Winter foods are more than just a rich variety of delicious and healthy options to meet our nutritional needs.
Winter foods are more than a rich variety of delicious and healthy options to meet our nutritional needs. Some are particularly beneficial in strengthening the body against diseases that afflict us more in the winter, and some are even considered therapeutic for various ailments. Do you know the most popular ones with these properties?
Cabbage has many trace elements and minerals, it is caustic and particularly warming. That is why its boiled juice (cabbage soup) is beneficial for cough, hoarseness, bronchitis and flu. Its broth, as well as the whole boiled salad, cleanses the body of toxins and alcohol in intoxication. Its raw leaves are particularly beneficial as poultices in skin diseases, eczema, pimples and epidemics with skin problems, in burn wounds, but also in headache, joint pain, neuralgia. Historical sources even mention its use as a basic medicine by the ancient Greeks (Pythagoras ate cabbage and gave it to his students), Romans, and Chinese.
Broccoli and cauliflower, since they belong to the same cruciferous family as cabbage, have similar ingredients and beneficial properties. They come from wild cabbages and contain the healing sulfur (S) that cleanses the body and detoxifies the blood and liver. Studies have shown that they work against cancer and heart disease, so much so that they are considered superfoods.
Carrots, raw as well as cooked, are best known for their good eyesight, as they are a rich source of vitamin A. However, they are very beneficial for the good functioning of the brain in general, like all autumn roots (radish, beetroot, turnips ), providing him with the necessary salts. They are also known to help with tanning and perhaps less well known to act as a preventative against cancer and to increase fertility.
Radishes, especially the bitter ones, are beneficial for infections, fevers and skin diseases (eczema, acne, psoriasis). They are detoxifying and cleanse the liver. They contain many trace elements and vitamins.
Celery, and especially celery root, is one of the most nutritious foods. They have a lot of trace elements and help with stones (kidney and gall) and joints. They were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans for their action on the liver and stomach. Try celery root and chestnut or sweet potato soup!
Apples have iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P), which is why they turn black (oxidize) quickly. They help with diseases of the intestine and the digestive system. They are good for gums, nerves (they are calming), hypertension, diabetes and pleurisy. An apple a day is the doctor's call, as the saying goes, as long as it's organic, and it gets plenty of sprinkles.
Pomegranate, red like blood, purifies the blood and has an anti-cancer effect. A symbol of fertility and abundance, it has plant estrogen and helps with fertility. It has phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) and is good for bones, intestinal diseases, but also helps brain function. Try it with grated beets and walnuts.
The list of beneficial winter foods also includes other fruits with "healthy" calories, nuts, legumes and whole grains, vegetables and herbs.
In Chinese medicine but also in the therapeutic traditions of other peoples, these foods are believed to have warming properties and help to avoid diseases and to deal with the increased winter viruses, bringing a balance and harmonization of the body with the season of the year.
In any case, they are the foods that nature offers us at this time and our body will be healthier if it prefers them**! Of course, the best for this are the local ones, i.e. those grown in the area, and the organic ones, i.e. those that grow naturally, without, or with as little as possible, chemicals.
Article from https://food.wwf.gr/
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