Now that our budgets have taken a beating, our bodies are packing a few more inches than we would like, here’s the good news! The best buy this month is water, yes, water, whether, bottled, filtered or straight out of the tap!

At first glance, water doesn't seem to contribute much to your health. After all, it has no vitamins. No fibre. No protein. No carbohydrates. So why bother drinking it? The truth is water is vital to your well-being. Why? You are 98% water-your body needs it to function. Water helps your body maintain its temperature & it helps your body digest food, convert it to energy, get rid of waste and avoid constipation. We need all that water to remove all those unwanted excesses from our systems. Plus, properly hydrated, you feel less hungry and it can help control your weight.

Water doesn’t have to be plain, squeeze in a wedge of lime or lemon or add a touch of fruit juice. Mineral water has an added bonus: minerals including calcium, nutrients your body needs. Just keep in mind pure water is what the body, after all, our bodies are 98% water, not sugary soda or teas or coffee-real pure water!

Now if you need something more substantial J after about a month of heavy holiday food we need to rebalance our systems with lighter foods, let our system detoxify and get back to sensible eating habits. We need more fibre and chlorophyll to help our bodies ride itself of the excesses of the parties. One of the best ways to do that is to increase our fruit & vegetable intake. Dark leafy greens are high in calcium & vitamin E, C & Beta Carotene, they have no cholesterol & low in calories-just what the body needs.

Now the cold weather has played havoc with the supplies of affordable greens but a few still can be found:

BOK CHOY , regular & baby have dark green leaves with thick white stalks. Cook stalks first, and then add leaves to ensure stalk becomes tender and the leaves don’t overcook. Simplest to steam or stir-fry with whatever other vegetables or proteins you have on hand; add rice or noodles-a quick dinner for any night

NAPA, also called Chinese cabbage, 2 main varieties, the round which is sweeter and the long, sometimes called Chinese lettuce which is a milder flavour . The pale green oblong leaves form an oblong head like stretched cabbage. It is tasty raw or steamed, but do not overcook or it will become pungent. Like most vegetables, the taste & texture is best when slightly undercooked or still firm but soft.

WATERCRESS: Long stems that branch out into clusters of small dark rounded leaves, zesty taste. Use in salads, sandwiches, sauces or soups.

CABBAGE, GREEN, RED OR SAVOY: Buy full heads that are heavy for their size. They are great stuffed, sautéed or raw in salads & slaws; adds body to the salad, after all it is winter and we need something substantial Recipes

If you are craving a salad, try some hydroponics lettuces; they will give you the most usable lettuces whenever there are cold weather conditions. Hydroponics is grown indoors, under glass and is unaffected by the outside temperatures. Field grown lettuces will show yellowing & blistering leaves, edible but it is not as visually pleasing and the lettuce must be used quickly before it breaks down. Do not purchase more than you can use within 24 hours whenever the lettuces do not look good, go for the hydroponics; they are still living and will last weeks in the fridge, just remember to keep the roots moist (not wet, just moist) and you will enjoy the fresh leaves from the first to the last.

Nutritionists will also tell you it’s not just the vitamin or nutritional value of a food but how much of it is absorbed by the body-lucky for us our other best buys citrus helps make the vitamins & minerals more available to our bodies!

Grapefruits, mandarin oranges, navels, pomelos: all sorts of citrus fruits are great buys at this time of year. Not only do they taste good but they provide a boost of vitamin c for those of us in the northern climates. Fresh as a snack or dessert, topping salads or fish, juiced alone or combinations or in sauces, citrus adds a taste of sunshine.

For more citrus ideas

Grapefruit and Weight Loss

Eating or drinking grapefruit may help people who are obese to lose weight, reported the BBC News Web site. The findings, reported in Chemistry and Industry magazine, are based on a study of 100 obese people, who ate or drank grapefruit for 12 weeks. One group of volunteers ate half a grapefruit before each meal three times a day, while another drank a glass of grapefruit juice before every meal. A third did not include grapefruit in their meals. After 12 weeks, those eating grapefruit had lost an average of 3.6 pounds, and some shed as much as 10 pounds. The participants drinking grapefruit juice lost an average of 3.3 pounds. But those in the control group who consumed no grapefruit only lost an average of 0.5 pounds.

Judy Chong, Head Foodie