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Winter’s Best Superfoods

Broccoli

One cup cooked supplies 276 per cent of daily vitamin K needs. This may help regulate your body’s vitamin D levels – especially key during the winter, when circulating levels of vitamin D dip. Broccoli also provides phytochemicals called glucosinolates that research shows may ward off cancer.

How to eat it: Add to a chicken or beef stir-fry served over multigrain rice.

 

Brussels sprouts

These mini cabbages supply blood-cholesterol lowering fibre. One cooked cup also provides almost 100 per cent of your daily vitamin C need and almost as much vitamin K as broccoli does.

How to eat it: Lightly steaming allows the fibre in Brussels sprouts to go to work regulating cholesterol levels.

 

Cabbage

Cabbage contains sinigrin, a phytonutrient that may help prevent cancer, while red cabbage offers anthocyanins, potentially helping lower the risk of chronic ailments.

How to eat it: Shred cabbage for a healthy taco topping.

 

Cauliflower

A member of the cruciferous vegetable family, cauliflower contains phytonutrients called indoles, which studies show may lower cancer risk. One cup cooked packs more than 90 per cent of your daily vitamin C need. Try purple, orange, or green for a hit of antioxidants.

How to eat it: Steam, then mash, cauliflower for a mashed potato substitute.

 

Kale

It’s loaded with a compound called xeathanthin, which may help prevent age-related loss of vision. One cup cooked supplies more than 1,000 per cent of your recommended dietary intake for vitamin K and more than 25 per cent of your recommended dietary intake for manganese, which may help protect your body’s cells against aging.

How to eat it: Kale is best cooked by steaming, which helps activate its cholesterol-lowering fiber in your gut.

 

Onions

Red and yellow onions come loaded with a flavonoid called quercetin, which some research shows may combat inflammation resulting from heavy workouts.

How to eat it: Sauté or roast onions to bring out flavour while retaining the quercetin.

 

Sweet Potatoes

Rich in carbs, they have a low glycaemic index when boiled (not baked), helping keep blood-sugar levels steady. A medium sweet potato also contains about the same runner-friendly potassium as a banana.

How to eat it: Bake and drizzle with honey and cinnamon for a prerun snack.

 

Pumpkin

From butternut and Kent to Queensland blue, pumpkins include a wealth of potassium and beta-carotene. They also supply fibre, vitamin C, and various B vitamins.

How to eat it: Use a mandolin to slice pumpkin into spaghetti-like strips and serve with your favourite pasta sauce.

 

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