The best in season fruits, vegetables to buy in Canada during the winter
Read on for a list of the best in-season fruits and vegetables you can eat during the Canadian winter.
Winter in Canada can be long, dreary, and lack many fresh fruits and vegetables compared to other seasons.
While many people don't want to wait until summer to pick up fresh produce from the supermarket, there are many fruits and veggies that are actually best during the winter months.
Read on for a list of the best in-season fruits and vegetables you can eat during the Canadian winter.
Why eat seasonally available fruits and vegetables?
You may have heard the adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." But if you eat an apple in May, does it have the same nutritional value as an apple in September? Not really.
Although eating fruits and vegetables of any kind is better than not, you get significantly fewer health benefits if they're not fresh. Studies have shown that fresher produce offers more health benefits than frozen or older produce, providing a more significant source of minerals, antioxidants and vitamins.
Buying seasonally available fruits and vegetables helps ensure the food you're eating is fresh, so you'll get the most out of them — taste wise and nutritionally.
Pomegranate
Pomegranates are available from the fall to the beginning of winter. Popular as an accompaniment to many holiday dishes for their beautiful presentation and sweet flavour, pomegranates are an excellent winter fruit.
Considered to be a superfood, pomegranates have a high amount of antioxidants, which are known to help fight common health conditions such as:
Certain types of cancer, including lung cancer, skin cancer and breast cancer
High cholesterol levels and high blood pressure
In addition, these superfoods can help you avoid common signs of premature aging, such as the formation of fine lines, wrinkles and hair loss.
Carrots
Carrots are delicious and available in a rainbow of colours that provide aesthetic appeal to any dish.
Like pomegranates, carrots contain essential antioxidants that help fight free radicals, known to cause cancer and other health concerns.
Raw carrots are also rich in essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, B6 and Niacin. These nutrients, as well as vitamin A, make carrots a powerful vegetable that can help reduce the risk of vision problems.
Citrus
Although this may come as a surprise, many citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits are in-season during the winter. Despite tasting and appearing deceptively summery, these fruits can help provide flavour to your winter dishes.
Citrus fruits like oranges offer a significant amount of Vitamin C. They also contain other nutritional components, including:
Magnesium
Potassium
Thiamin
Vitamin A
Calcium
Additionally, eating these fruits has been linked to lower risks of rheumatoid arthritis, stomach cancer, lung cancer and stroke.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms come in a wide variety of forms that you can add to just about any winter dish.
Whether you sauté them with leeks (another great winter veggie), add them to soup or bake them in a lasagna, rotating mushrooms into your winter dishes is a great idea.
Moreover, mushrooms are an excellent source of dietary fibre, copper, selenium, potassium and multiple B vitamins. All these nutrients go to work to ensure you have an improved digestive system, build strong bones and maintain a healthy red blood cell count.
Winter squash
Although picking up a whole squash from the grocery store can feel intimidating, don't let these gourds fool you — when prepared right, you'll forget you're even eating vegetables.
There is a wide variety of winter squash types, including:
Butternut squash
Acorn squash
Delicata squash
Pumpkin
Spaghetti squash
It's hard to overstate how healthy squash is, and with essential nutrients like beta-carotene, Vitamin C and dietary fibre, squash can provide numerous health benefits. However, perhaps the most noticeable benefit of eating squash comes from the dietary fibre, which can help keep you regular, improve your bowel health and regulate your blood sugar.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a highly versatile vegetable. You can chop it up and eat it raw with your favourite dip, swap out pasta for cooked cauliflower or smother it in buffalo sauce to make vegan chicken wings.
However you choose to prepare this winter vegetable, cauliflower is packed with essential nutrients including:
Protein
Choline
Vitamin C
Potassium
Calcium
Folate
The benefits of eating cauliflower are immense, as this powerful vegetable aids in improving your immune system, detoxifying your liver, helping with iron absorption, reducing your risk of osteoporosis and more.
Buying winter produce in Canada
In Canada, it's easy to meet your daily fresh produce needs in the spring, summer, and fall. But you may not have realized that with a few new recipes, ingredients and a willingness to learn, it's just as easy to find fresh produce in the winter.
Fruits like oranges, pomegranates and grapefruits offer nutritional benefits like antioxidants and vitamin C. Winter veggies like carrots and cauliflower are a great dose of vitamin A and protein, which helps fill you up and keeps your eyes and digestive health in order.
Consider finding a few delicious new recipes that incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet to reap the benefits of Canada's healthy winter produce.
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