F IVE FOODS TO KEEP YOU WARM

1. Add some fire with ginger.

Spice your day up with ginger, an inexpensive root that’s available all yearround in any grocery store. Ginger increases your circulation, boosts your energy and speeds up your digestion. Sneaking this into your daily routine will help you stay more active and energetic in the cold.

“Ginger is so fantastic. If I’m juicing or making smoothies, I add a bit of ginger. It’s delicious with a beet and carrot juice, or a chocolate or green smoothie,” says Landin. You can also just slice it up and throw it into a soup; it matches perfectly with carrots and squash.

2. Savour the richness of squash.

Indulging in winter squash is a delicious way of boosting your nutrition and energy; it’s inexpensive and everywhere at this time of year. Warming spices, like nutmeg and cayenne, pair beautifully with squash providing a powerful boost to your digestion, making it easier to keep your body moving and avoid energy slumps.

Landin recommends making a ginger squash soup and adding a bit of coconut oil.

“Coconut isn’t local, but it’s rich in healthy fats. Richer foods give more insulation and you need that in the cold,” explains Landin.

3. Give cabbage a chance.

The perennial underdog of vegetables, cabbage is anything but boring. “One of my favourite things to make in the winter time is a cabbage slaw. You just use grated carrots, grated beets and cabbage and maybe add some apples,” says Landin.

Cabbage is high in vitamin K, which keeps your bones strong, important for activity on icy sidewalks or slopes. It also has a long shelf life in the fridge. Sauerkraut is another grand way to consume cabbage. A really healthy winter food that’s fun for the whole family to make, all you need is cabbage and salt and a little bit of time, says Landin. “My six-year-old made sauerkraut!”

4. Munch on some healthy fats.

Healthy fats are a real thing — not an oxymoron — and vital to winter diets. When in doubt, go for the nuts. Plenty of walnuts and hazelnuts arrive from B.C. this time of year. Hemp seeds are a great source of healthy fats and they’re high in omega-3 fatty acids known for their anti-inflammatory effect.

Kelsey Hagan, a registered dietitian with Revive Wellness, suggests swapping out your peanut butter for sunflower seed butter. The seeds are high in vitamins E and C — essential in keeping your immune system strong in the months where the flu is on everything and everywhere.

5. Indulge in vanilla and chocolate.

Forget the hot chocolate mix this winter. Nature’s got you covered. Cacao — where chocolate comes from — and vanilla are naturally warming and satisfy a common need for creamy sweets in the winter. And the list is endless for easy ways to incorporate them into your cold-weather routine.

Landin suggests using both vanilla and cacao in hot drinks. “You could make a warm drink of almond milk with cacao, ginger and vanilla powder. Or throw in some ginger, vanilla bean and licorice root into hot water and simmer it for a while for a nice tea — and make your whole place smell amazing.”