Eating Healthy with the Winter Harvest

There is more to fall than pumpkin spice, and more ways to enjoy the flavor of the season than in a pastry. To lose weight in Scottsdale and Phoenix this winter, find out what fruits and vegetables are in season near you.

Every year as winter fades away, people start to talk about the fruits and vegetables that sprout as part of the new birth of the fresh season. During the springtime it is commonplace to hear about healthy eating strategies that concern eating local and fresh fruits and vegetables, but by the time the first frost strikes those ideas are typically long gone.

Eating seasonal is a year-round feat. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables that are freshly grown throughout the fall and even into the winter. Adjusting your eating habits during the cooler months of the year to accommodate the growing calendar can help you explore new foods as you eat healthy all year round.

The fall is actually a great time of year for vegetables in Arizona, as the slightly cooler temperatures will alleviate watering needs, but the frost is not typically so severe as to interfere with the plants ability to thrive. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, this means that local farmer’s markets will be overflowing with plenty of fall favorites.

This winter, be on the lookout for fresh and locally grown vegetables like:

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Peas
• Radishes

These vegetables can be incorporated as a component of any healthy weight loss program. Learning how to cook fresh vegetables and bringing ingredients like these into your daily meals can encourage long-term health goals, in addition to supporting your weight loss efforts. These vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals that will help keep your energy levels high and your immune system strong.

So often we turn to pastries and hot chocolate to please our pallets during the cold winter months, but if you want to stay healthy this season then you may have to find a new way to satisfy your taste buds. Adjusting eating habits to in-season vegetables like those listed above can actually help with your budget as well. Vegetables that are in season are typically in abundance at the store and therefore are pushed out the door at reduced prices. Eating healthy doesn’t mean always eating the same thing. Try out a few varieties of the veggies listed above and give your meal a fresh taste of the winter season.