Winter Health Hacks to Focus on Now for 2023
As we enter the dreaded cold, winter months, immune health is top of mind. People are starting to think about New Year’s Resolutions and health goals. Fortunately, there are many things you can be focusing on now to both boost your immune health and overall health in the future. Making these habits part of your daily routine can help boost mood, energy levels, heart health, digestion and more.
Fortunately, if you’re a sweetpotato eater, you’re touching on all of these aspects of health. Sweetpotatoes are high in Vitamins A and C, both of which are great for immune health, as well as disease-fighting and inflammation-reducing antioxidants. Furthermore, the fiber in sweetpotatoes can help with digestion, blood sugar stabilization, diversifying the microbiome and keeping you full.
Here are some things to focus on to improve your health in the coming year:
- Immune Nutrients and Antioxidants
A variety of micronutrients, or vitamins and minerals, contribute to our overall immune health. Vitamin A is often called the “inflammation vitamin” because it decreases inflammation and promotes immunity. It is important to incorporate vitamin A-rich foods into your diet often, as consistent vitamin A intake is important to maintain function in individual immune cells. Besides sweetpotatoes, carrots, winter squash, tomatoes, and red bell pepper all have significant amounts of vitamin A.
Zinc supports the development and function of certain immune cells, such as macrophages, B and T cells, NK cells, and more. Zinc also acts as an antioxidant, meaning it stabilizes cell membranes against potentially harmful molecules in the body. Great dietary sources of zinc include nuts, seeds, legumes, meat, shellfish, dairy, and eggs.
Vitamin C is widely known to support immune health. As an antioxidant, vitamin C also decreases tissue damage and cell death. Vitamin C is found in sweetpotatoes, citrus fruits, and leafy green vegetables.
Iron helps to transport oxygen in red blood cells and is also a key component of the immune cells that initiate the inflammatory response. Iron is concentrated in meat, poultry, and seafood sources, as well as some plant sources, including grains, legumes, and vegetables, like sweetpotatoes. The vitamin C in sweetpotatoes also helps with iron absorption.
Soups can be a tasty way to incorporate these nutrients into your diet, especially during the colder months. Our Jalapeño Sweetpotato Chowder, Sweetpotato Noodle Soup, and Curried Sweetpotato Soup are all delicious and nourishing recipe options.
2. Gut Health
Both probiotics and prebiotics are crucial to a healthy gut, and a healthy gut supports a healthy immune system. Probiotics add new strains of healthy bacteria to the GI tract, while prebiotics help existing bacteria in the GI tract grow and flourish. For this reason, it is important to consume both foods with probiotics and foods with prebiotics.
Fermented foods, like yogurt and sauerkraut, are rich in probiotics, while fibrous foods, like whole grains and sweetpotatoes, supply prebiotics. Both count for a healthy diet!
3. Fiber
Fiber supports digestion and supplies prebiotics to support gut health, which in turn, supports immunity. Furthermore, fiber is supportive for overall health as it aids with digestion, decreases the risk of heart disease, supports blood sugar control and more. Sweetpotatoes, whole grains, nuts, beans, legumes, and fruits and veggies offer good amounts of fiber. To increase your fiber intake, try adding produce to a smoothie, using fruits or vegetables in baked goods, or visiting your local farmer’s market to discover new options.
4. Exercise
While each exercise session doesn’t have to be intense and sweat-dropping, getting consistent exercise in each week is important for your health and may even help strengthen your immune system. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week (think 30 minutes per day, five days each week) with at least two days of some type of resistance training.