Over the winter months our diet is more important than ever. Fiona Bugler reveals five foods that will keep you running on all cylinders throughout December.

Oily Fish

With less sunlight in the winter months, Vitamin D supplies lower. A recent UK survey found 50 per cent of the population is deficient in vitamin D and 16 per cent have a severe deficiency during winter. Other research cited by Oxford University has found that vitamin D deficiency can increase your susceptibility to autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and even certain cancers and dementia. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause the bone disease osteoporosis and rickets in children. Runners are obviously protected to a certain extent by exposure to the great outdoors, but even we can benefit from eating foods such as oily fish, rich in Vitamin D. 

Hot chocolate, soup, warming chilli...

...In other words, warming, reassuring winter food... Eating warm food after a run in the cold boosts recovery and turns up the heat (thermogenesis) meaning you're less likely to grab unhealthy snacks. A drop in body temperature can stimulate your appetite but for up to an hour after eating your body generates 10 percent more appetite suppressing heat! 

Brussels Sprouts

Training hard for marathons and running outside in winter can put your immune system under extra strain, making Vitamin C a must-have. Sprouts contain 50 percent more Vitamin C than oranges, and it's not just the big C that make sprouts super. Nitorgen compounds called 'indoles' have anti inflammatory and cancer-busting properties.

Turmeric

This golden spice is great in winter curries and studies have found that the presence of curcumin has many health benefits, and is used in Ayurvedic medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties. 

Leeks

Packed with phyto-nutrients to help keep disease at bay, leeks also provide a good source of fibre. This tasty vegetable from the onion family also contains antioxidant polyphenols that are thought to protect blood vessels. Plus, folic acid, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C - all essentials for a healthy runner. 

What Next? For more great foods, check out Superfoods For Runners.