Anti-inflammatory veggies are nutrient-packed and can help you feel better after holiday celebrating.These in-season vegetables are at their peak ripeness, flavor and nutritional content.From cabbage and carrots to beets and cauliflower, eating these veggies also has long-term health benefits.<\/p>\n
I love the holiday season, but after the start of the new year, I usually feel pretty worn out from all the celebrating. While I would never swear off special holiday treats, they\u2019re generally higher in sodium, added sugar and saturated fats than my typical eating pattern. So, to get back to my routine and feel my best, I turn to anti-inflammatory foods<\/a>, especially veggies, that are nutrient-packed and help quell these pesky symptoms. To help me get back to feeling my best, here are six anti-inflammatory vegetables I stock up on after the holidays.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Cabbage <\/p>\n Here at EatingWell, we love cabbage. We use it in everything from Caesar salad riffs<\/a> to creamy casseroles<\/a>. And that\u2019s one of the main reasons I love cabbage so much\u2014it\u2019s so versatile. If I have a head of cabbage in my fridge, chances are I\u2019ll find a way to incorporate it into whatever I\u2019m having for dinner that night. It\u2019s also really filling and satisfying, thanks to the ample fiber it contains. Plus, its price point is tough to beat, and it lasts for up to 10 days<\/a> in the fridge. Any variety of cabbage<\/a> is a healthy addition to your plate, but opting for purple cabbage will give you an extra dose of inflammation-fighting anthocyanins.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Carrots <\/p>\n You may have heard that carrots will help you maintain healthy vision, and there might actually be some truth to that. Carrots are rich in beta carotene<\/a>, an antioxidant your body can convert into vitamin A. Getting enough carotenoids supports healthy immune function, vision, and skin, and diets high in colorful produce are linked with better heart health. And you can often find them at the grocery store for less than $1 per pound, making them a perfect anti-inflammatory yet budget-friendly veg. Add them to dishes like our Curried Carrot & Apple Soup<\/a> or our Skillet Pork Chops with Peas, Carrots & Pearl Onions<\/a>, or roast them up on their own as a side. Lately, I\u2019ve been making our Sheet-Pan Carrots & Chickpeas with Tahini<\/a> on repeat and can\u2019t get enough.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Leafy Greens <\/p>\n It\u2019s probably not a surprise to hear that leafy greens are healthy<\/a>. They\u2019re packed with fiber, vitamins and nutrients like folate, calcium, potassium and magnesium. But did you know that many leafy greens\u2014like kale, chard, collards and arugula<\/a>\u2014are actually in season during the colder weather months? This means that the bunch or bag of greens you’re buying was picked at peak ripeness, taste and nutrition.\n<\/p>\n One thing I appreciate about leafy greens is that they\u2019re easy to add to recipes. You can stir them into a soup or toss them into a pasta or stir-fry right before serving. And, even easier yet, you can toss them in a bowl with your favorite homemade vinaigrette<\/a> for an easy and nutrient-dense side salad.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Brussels Sprouts <\/p>\n Brussels sprouts<\/a> are in the cruciferous vegetable family and, botanically, they\u2019re closely related to cabbage\u2014which makes sense, since they look like little mini-cabbages. Roasted Brussels sprouts<\/a> are synonymous with winter to me. I love to garden, and they\u2019re one of the few plants I know I can let grow even through the first snowfall. They\u2019re flavorful, comforting and simple to prepare, especially when using one of our Brussels sprouts side recipes<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Beets <\/p>\n Beets get a bad rap, but I\u2019m convinced it\u2019s because of the way that many people prepare them. Boiled or canned beets can tend to be a little mushy and waterlogged, but roasted beets<\/a> get a crisp exterior and a tender, candy-sweet interior that lends itself to so many dishes, from salads<\/a> to pastas<\/a>. They\u2019re a cost-effective vegetable that can last for up to two weeks in the fridge if stored properly<\/a>, so you don\u2019t have to worry as much about food waste. And when it comes to inflammation-fighting vegetables, beets are pretty tough to beat<\/a> (pun intended). Beets<\/a> are high in betalains, a class of antioxidants commonly found in produce with a deep red and purple color. They\u2019ve been linked to reducing levels of inflammation, lowering heart disease risk, and even helping protect against certain kinds of cancers. Beets are also naturally rich in nitrates<\/a>, which have been linked to improved circulation and blood flow.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Cauliflower <\/p>\n While I don\u2019t believe that cauliflower<\/a> is an identical stand-in for things like pizza dough, rice or Buffalo wings, it is a vegetable that can easily be made delicious. But its versatility is only one of the reasons why it\u2019s one veg that I love to have on hand. One cup of cauliflower offers nearly 75% of your daily needs of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and 20% of your daily vitamin K needs. It\u2019s also low in calories and carbohydrates but high in fiber, which may support weight loss if that\u2019s your goal. Plus, it\u2019s super easy to keep a big bag of frozen cauliflower in the freezer for an easy and quick way to add veggies to meals. And while it might sound weird, you can even use frozen cauliflower in our Berry-Banana Cauliflower Smoothie<\/a> to get started on your daily veggie intake at breakfast.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Seasonal and Affordable <\/p>\n Most\u2014if not all\u2014vegetables offer fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that provide some anti-inflammatory benefits, including vegetables that are in season during the winter months. But eating more of these vegetables doesn\u2019t have to break the bank. One of the reasons I love shopping for foods that are in season is because grocery stores typically offer sales on produce that\u2019s more readily available. Additionally, in-season foods are at their peak ripeness and flavor, which is a win-win if you ask me.\n<\/p>\n Our Expert Take\u00a0 <\/p>\n Eating in a way that meets your nutritional goals can be easy, delicious and aligned with your budget, and these vegetables are proof. They\u2019re versatile, packed with anti-inflammatory compounds and might even be on sale at your local grocery store during the winter months. To help me feel my best after a long holiday break, I\u2019ll be stocking my fridge with them and using them in my meal plan wherever I can.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anti-inflammatory veggies are nutrient-packed and can help you feel better after holiday celebrating.These in-season vegetables are at their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[134,111,139,556,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-216403","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}