truly shine. The markets are flooded with fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables be it leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruits, its as if God ensured there would be hope even on the deepest and most wintery of days.
Foggy mornings and chilly evenings make many super lazy and they seek comfort in decadent indulgence, which makes for an ideal recipe for weight gain. And thus, winters bear the brunt of weight watcher’s fury.
However, I beg to differ. Winters for me is an ideal season to work on one’s health goals. Our body is already working extra hard to keep itself warm, not to mention that this act of thermo regulation by itself is a calorie burner. In addition to this, our traditional food recipes ensure that we stock up on our yearly fix of nutrients best available fresh and absorbed readily in this season.
Thanks to the Nutrition Science fast catching up with traditional food wisdom and many celebrity chefs popularizing heritage recipes, our mothers and grandmothers are finally receiving their much awaited due for their painstaking efforts of getting the kitchens winter ready.
Here’s a list of seasonal must-haves for your kitchen inorder to stay healthy, energized, boost your immunity, increase your metabolism and have smooth skin and lustrous hair.
Bajra- The Winter Millet
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Grains: Bajra and Makkai are the millets for winters.
Bajra is high in minerals and fiber. Not only does this make it ideal for people with Diabetes, but also for those with deranged cholesterol. Its anti- inflammatory properties make it a good food to prevent and give relief from joint aches, a common concern in winters.
Makka is a storehouse of B-complex vitamins which are good for skin, hair, heart, brain, and proper digestion. It contains vitamin A, C, K along with beta-carotene and selenium which helps improve the thyroid gland functioning and maintain a good immune system. The thyroid gland helps regulates body temperature to function optimally. Bajra Sweet Mathriis a yummy winter tea time snack. You can find the recipe on my blog.
Green Leafy Vegetables are a delight in Winters
2. Vegetables:
Greens
Winter is the time when vegetable markets are loaded with lush green leafy vegetables. Spinach, Mustard greens, Beetroot greens, Radish leaves, Bathua are the seasonal abundance.
These are a powerhouse of antioxidants and phytonutrients such as phenols. Research studies have found mustard greens to contain among the highest amount of flavonoids (polyphenol molecules). These are your true tonic for vibrant and clear skin along with anti-ageing properties. High in Iron and Vitamin A, these prevent anemia and boost eyesight. Being high in fiber, they are excellent for gut and cardiovascular health.
Cooked traditionally as saags, they are eaten as part of a wholesome meal of makka roti, jaggery and white butter. This combination completes its nutrient profile and ensures proper absorption and assimilation of the nutrients along with rendering it a taste to savor every mouthful.
Root Vegetables:
These winter superfoods grow under ground and soak up all nutrients from the soil. Yams, beets, raddish, carrots, beets, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, turnips, red radishes, turmeric, ginger are some of the wonderful varieties of root vegetables that are widely available this time of year These are excellent sources of not just potassium, but also magnesium, zinc, copper and phosphorus.
They are highly alkalizing and packed with important bone-building nutrients. These also serve as food for our healthy gut bacteria. Gut microbiome has come be recognized as important part of the body responsible for our immunity, mental health and hormonal wellbeing.
So, eat seasonal salads, make soups with winter squashes, include ginger and turmeric as pickles, eat sweet potato as a healthy snack and there you have a bouquet of seasonal variety in your routine.
Citrus Fruits: Natural Anti Oxidants
3.Fruits
Vitamin C is the queen in winter fruits, be it oranges, amla, guavas or custard apple. This anti-oxidant boosts immunity and keeps you at bay from winter flu, colds and cough.
Have them as mid -morning snacks or amla juice, this is your antidote to all winter health conditions
Along with fresh fruits, dried fruits are super delicious snacks for winters. Be it dates, apricots, figs, chuaara. High in anti-oxidants, iron, Vitamin A, these are good for digestive health, heart health and skin and hair woes.
These wholesome and nourishing delights can be savored in any form, be it dessert, hot milk or a snack along with some nuts like almond, walnuts or pistachios.
Jaggery
5.Jaggery
Jaggery is the unrefined sugar obtained from raw, concentrated sugarcane juice. It’s a fresh produce of this season. Jaggery is not a mere replacement of sugar as it has come to being understood. It is a digestive aid, it activates digestive enzymes needed for the much sluggish digestive fire in winters. Its helps cleanse liver by flushing out toxins and is loaded with minerals like zinc, iron, selenium.
