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The Best Superfoods to Eat in January

The new year is the time for a fresh start. What better way to begin than to give yourself a nutritional boost to make it through winter? The best superfoods to eat in January are both packed with vitamins and in season.

Key Takeaways:

  • Refreshing your diet with the best superfoods to eat in January can have you beating the winter blues
  • Prioritizing seasonal superfoods in winter means you’ll enjoy fresher, more nutrient-dense, and environmentally friendly benefits
  • January’s superfoods offer vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to boost your overall health

Revamp your diet by adding these nutrient-packed superfoods to feel your best this January. 

Table of Contents:

  • What Are Superfoods?
  • Why Eat Seasonal Superfoods?
  • What Are January’s Best Seasonal Superfoods? 

What Are Superfoods?

No standard criteria or definition elevates a food to a superfood. However, superfoods are generally considered those that are very high in nutrients and low in calories.

Superfoods may contain a high concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Antioxidants naturally occur in certain foods and help neutralize free radicals that can cause chaos in the body.

Why Eat Seasonal Superfoods?

Maximizing the nutrients in your superfoods is as easy as buying fruits and vegetables in season. In addition, shopping for in-season superfoods means they will be less expensive, more environmentally friendly, fresher, and more nutritious. 

Buying seasonal superfoods reduces the need for storage and long transport times, both of which can reduce their nutrient and antioxidant availability. They should also be abundant, making them available at your local grocery store or farmer’s market.

What Are January’s Best Seasonal Superfoods? 

These superfoods are all grown in season during the winter months, making them fresh, nutrient-dense, and readily available at your local store. 

Kale

Kale is packed full of essential vitamins and nutrients. Just one serving of raw kale contains:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin K
  • Potassium
  • Calcium
  • Copper
  • Manganese
  • Magnesium
  • Iron

Additionally, kale only has 33 calories per serving. Like most green, leafy vegetables, kale is also high in antioxidants that can protect your heart and help regulate your body’s inflammatory response.

Winter Squash

Acorn and butternut squash are vibrant and versatile, quickly taking center stage in soups, smoothies, salads, pies, and muffins.

In addition to being adaptable, winter squash is packed full of fiber, magnesium, beta carotenes, and vitamins. As a result, it can support the health of your digestive tract and contains antioxidants for your overall health.

Pomegranate

While berries are one of the most crave-able superfoods of the summer, pomegranates are the juicy super-fruits of the winter. Pomegranates contain edible seeds tightly packed in their flesh that are full of fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. 

Researchers link the health benefits of their tiny red seeds to improving your heart, brain, digestive, and urinary tract health. 

They also support your immune system and may even improve exercise endurance.

Fennel

While fennel is one of those vegetables that people either love or hate, its nutritional value is undeniable. Fennel contains fiber, manganese, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus. 

It’s used to aid digestion, support healthy skin, and serve as a folate-rich food that helps your body create its genetic material.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse and one of the world’s most popular vegetables, and it’s packed with fiber, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and iron. Additionally, it contains more protein than most other vegetables. 

As raw broccoli is 90% water, it’s also low in calories. A cup offers all of the above nutrients in only 31 calories.

Since broccoli is rich in plant compounds and antioxidants that have many health benefits, it’s among January’s most potent superfoods.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are colorful, fragrant, and juicy. Providing a delicious combination of tart and sweet, they also serve a critical role in your daily nutrition. 

Full of vitamin C, fiber, and flavonoids, they can help regulate your inflammatory response, improve your digestion, and boost your overall health. 

On top of their standout nutrients, citrus fruits are also excellent sources of:

  • Potassium
  • Calcium
  • Folate
  • Vitamin B6
  • Magnesium
  • Thiamin
  • Copper
  • Niacin
  • Riboflavin

These impressive nutrients make citrus fruits a vital part of a balanced diet.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts look like tiny, tightly packed cabbages, and their miniature size packs a significant nutritional punch. Full of folate, potassium, and vitamins K, B6, and C, they can quickly help you meet your daily dietary needs.

Like broccoli, Brussels sprouts are cruciferous vegetables boasting high fiber and health-protecting properties. In addition, Brussels sprouts contain glucosinolates, compounds with antioxidant and inflammatory response-regulating properties. 

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are high in the antioxidant beta carotene, raising vitamin A and supporting your vision, growth, and cell reproduction. In addition, they are high in fiber and very filling, which supports weight loss.

One of the distinct benefits of sweet potatoes is their starch content. Sweet potatoes contain three types of starch, rapidly digested, slowly digested, and resistant starch. 

The resistant starch in sweet potatoes acts like fiber in the digestive system, feeding and supporting the gut microbiome, which is critical to your overall health. This starch may increase slightly by cooling them after cooking.

Beets

Beets’ vibrant color and impressive nutritional profile make them a brilliant addition to any diet. High in folate, manganese, and copper, beets provide many nutrients commonly lacking in everyday diets. 

The health benefits of beets include protecting your heart and digestive health, balancing energy, and boosting athletic performance. Additionally, their eye-catching color and earthy flavor are a perfect addition to salads, smoothies, dips, and juices.

Ginger

Ginger sneaks onto our superfood list even though it’s mostly considered to be a spice. Ginger’s impactful health benefits make it an essential addition to any diet.

For centuries, people have used ginger to soothe upset stomachs and boost their immune and digestive systems. Now is the time to introduce ginger to your diet, as roots are best harvested in winter, making them incredibly fresh in January.

Are you feeling the winter blahs? Ginger may increase serotonin and dopamine levels, making it a perfect option to restore your mood and keep you feeling your best.

Don’t Save Superfoods for January

Including seasonal superfoods in your diet is essential all year round. However, you may discover the most benefits from shifting your seasonal diet in January, when your body craves the nutrient-rich foods that are hitting their seasonal peak. 

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