Crunch your way through the winter (From Smallholder)

Crunch your way through the winter

3:36pm Tuesday 8th November 2011 in Grow your Own

As garden plants fade away and allotments are ‘put to bed’, the colourful summer produce now seems just a memory. However, keeping our winter diet heaped with antioxidant and nutrient-rich fruit and veg is still important, as shown in a new Canadian study. Researchers at the McGill University found that people who have certain genes that put them at a greater risk of a heart attack and cardiovascular disease could reduce this risk through eating a diet rich in fruit and, in particular, raw vegetables. Their findings bring more evidence of the benefits of eating your 5-a-day, every day, so here are some ideas to keep your veg intake up during the wintry months ahead.

When cooking, chop up some extra carrots, peppers, cucumber, courgettes and celery sticks. Pop them in a small plastic pot to snack on next day at home, work or when out and about. With some low-fat hummus or yoghurt-based dips and slices of wholemeal pitta bread, crunchy veg will also make a tasty lunch.

Salads can still feature on the winter menu, so toss up some spinach and lettuce leaves, chicory, cherry tomatoes, beetroot, baby corn and grated carrot. Make your own coleslaw with low-fat mayonnaise, making a pink version with red cabbage for a change.

Steam your veg to preserve nutrients, try green and red cabbage, kale and broccoli. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables and add peas, sweetcorn, broad or French beans to your pasta dishes.

Stir-fries easily get vegetables on the table; sizzle up some mushrooms, beansprouts, pak choi, peppers and other veg in rapeseed oil, with tofu or chicken, a little soy sauce and Chinese spices.

Soups will help even the most reluctant veg eaters get part of their 5-a-day. Whiz up a heart-warming soup with parsnips, butternut squash, pumpkin, celeriac, turnips, onions, peppers or any type of beans or lentils, seasoned with herbs and spices.

You can’t change your genes but you can have a huge influence on your risk of developing heart disease by keeping your lifestyle heart-healthy. This includes a healthy intake of colourful fruit and veg, even in winter, so get crunching on those carrot and celery sticks.