In winters, jaggery has traditionally being used in dals , saags, ladoos, chikkis or just eaten along side a wholesome meal like bajra khichadi or sarson ka saag, makka roti for its unique taste and endless potential.
Til: Strengthen your bones
5. Til (sesame seeds)
If there is anything that keeps skin supple and clear in winters, its got to be til. Prized in Ayurveda for its ability to generate heat and energy in the body and its numerous beauty and hair benefits, sesame seeds are loaded with nutrition that makes it a must-have in your winter diet. It just doesn’t stop there, til’s health benefits run deep into making bones strong. Abundant in Calcium and zinc, til helps prevent or arrest osteoporosis, a condition of fragile bones with an increased susceptibility to fracture.
Use til in tadka in dals and saags or kneed it to the dough while making rotis . Til and jaggerry ladoos and chikkis are seasonal delicacies that should find their way back on your plate.
Kali Gajar ki Kanji
6. Kanji
Long before gut bacteria and its role in our health was discovered by science and the craze for commercial drinks being sold as probiotics grew, kali gajar and beetroot kanji was being made at home as traditional probiotic. A super tonic in itself, a study revealed to have found 18 different strands of bacteria in it that hold the potential to fight inflammation, bloating, cough, and heal clinical conditions. Made through a process of lacto- fermentation this is drink that has made its way to winter menus at gourmet restaurants. Make it your go-to snack at noon and you will never regret.
7. Seasonal achaars and Murrabas
If you have come to avoid achaars because to you they are just oil and salt, I would say that our grandmothers did not rejoice in wasting time in this activity to increase your weight and BP! But, just like the kanji, winter achaars made with turnip, cauliflower, raddish and carrots ( gobhi, gajar, shalgam ka achaar) and root ginger and turmeric are potent source of probiotics. With raw vegetables being preserved with the time-tested proportions of spices, the pickles high in anti-oxidants. Along with these, they high in Vitamin K2 which is necessary for the absorption of Vitamin D. We know now that Vitamin D is essential of Thyroid, Insulin and Brain Development.
These homemade achaars paired with stuffed paranthas or steamed rice tempered with ghee make for a lip-smacking combination.
Similarly, murabbas are good digestive aids, high in many minerals like copper, iron, chromium. These prevent anemia, heal chronic constipation and have anti ulcer properties. Amla murrabba is a popular immunity and eye- sight booster in this season.
8. Dried Ginger Powder ( Saunth)
Sauth is a highly recommended spice for winters. Its thermogenic properties, keep us warm from inside, enhance metabolism, improve digestion and fight inflammation. This is your go-to remedy for joint aches, menstrual cramps along with indigestion and nausea. Easy to incorporate, it renders itself to a variety of dishes like milk, soups or the gratifying a cup of masala chai. Happiness is a hot drink on a cold day!
Gond: The Key to Warmth This Winter
9. Gond ( Edible Gum)
Gond is a popular food item used traditionally in winters. Ayurveda vouches for its immunity and strength boosting properties. It is extremely beneficial for weak nervous system, anxiety, depression and low Vitamin D. Gondh is also excellent for people with lung-related issues, weakness and fatigue. It is rich in calcium and protein.
Gond ladoos are traditionally a winter staple. But these are also included in the the diets of pregnant and lactating mothers to meet their increased nutrient needs during this phase along with boosting immunity.
10. Makkhan (White Butter)
Called the food of the Gods, white butter is high in anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties, it boosts immunity and accelerates recovery form any illness or injury. Makkhan is a good source of calcium, Phosphorous along with VitA, and D. It also helps in the absorption of fat- soluble vitamins in the body. White butter in the diet helps people suffering from arthritis. This is why in winters it has traditionally been used with saags and on rotis
I encourage you this winter, to bring back the traditional foods on your plate and rekindle the lost romance, only guiltfree this time. The more we practice ancient foods and traditional culinary wisdom, the better their chances of passing over to the generations to come. This way, not only do we keep the oral traditions alive but also guarantee the gift of better health and well-being to our future generations.
This article was published in Millennium Post as Culinary Warmth in 2019
Also Read:
1. Everything you need to know about Haldi Milk to Boost your Immunity
2. Sweet Bajra Mathri Recipe
3. Simple Ways to Boost your Immunity during Season Change
Confused by the misinformation about potential health problems with traditional Indian foods ? Get in touch with the Best Dietitian in Delhi Madhavi K Sharma is a strong advocate of the holistic, wellness benefits of fresh, local, and traditional Indian foods.
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