Healthy doesn’t need to be hard - start with seasonal British veg

January also brings a wave of loud messaging about superfoods, quick-fix supplements, and fads, but the truth is that starting with real food is the simplest and most effective way to nourish your body.

Healthy doesn’t need to be hard; filling your plate with plenty of British seasonal veg and other whole foods is a great place to start.

January is a surprisingly abundant time for British veg. Cabbages, the ultimate winter staple, are incredibly versatile. Roast them with plenty of olive oil until soft, succulent, and lightly charred, or try your hand at making sauerkraut or kimchi, both bursting with live, beneficial bacteria. Fermenting foods at home is much easier than you think and is significantly cheaper than buying ready-made ferments.

We also have plenty of roots in season. Celeriac, beetroot, carrots, parsnips and potatoes are all perfect for colourful traybakes. Why not go for antioxidant-rich purple carrots to up the colour stakes?

A particularly impressive root vegetable that’s in season in January is the Jerusalem artichoke. These little tubers are rich in inulin, a prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial bacteria in your gut. You’ll often see inulin listed as an ingredient in probiotic supplements because it’s such a good food source for the bacteria they contain. I love them simply roasted in oil and sea salt - they’re so delicious.

When it comes to brassicas, kale, kalettes, purple sprouting broccoli and cauliflower are also still in season, offering a host of vitamins and minerals. Did you know that kale contains more vitamin C than an orange, gram for gram?

Vitamin C is sensitive to heat, so instead of boiling, try massaging kale with olive oil and lemon juice to soften it. Add red peppers, toasted almonds and orange segments and you have a simple, nutrient-rich salad. It’s also delicious, salted, oiled, and baked into crispy kale chips.

Mushrooms rightly get a lot of attention for their health benefits. Eating them regularly has been linked to all sorts of health benefits, including immunity and brain health. They are nutrient-dense and fibre-rich, and from trusty chestnut mushrooms to the weird and wonderful lion’s mane, eating them regularly is a win for your health.

Other produce of note in January includes fresh herbs — rosemary, sage, thyme and mint. Herbs contain a very concentrated amount of beneficial phytonutrients. Add them generously to dishes or brew them as herbal teas, also delicious. And then there’s British pears and the perfect excuse for a seasonal pear crumble with plenty of cream or custard.

When we talk about health, we also need to talk about ultra-processed foods (UPFs). The evidence linking diets high in UPFs to poorer health outcomes is growing. A major review published in The Lancet in 2025 linked ultra-processed diets to increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and all-cause mortality. These foods often displace whole foods, reduce fibre intake, and expose us to additives that may disrupt metabolism and gut health.

The good news is that practical, affordable swaps can make a real difference, such as:

• Making a big, veg-rich pasta sauce and freezing it in batches is ideal for quick meals
• Adding lentils instead of meat boosts protein and fibre.
• Swapping processed snacks for fruit, nuts or a home-blended trail mix of seeds, dried fruit and dark chocolate drops.
• Choosing plain yoghurt and adding honey and fruit instead of buying sweetened flavoured versions.

Healthy eating doesn’t require perfection. Paying attention to seasonal food and cooking simply is a powerful place to start.

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Hannah Neville-Green is a nutritionist at organic veg box company Riverford.

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