Seasonal nutrition

Eating seasonally

Although we’re in the midst of Veganuary, a plant-focused eating pattern doesn’t need to mean adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet. Rather, it’s about placing emphasis on eating more plant foods and fewer animal products.

From an environmental point of view, even just a 30% shift towards more plants on our plates will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and water and energy use. Little changes can have a big impact.

Let’s look to some of the delicious local produce on offer throughout the British winter such as apples, aubergines, beetroot, cabbages, cauliflower, carrots, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pears, potatoes and swedes. Many of these are perennial, but the star of the show really has to be the glut of often underrated root vegetables available to us at this time of year.

ROOT VEGETABLES

While they might not be the most glamorous of produce, root vegetables are familiar, comforting and highly nutritious. They pack in essential minerals such as potassium and manganese, as well as vitamins A and C.

Sadly though, vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and swedes are often misinterpreted and avoided due to their higher carbohydrate content. However, carbohydrates in the form of fibre and starch that are found in whole, natural fruits and vegetables shouldn’t be feared. In fact, these complex carbohydrates are crucial for gut health.

This is because dietary fibre and resistant starch can’t be digested in the small intestine. Instead, they pass intact through to the large intestine where they are fermented by the bacteria that live in the gut. By-products of this fermentation process are short-chain fatty acids, and these beneficial compounds help to maintain the lining of the gut and provide the cells that line the colon with a food source.

On top of this, these bacteria (often referred to as the gut microbiota) protect us from harmful pathogens that cause sickness, train the immune system in our early years, and contribute to many of our metabolic functions.

Although we don’t yet have a clear picture of all of the mechanisms the trillions of microbes living in our gut are involved in, one thing we do know is that microbial diversity in the gut is associated with positive health outcomes. One way we can increase our microbial diversity is by eating a diverse range of plant foods.

Claire Hunter, MFHT, is a nutritional therapy practitioner. Since qualifying in 2020, she has been helping people living on plant-based diets to optimise their nutrition and maximise their gut health.

gonutsaboutnutrition.com

WARMING ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP

(SERVES 4, GENEROUSLY)

INGREDIENTS

n 2 leeks n 2 carrots n 2 stalks of celery n 2 medium potatoes n 1 parsnip n 1 swede n 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil n 2 cloves of garlic, crushed n ½ tbsp freshly grated ginger n ½ tbsp turmeric powder n 1 tsp cumin powder n 1 tsp ground coriander seed n ½ tsp red chilli flakes n 1.5 litres of vegetable stock n Salt and pepper n To garnish – fresh coriander, chopped

METHOD

1. Wash, peel, trim, and dice the vegetables into roughly 1-inch cubes. 2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the leeks, carrots and celery for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. 3. Add in the crushed garlic, grated ginger and other spices, and cook for a further 2 minutes, before adding the remaining vegetables and stock. 4. Cover the pot and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. 5. Remove the soup from the heat and leave to cool for ten minutes before transferring to a food processor and blending (you may need to work in batches). Alternatively, an immersion blender will do the job.* 6. Season to taste and serve topped with the chopped coriander alongside some crusty bread.

*If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can omit the blending step, or alternatively, blend half of the mixture and then combine back together. T