Battle winter blues with healthy foods

Home food preservationists feel especially grateful in January, for having spent countless autumn hours canning, pickling, fermenting, drying and vacuum packaging their garden or local farmer's market produce. Ingredients are typically more identifiable and easier to pronounce than the generic commercially available or "temporarily unavailable" grocery store item. Few things compare to the gratification of consuming something that has been planted, fed, weeded, watered, picked and prepared by your own hands. If that's not your jam, there are other ways to commit to healthy eating this winter.

Let's begin by defining, "healthy eating." It means eating a variety of foods that provide adequate nutrients to maintain good health, make you feel good and that provide enough energy to allow you to complete every-day tasks. The challenge comes when we provide balance between our calorie intake and our physical output.

Shorter, colder winter days have many of us contemplating whether a bag of sour cream potato chips suffices for a serving of vegetables and does carrying the empty bag to the garbage, qualify as moderate exercise. Making a commitment to feel better, means committing to eating better.

Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages "Building a Healthy Eating Pattern" program that includes eating a mix of foods across all food groups: proteins, vegetables, fruits, dairy (low-fat) and grains (whole). Limiting sodium, fats and sugar is also encouraged.

Once you have committed to adopting a healthy eating pattern, you can focus on what would make that more appealing and sustainable to you. Maybe you would like to explore more exotic flavors and spices using peppers, citrus and yogurt. Waking winter weary taste buds, may be the start of your culinary adventure into exotic lands without leaving your kitchen.

Purchasing a small amount of a new spice in the grocery store bulk aisle, is an inexpensive and safe way to escape a boring salt and pepper existence. Combining contrasting flavors and colors to your plate adds visual appeal that translates to an "anything but boring" dinner.

For example, try creating a meal using only purple foods. Purple foods such as blueberries, kale, cauliflower, grapes and eggplant contain anthocyanin the antioxidants that help prevent and repair cell damage. Eating them also contributes to better brain health.

Deep, orange-colored vegetables such as butternut and acorn squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and peppers are great sources of vitamin C, potassium and folate which is important to red blood cell formation.

Lastly, include "Mindful Eating" on your list of New Year's resolutions. When you truly slow down and think about your food, and why you are eating it, you are building a better relationship with food. It's a good way to honor your health by recognizing hunger and respecting fullness.

In the slower pace of winter months, try engaging your senses more in your surroundings-smells, textures, flavors and colors. By making this a regular practice, you may find yourself becoming more relaxed, less anxious and more hopeful about the future.

Eat healthy and stay safe everyone!