5 Winter Superfoods

Learn about these 5 winter superfoods, why you should be incorporating them into your diet and plenty of recipes to get you started!

I’m excited to be partnering with Udi’s again this year to bring you guys lots of gluten free and informational goodness over the next 12 months. This post is the first of the year and since it’s January, let’s dive into the health benefits of winter superfoods!

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Winter is coming here! (who are my GOT fans that got that little innuendo? How many more weeks do we have to wait for the next season?!) Ok, ok back to winter superfoods.

Winter is pretty much a wasteland in NY when it comes to local seasonal produce but, there are a few and if we broaden the whole “local” thing a bit we can find some awesomely nutritious superfoods, some you might not have even realized were a superfood, to chow down on while we count down the days till spring.

5 Winter Superfoods To Incorporate In Your Diet

Brussels Sprouts

Hopefully by now you’ve realized soggy little cabbage balls are a thing of the past and brussels sprouts can be awesomely delicious. If not, WAKE UP!

While you can find them year round, brussels sprouts peak season is fall to mid-winter which means they’re cheapest right now, yay! Brussels are packed with fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants.

brussels sprouts recipes to try out:
brussels sprouts pumpkin and apple hash | roasted garlic beet hummus with brussels sprouts chips

Grapefruit

It’s actually not just grapefruit, but a lot of citrus is a great, seasonal superfood right now. We all know citrus is loaded with vitamin C but grapefruit also has its fair share of vitamin A and fiber as well. Flavonoids in citrus fruits help fight free radicals in the body and aid in iron absorption.

grapefruit recipes to try out:
pickled fennel citrus salad (twofer! grapefruit + fennel!) | chopped carrot citrus salad (<–use grapefruit in place of blood oranges) | sparkling grapefruit jello
or – check out these 3 ways to use grapefruit for some out of the box ideas!

Kale

Kale is so 2012, I know. But, but… It’s really an amazing leafy green. In fact, all dark leafy greens (swiss chard, collard greens, etc.) can really be included here if you’re that offended by the insinuation of eating kale in 2016.

Dark greens almost always mean lots of antioxidants and kale is no exception. Besides that, it’s a great source of folate (attention, preggo ladies) and iron.

Kale recipes to try out:
sriracha kale caesar salad | smashed white bean and kale quesadillas | pizza kale chips

Fennel

This is a fun one, right?! Usually if you’re not a licorice fan, you’re not too keen on fennel either. Weirdly, I don’t like licorice but adore fennel, particularly when it’s roasted. Guess I’m one of the weirdos. Truth be told though, fennel is a bit milder than licorice and a great, bright addition to salads and such so don’t dismiss it just because you’re not a licorice lover.

Like many others on this list, fennel is a good source of vitamin C, fiber, folate and boasts a healthy bit of potassium too.

Fennel recipes to try out:
fennel chicken cheddar panini | roasted strawberry couscous | radicchio endive fennel salad

Pomegranate

The jewel of winter! Pomegranates get a bit of a bad rap for their complicated insides but suck it up, buttercup, this fruit is worth the hassle of de-seeding. Either do it in a bowl of water or cut into quarters and kind of separate gently with your hands. Just be ok with a messy murder scene-esque on your counter afterwards, it’s all part of the pomegranate charm.

There are lots of antioxidants in each one of these fruits along with potassium, vitamin C (are we seeing a theme yet?) and beta carotene.

pomegranate recipes to try out:
pomegranate flank steak | barley butternut squash salad | orange pomegranate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.