Abby Ixer’s Nutritious Food: Butternut Squash

Published on: 15 Nov, 2014
Updated on: 11 Jan, 2015

My name is Abby Ixer and I am a registered dietician with a passion for food and nutrition. I am thrilled to say that I will be joining The Guildford Dragon NEWS team and will be writing monthly nutrition articles as a way of sharing my knowledge and providing tips about leading a healthy lifestyle.

Dietician Abby Ixer.

There is so much information available about nutrition and it is often difficult to know what to believe. I aim to tackle some of these issues by sharing some of the science behind specific health claims and providing practical ways of improving health through nutrition as well as sharing some tips about local and seasonal produce.

You will see a new article every month, each one focusing on a different topic.

The November topic looks at the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables that are in season.

In this country we are lucky to have access to a wide variety of foods. Much of the food we eat is imported from abroad, allowing us to consume most foods all year round. But what we gain in choice, we may lose in the health benefits that importing out of season foods brings.

Many people tend to stick to the same foods all year round, meaning that the range of nutrients taken into the body is limited. Eating in season introduces more variety into the diet and incorporates a wider range of nutrients.

Eating in season allows us to support local farmers, especially if we buy more foods that have produced locally. But also, as local produce has less distance to travel from farm to fork – more of the nutrients that naturally degrade over time are retained. This means that food is much fresher and more nutritious by the time it reaches the shops and our plates. Seasonal foods are harvested at their peak so they taste much better too.

Butternut squash is a great root vegetables to cook this time of year.

With the cold winter months approaching, November is the perfect time to cook seasonal root vegetables. Butternut squash is one of the most popular types of winter squash and is highly versatile. Packed with nutrients, butternut squash is particularly rich in vitamin A, magnesium and zinc to name but a few, all of which are important for maintaining a healthy immune system.

My December topic will talk about alternative meal ideas for the festive period using some more ‘unusual’ ingredients.

Please feel free to post a comment if there are any areas you would like to see featured.

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