10 Foods That Get Sweeter When It’s Cold: From Tangerines to Mussels

The nutrients in the food we eat vary depending on the season. People look for in-season foods, even if they eat the same food. Many people think of warm soup dishes in the winter, but many dishes benefit health and taste good in winter. From now on, we will look at food that is good to eat at any time, but especially in winter, it is more nutritious and tastes richer.

Tangerines

Tangerines harvested in the cold winter have a higher vitamin C content than in other seasons. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that makes metabolism active to withstand the cold in winter and boosts immunity. It also has an antioxidant function, which can inhibit aging and can also be effective in relieving fatigue. Tangerines also have a whitening effect that can prevent skin troubles such as freckles and blemishes. You can also consume a lot of vitamin P, only in citrus fruits.

Sweet potatoes

Warm roasted sweet potatoes are often considered a symbolic food of winter. Sweet potatoes are alkaline foods containing dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. They are also rich in powerful antioxidants, anthocyanins, and beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes are very diverse, including chestnut sweet potatoes, pumpkin sweet potatoes, and purple sweet potatoes, and the nutritional components contained in each type are different, so eating a variety can be more beneficial to health.

Potatoes

Potatoes contain a lot of potassium, vitamin C, and minerals, so they are precious in terms of nutrients. It also serves as a food that increases the intake of other vegetables. Potatoes also contain many nutrients in the skin, and a boiled potato with skin contains 5.5 times more fiber than a banana and more vitamin C than three avocados, yet only about 110 calories per piece.

Pomegranates

Many people feel depressed in winter due to the cold weather and the restrictions on outdoor activities. Especially for women in menopause, it is a time when depression is a concern, and pomegranate is a food that can effectively prevent this. Pomegranates contain a lot of plant-based female hormones, and by consistently consuming pomegranates, you can prevent hormonal changes and psychological depression in winter. Pomegranates also contain many organic acids, which are helpful in fat breakdown and digestion.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi, a member of the cruciferous cabbage family, is a vegetable with a unique sweet taste and a crunchy texture, like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and kale. It is used in various ways, such as raw food, salad, juice, and cooking ingredients. It is rich in vitamins and moisture and contains many minerals to suppress blood pressure. Those who are worried about blood pressure in winter should consume kohlrabi regularly.

Burdock Root

Burdock Root, a vegetable grown worldwide, contains a lot of sugar and more vitamin B1 than other root vegetables. It can show excellent effects for those suffering from cystitis. Many people suffer from seborrheic skin diseases that come with winter, and it is known to have a perfect improvement effect when they consume it. In Russia, it is said that a folk remedy of washing hair with oil extracted from dried burdock Roots is widely practiced.

Gwamegi

Gwamegi(Korean half-dried Pacific herring or Pacific saury made during winter) is a food made by drying herring or saury on a straw string in the cold winter sea breeze. It is a seasonal food between November and January, and it is controversial because of its unique fishy smell, taste, and moist texture. Well-aged gwamegi has more unsaturated fatty acid content than raw saury, and this component can reduce the concentration of cholesterol in the blood and help relieve hangovers.

Spanish mackerel

Spanish mackerel, a saltwater fish of the mackerel family, is a blue-backed fish with a very high content of unsaturated fatty acids. It is a food that many people prefer because it tastes good and has a soft texture. It contains a rich amount of DHA, which can help improve brain function. Also, mackerel is a food that helps the brain development of growing children and prevents dementia. The best season for Spanish mackerel fishing in Korea is from late September to early November.

Mussels

Mussels are a food ingredient that many people use because they are high in nutrition compared to their low price and can serve as a flavoring ingredient in various dishes. It is collected when they are warm and contains saxitoxin, a paralytic shellfish poison. This is not produced by mussels themselves but originates from plankton. This plankton breeds when the temperature of seawater is relatively high, so mussels collected in winter are free from the problem of toxins.

Green Laver

Green laver is a representative seasonal vegetable of winter. Generally, green laver has low protein and fat content and low calories. Still, they contain a lot of various salts and vitamins, and they contain a lot of water-soluble dietary fiber. Among them, green laver is known to have the best antioxidant effect among seaweeds because it includes many polyphenol components. Although it is a cheap and common food ingredient, it contains nutrients that far exceed it, so consuming as much as possible in winter is recommended.

By. Deok Soo Choi