A Guide on Eating During the Winter Season

Soon, it’ll be frosty outside - if it isn’t already - and your favorite fuzzy socks will make their annual appearance. Blustering winds will keep you cuddled up by your fireplace sipping hot chocolate and watching a classic movie from your childhood. Perhaps you’ll have Mariah or Michael playing in the background as those holiday decorations claim their spot in your house for the next month or so.

Taking the kids to see lights, singing your favorite songs, (socially distanced) gatherings in celebration, giving to charity, spreading joy with a little something special...the list goes on and on. But brown paper packages all tied up with string is not the end of our list of favorite things.

Whether you celebrate the season with a tree, menorah, kinara, yule log, or none of the above, every walk of life seeks out family and feasts during the holidays. At OWL, we are no different. Food is important to us - the kind of foods, where they come from, how they’re grown. Because food is what nourishes and fuels our bodies.

Grey skies and bare trees can get gloomy after a few weeks. Lighten up your dishes with some winter citrus, or add some zing to those thick sauces and hearty roasts with a bit of horseradish. Roast your veggies, marinate and sauté your roots - there are plenty of ways to get creative with these winter crops.

We’ve put together a list of in-season winter foods with which to decorate your plate. Many of our Fall favorites stick around for another season, and a handful of our Summer picks make a reappearance. Here’s what we found on our trip to the farmer’s market in preparation for this winter.

FRUITS

• Apples
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Dates
• Grapefruit
• Kiwifruit
• Lemons
• Limes
• Oranges
• Pears
• Pineapples
• Pomegranate

VEGETABLES

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Collard Greens
• Kale
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Rutabagas
• Sweet Potatoes & Yams
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips
• Winter Squash (Acorn, Butternut, Delicata & Kabocha)

Spice Up Your Holiday

Add some personality and flavor to your winter dishes with powerful antioxidants to fortify your immune system. The following flavor boosters are packed with compounds that fight inflammation, and some have been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries.

• Cilantro
• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Onion
• Turmeric

Shop Local

Seasonal shopping means that you have more opportunities to support local growers. Buying from your local farmers market is the best way to ensure fresh, in-season produce. An added bonus - you know that your money goes back into their farming practices, funding their ability to produce crops in an environmentally friendly manner. You’re also saving money by purposefully buying produce that is plentiful instead of hard-to-find, out-of-season foods at the grocery store. Take care of your community while taking care of your nutrition.

Stay Hydrated, Stay Active

We often forget about hydration in the winter because it’s not hot, we don’t sweat as much, and we’re inside most of the day. Staying hydrated even when it’s dry and cold outside will keep your body functioning normally, and help you feel great while snuggling up by the fire. Plus, this will keep your digestion running smoothly after your rich holiday meals. Continue the healthy habit of getting plenty of water this season so that you can enjoy all the activities that come with it.

And speaking of activity, don’t quit your fitness routine just because the sun stays away for longer. Subscribing to a regular movement routine will help keep sickness at bay as well as any seasonal blues that might creep up from time to time. We’re in the home stretch of a tough year - do everything you can to maintain a healthy gut, a healthy mind, and a healthy body.

Our bottom line: eat well, live well, love life.

The 7 Day Winter Meal Plan

A WEEK-LONG MEAL PLAN DESIGNED BY OWL HEALTH COACHES CELEBRATING THE WARMING FLAVORS OF THE WINTER CHILL

Stay warm with roasted roots, flavorful soups, and spiced fruits. The winter produce lineup is similar to that of the proceeding season, and this Meal Plan continues to celebrate the flavors of fall but with an emphasis on comforting, healing, and warming ingredients. As we all know, the winter season brings with it runny noses and scratchy throats, so consuming foods that strengthen our natural defenses, stoke digestive fire, and nourish our bodies is of utmost importance. As healing as it is delicious, this 7 Day Meal Plan is full of warmth to brighten your days during these colder months.

Julie Weller

Julie is a self-made writer on a forever journey of fitness and health. As a high school music teacher, she has seen and experienced the challenges of maintaining good health while simultaneously balancing a career and healthy relationships.

Julie has always lived a healthy and active lifestyle. She loves the outdoors, hiking, and camping. Over the years she has continued to learn smarter and better ways to take care of her body while continuing to do the things that make her smile. Naturally, all of her teacher friends wanted to know how she did it - what was her secret?

Julie found herself explaining over and over everything she'd learned in her research, and sharing her experiences through trial and error. Her friends would take her advice, try some new things, and then come back to ask how to take it to the next level.

"You should charge for this kind of information!" Became a constant phrase, and so began her career of writing to share her knowledge with the world through health and wellness companies looking to spread healing and healthy habits within their communities. Now Julie gets to combine two of the things she enjoys most - writing and wellness - and use them to affect change in a real way.

When not making music with her kiddos, or writing wellness tips for a higher quality of life, you can find her reading, hiking, drumming, and fitnessing