Five nutrient-packed foods to help keep you well this winter

Five nutrient-packed foods to help keep you well this winter

[Published on www.1news.co.nz 3rd May i 2025]

As the days shorten and the weather packs up, here are some tips plus foods to stock in your pantry for a sense of wellbeing through the winter months.

It’s that time of year when the rounds of coughs and colds kick off and the need to take care of our wellbeing is highlighted. I know it is tempting to join the masses and head straight for the pharmacy to stock up on handfuls of supplements to boost your immunity and get you through, but after 20 years working as a registered nutritionist, this is not what I do for myself or my kids. Instead, I focus on getting the foundations of my wellbeing on track and then use supplements as sprinkles on top if required.

First up, focus on getting enough sleep. Hands down, this is one of the most powerful ways to support your immune system to fight off bugs as effectively as possible, so if you do nothing else, start here. It also has a powerful impact on your mood and how you feel.

Sometimes wellbeing means saying 'no'

Aim for a minimum of seven hours' sleep. To make this happen at my stage of life, I've had to say no to a lot of things. I've put a block on my phone to avoid scrolling and have accepted the fact that my house is messier than I would like. What needs to change to make this happen for you?

Second, be mindful of the things that can interfere with your sleep or reduce its quality. Alcohol is big here because even though it can help you fall asleep; it vastly disrupts the quality of your sleep and the ability of your immune system to work at its best. It is also a depressant, so as good as it might make you feel at the time, the down sides come afterwards. So maybe it is time to start trialing out some of the many alcohol-free beers, wines and alternatives on the market or add an extra few alcohol-free days into your week.

When it comes to what to eat to support your immune system and feeling well over winter, there's no magic bullet or single food that will be ‘the thing’ that makes all the difference, but getting enough of the nutrients that support your body to work at its best, is a winning idea.

Adequate fibre for a healthy gut, along with key nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and iron, all play important roles in supporting immune function. Omega-3s also stand out when it comes to maintaining a balanced mood.

Below is my pick of easily accessible, nutrient-packed foods.

Five foods to help keep you well this winter

Kiwifruit: While citrus fruit is often highlighted as the vitamin C hero, there are lots of other fruits and vegetables that are packed with vitamin C, kiwifruit being one of them. An average-sized lemon has 34mg, an orange 78mg, while our humble kiwifruit has 81mg!

It's not just fruits that contain vitamin C either, plenty of veggies do too. In a quarter of a red capsicum or three quarters of a cup of steamed broccoli you’ll get around 65mg too. All a good start towards the 190mg for women and 220mg that it is good to aim for each day.

Oily fish: There are many health benefits to including more of the long chain Omega-3 fatty acids that are found in oily fish in your diet. They support your brain health, your heart and, for those aiming to dodge the winter blues, your mood! It is recommended to have 430mg a day for women and 610g for men. There's a good guide to how much is in different types of foods here.

While you can get Omega-3 from plant foods, these need to be converted to the long chain ones to have the same impact as the type you find in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, trout and tuna. If you don’t feel like you are getting adequate Omega-3 in your diet, a quality supplement is something to consider.

Chia seeds: These are a staple in our house because they are such an easy way to get a boost of additional fibre with one tablespoon having 4g, a great step towards the daily 28g that females need and 38g that guys need. I add these to my breakfast, soak into overnight oats, in smoothies, my kids' muffin recipe as well as my quick and easy bread.

There are of course health benefits to all nuts and seeds, which contain healthy fats, fibre and more, so including a tablespoon or two of them each day and mixing it up is a really good idea.

Legumes: Chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, butter beans and all the rest are so unappreciated in my opinion. As well as being a source of protein and an array of other vital nutrients, they are cheap!

If you can tolerate legumes, they're a fantastic way to feed the 2-3kg of bacteria that live inside your gut with prebiotic fibre so they can do a wonderful job of keeping you healthy. With a huge amount of your immune system residing inside your gut, the value of fibre like this is not to be underestimated. So, add these to your shopping list and include them in your mince and many other dishes - try my veg-full chilli, add to casseroles, use in soups, even chocolate black bean brownies and it's easy to make your own hummus too.

Seafood: While red meat is undoubtedly an excellent source of iron and zinc, both of which are important for your immune system and energy, seafood is often forgotten about. Mussels are surprisingly affordable and a serving of about seven has 4.1mg of iron (men need 8mg per day and women 18mg) and 1.6mg of zinc (men need 14mg a day, women 8mg). Oysters are also a good source of iron and are so rich in zinc that about half a dozen will give you your daily requirement. Mussels and oysters, as well as shrimp, are also a way to get Omega-3s too.

Here’s a link to this article on 1news.co.nz: Five nutrient-packed foods to help keep you well this winter

Want to know more? If you would like individualised advice to support your immunity and long-term health, reach out to my team of registered dietitians and nutritionists at Mission Nutrition, they would love to help you.