Festive Flavours

Of course delicious food is an important part of the festive season - and it's all too easy to overindulge. Did you know, however, that many of our most traditional Christmas ingredients have strong therapeutic properties? Including these will help to balance all that rich food and ward off a number of ailments including sore throats and chesty colds, arthritis and rheumatism, indigestion and constipation! So use this mini A-Z of festive flavours to stock up your store cupboard, and enjoy a happy, healthy celebration.

ALMONDS As long as you eat nuts raw and unroasted they're one of the richest sources of vitamin E which acts as an anti-oxidant thereby protecting the body in general and specifically keeping blood supply nicely flowing and veins and artery walls strengthened. In addition almonds are very rich in calcium, magnesium and B vitamins, all of which nourish the nervous system. So they're a wonderful de-stresser: eat some when you're feeling fraught.

BRAZIL NUTS Eat these when you need a bit of mental clarity (or even eat a couple every day): they're rich in selenium which is a good brain food and not found in many ingredients. Like almonds, they're also packed with vitamin E and the B vitamins so help you to relax.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS Three cheers for this wonderful Lincolnshire crop! We love them but most people don't cook them right, and this makes all the difference: see Brussel Sprouts in Lemon and Garlic Vinaigrette, below. If Brussel sprouts usually give you wind, we think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you cook them this way because the salt and lemon juice help to alleviate this. They're well worth getting to love because, like other members of the cabbage family they're rich in anti-cancer compounds called indoles and packed with vitamin C and beta-carotene as long as they're not overcooked.

CHESTNUTS Such a basic ingredient in many European cultures where chestnuts grow prolifically in woods and forests and are made into bread, cakes and biscuits. Their high carbohydrate content and low fat and protein sets them apart from other nuts but they make a wonderful winter food for humans supplying steady, constant energy. And isn't it nice to know that something we like eating at Christmas is low in fat!

CINNAMON An ancient herbal medicine - it's been used in Europe since 500BC - and delightful addition to the kitchen. It's included in many traditional Christmas dishes: the cake, pudding and mincemeat and you can sprinkle a little on fruit salads, or add a pinch to a pot of tea as well as putting a whole stick into mulled wine. It's calming and has strong anti-viral properties, so keeps those colds at bay, as well as helping the digestion and circulation.

CLOVES Another ancient remedy which, like cinnamon, is usually included in traditional Christmas baking. It's highly antiseptic and helps to ward off a wide range of illnesses. Also stimulates the brain, helps to dispel wind and is of course renowned for easing toothache. Add some cloves to a pot of tea, and stud an onion with some and use this to flavour the bread sauce.

CRANBERRIES Renowned for helping bladder, kidney and urinary tract infections, including cystitis, cranberries work because of their very high acid content which contains a substance which stops the infectious bacteria from clinging to the urinary tract walls, and also prevents them from multiplying.

DATES These are very more-ish and the dried ones are rich in potassium (and the fresh ones are a useful source of vitamin C), as well as having a gentle laxative action, which can be helpful after Christmas excesses. Most dates have glucose syrup sprayed on them to make them shine, so look for the duller, natural ones and enjoy the natural sweetness. Two cautions: dates contain tyramine so avoid them if you're susceptible to tyramine migraine, and bear in mind that they're quite high in calories: 2 dates are 46 calories.

LEMONS Regular readers will know how much we love these! They're powerful, general stimulants of the immune system and wonderfully protective, especially against colds, flu and chest infections. They're also useful for arthritis and rheumatism because they alkalinise the body, and they help the liver to de-toxify, which is useful after all that Christmas food and drink. Use lots of fresh lemon juice - as a vinaigrette for raw and cooked vegetables (see recipe), in a glass of warm water, in sparkling water, in savoury stuffings. Remember, a lemon a day'.

ONIONS These - and also garlic, which belongs to same family and shares many of the properties - help lower blood cholesterol by carrying the cholesterol away from the body's tissues and also prevent fatty build-ups in the blood, thus helping all heart and circulatory conditions. They are most effective when used raw, so make our garlic vinaigrette (see recipe) and buy some nice mild onions, or spring onions, to slice into Christmas salads. Try a mixture of peeled and sliced oranges, sliced onions, dates and watercress.

PINEAPPLE A renowned liver-cleanser (see last week's Echo) and also helpful for easing indigestion after eating lots of protein. The anti-inflammatory qualities of pineapple also help arthritis and rheumatism, as well as speeding up tissue-repair in the body.

SAGE As a digestive tonic and anti-fatty, sage really is a Christmas 'must'! Use it to make an old-fashioned sage and onion stuffing or steep a few leaves in hot water for a wonderful tea which with soothe and invigorate you at the same time and also help ease a sore throat and throat infections. (And a bit of 'wimmin's stuff': red sage helps menopausal hot flushes.)

SATSUMAS These traditional Christmas fruits are rich in vitamin C and contain pectin, so they lower cholesterol and detoxify the body generally.

THYME Full of flavour, and one of our favourites, thyme is very antiseptic and indispensable in the winter for boosting a low or fragile immune system. It's very helpful for chesty conditions and asthma, partly because of its thymol content. Use it as described for sage, add it to soups, casseroles and almost anything savoury.

Brussel Sprouts in Lemon and Garlic Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette

Cut the sprouts completely in half then cook them in 2.5cm (1 in) of boiling water for 5-6 minutes (no longer), until you can just get the point of a sharp knife into them.

Drain immediately then toss them in enough of the vinaigrette to make them glossy, grind over some black pepper and serve. While the sprouts are cooking, make the vinaigrette.

Crush, or grate, the peeled garlic cloves then mix to a paste with the salt. Stir in the mustard then the lemon juice, then gradually beat in the oil - or whizz the whole lot in a blender to make a golden emulsion. Keep in a jar in the fridge and shake before using.