Winter is Coming! Sanjeev Kapoor Shares What You MUST Add In Your Diet During This Season

Are your warm garments and blankets ready for the upcoming winter season? Without a nutrition plan that keeps you warm from the inside out and boosts your immunity, your winter to-do list would be incomplete. Winter can aggravate certain health disorders, such as arthritis, as well as skin conditions such as seasonal itch, dryness, and windburn. With the impending winter season and increased appetites, now is the time to stock up on seasonal fruits and vegetables.Also Read – Winter Tips: Here’s How You Pick The Right Handwash in Chilly Season While Ensuring Protection

Seasonal food has always been an Indian specialty – we switch our choice in fruits, vegetables, sometimes even grains with the onset of a different season. The preference for using specific ingredients during certain climates is visible in our sweets as well. It’s common to find local and traditional delicacies made of jaggery, instead of sugar during the winters. Case in point – the Nolen Gur Rasgulla, a specialty made in Odisha and West Bengal between November to February. Also Read – 2021 Travel Essentials For Men: How To Look Stylish And Dapper in Winter

Celebrity chef, Sanjeev Kapoor, strongly advocates this need of eating seasonal produce. He says, “The beauty of our food is in our seasonal usage of fruits and vegetables. If you realise, Gajar ka halwa is made aplenty during winters as this is the season when beautiful red carrots hit the market or mango pickle is made during summer, thanks to its availability. Also Read – Badaam Ke Fayde: Should You Have Soaked Almonds in Winter?

Despite people and sometimes, even me, suggesting that we should eat fresh as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables, we do not know what chemicals are sprayed on them to keep them safe while they are growing. When this produce hits the market, there isn’t a certifying agency like the FSSAI that will help people understand what vegetables and fruits are free of pesticides and germs and which ones don’t. Hence, the onus lies on us to make them safe for consumption. ITC’s Nimwash is a good solution.”

When it comes to winters, the Chef recommends eating these fruit and vegetables:

1. Purple Mogri – Mogri or Radish pods are not a common sight throughout the country. But you can spot them during the winters in local markets in northern India where women pick them up to make raitas, curries, and stir-fries. Rich in magnesium, calcium, and copper, the vegetable is known to aid people with digestive problems.
2. Sweet Potato – A re-discovered favourite, Sweet potatoes have created a space for themselves in the millennial kitchen. With its diverse addition in burgers, chips, and even chat, the root vegetable is filled with nutrients such as fibres and vitamins.
3. Avarekalu – Called Hyacinth beans in English, Avarekalu is a winter specialty in the south that is added to sambhar, saagu, rotis, etc. Bangalore is famed for its Averakalu mela during the winter months, where you can find these beans in dosas, Pani puri, and even Jalebis! Thronged by crowds from all over the city, the food fest is a gourmand’s delight.
4. Amla -The Indian gooseberry is a common winter fruit found throughout the country. High in Vitamin C, it is known to be immunity-building and extremely beneficial for the skin and hair. There are multiple ways to eat Amla, it is pickled, made into a fruit preserve called Murraba, or even eaten by sprinkling salt over it.

(With inputs from IANS)