Nutritionally Healthy Winter Superfoods

Winter is fast coming... and with it comes a lot of delicious, seasonal food & drink. Your Christmas Pudding, your Christmas roast, your bottle(s!) of wine over the Christmas period; it all adds up, and come New Year's Eve, you're already vowing to lose what you've put on over Christmas. But, why not try it the other way around this year? You don't have to remove from your diet everything you enjoy, but below are a few ideas of Winter Superfoods that are great for this time of the year, and won't leave you regretting eating them come New Year's! 1 - Dark Hot Chocolate. Strictly not a food, but who can turn down a hot chocolate when the cold starts to set in! For each single cup of hot chocolate, finely slice 25g of dark chocolate (if you need more chocolate, simply add it). Measure a beaker full of water/milk (your preference), and heat on the hob on a medium-low, or low setting. Carefully add the chocolate (before the milk/water is warm), and bring the liquid to a warm temperature. This is the point in which you can add spices to your hot chocolate if you want to. Continue to stir the mixture with a whisk, making sure there are no small black flecks in the mixture; this is unmelted chocolate. If the temperature gets too high, and you are worried that the chocolate may burn, take the pot off the hob and stir while letting the temperature reduce. As soon as there is no sign of unmelted chocolate, turn off the heat and pour into your cup immediately. This is a great Superfood because dark chocolate is high in vitamins, actually makes you feel happier (an active incredient, phenylethylamine, encourages your brain to release endorphins), and studies have shown that dark chocolate also reduces your blood pressure. 2 - Cabbage. Cabbage is known worldwide as one of the most essential vegetables in the world from the point of view of nutritional benefits, and also cancer-fighting ability. Cabbage possesses phytochemicals such as indoles, which help metabolize estrogens. , it's also a great source of Vitamins C and K, as well as a good source of dietary fibre, vitamin B6, and manganese. What's brilliant is that Cabbage is already a part of your Christmas dinner, so no extra planning is necessary!  3 - Roast Tatties - The Roast Potatoes have got to be a part of any Christmas Dinner, let's be honest! However, potatoes have got a bit of a bad reputation in the modern nutrition world, due to their high starch content, but potatoes are great! They contain no fat or cholesterol, have 3 grams of protein per medium potato, 2 grams of fibre (this is with the skin on), which may aid in weight loss, lower blood cholesterol levels, and decrease the risk of heart disease. A medium-sized potato also contains 45% of your Daily Value of Vitamin C, and 18% of your Daily Value of potassium.