Inevitably most of us will get a cold or flu this season... It's just that time of year. But we can reduce our chances, or at least lessen the duration of illness, by keeping the immune system on top of the game. Supplements are one way to go, but we should also take advantage of the plethora of healing foods right under our noses.

The winter months generate their own set of "power foods" to keep us healthy all season long. Winter power foods should offer either of the following: good fats to fight disease and keep our bodies insulated from the cold, or vitamins and phyto-nutrients to boost immunity throughout the flu season. For best results, they should be eaten as staples throughout the long, cold, winter months.

Here's a quick look at five of the healthiest foods to keep you powered up all winter long:

Grapefruit

Winter's crop of US grapefruit grows in Texas and Florida. If you're local, you're lucky. In The Prescription for Dietary Wellness, nutritionist Phyllis Balch claims that grapefruits feed the good bacteria in the intestines, which helps keep digestive immunity normalized. Like all citrus fruits, they are high in vitamin C to ward off the common cold.

From a nutrition standpoint, grapefruits with deep red or pink flesh are the best, as these have the highest amounts of carotenes and other substances called phyto-nutrients known to fight disease.

Winter Power Foods and recipes continued at bottom...

Persimmons

This decorative orange fruit brings a brilliance to holiday tables everywhere. But that's not the best thing about them. When mature, "their flavor is a blend of apricots, plums, pumpkin and honey", says my friend Rebecca Wood from The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia. The taste is almost indescribably succulent.

An unripe persimmon, though, can be an awful experience. The enzymes are so astringent that they make the fruit extremely chalky and puckery to the mouth. To get the most out of the experience, have patience and wait to eat them until they are perfectly ripe.

Warming Winter Fruit Salad - Bauman College This sweet and sour fruit salad brings inspiration after the farmers' market has closed for the season... Get Recipe

Flaming Persimmon Pudding (vegan) Wow your family and friends with a show of pyrotechnics at your holiday party this year! Okay... It's just a little flaming rum... Get Recipe

How can you tell if a persimmon is ready to eat? First of all, there are two main types of persimmons; each have a very different consistency and have their own tell-tale signs of ripeness:

Hachiya Persimmons have a slightly pointed shape and resemble a large, orange acorn. This type needs to be absolutely soft to the touch, almost to the point where you might think they're going rotten. Once ripe, Hachiyas are very fragile and should be used immediately. Hachiyas can be eaten right on the spot or pureed into baked goods, sauces and puddings.

Fuyu Persimmons are smaller and flatter and look like small, orange tomatoes. These stay firm to the touch, almost hard, when ripe. Fuyus are wonderful sliced and eaten like apples, diced into green salads, or tossed into winter fruit salads.

Persimmons of all varieties are good sources of vitamins A and C, and are high in potassium, a mineral-electrolyte necessary for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles.

How to Make a Gingerbread House - Step by Step!

There's no better way to spark up the holiday cheer than to create a gingerbread house with the whole family. My mom, brother and I made them every year that I can remember as a child. My mom would make the dough from her old authentic German recipe handed down from her grandmother, and we'd cut out the patterns, assemble the houses, frost them and adorn them top to bottom.

Things have changed a little since then... I adapted the dough so that it is easier to work with, and I always make sure to use all-natural, organic ingredients, and candies that have no high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or food colorings. I'm not saying that these houses are "healthy" or "good for you", but possibly better than the houses of the 70's. It's my hope to see dried fruits, nuts, seeds, goji berries and banana chips on top of these little houses everywhere!

Get the recipes, download the templates and see step-by-step instructions on my blog!

Cruciferous Vegetables

Each one of these power-packed vegetables contain vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients that are known to be highly nutritious. Cruciferous veggies are excellent sources of carotenes, chlorophyll and vitamin C. According to Michael Murray in his book, The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, "one cup of kale [or collards] supplies more than 70 percent of the RDI for vitamin C, with only 20 calories".

Cruciferous vegetables include arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, turnip greens and watercress. Most of these veggies are thick and hearty and are grown all winter in the milder climatic regions.

Grapefruit Ambrosia Ambrosia is the nectar of the Gods; and this one is pretty enough even to serve Aphrodite... Get Recipe

Steamed Kale with Sauteed Onions and Garlic This quick and easy way to get kale into your diet will soon become an addiction... Get Recipe

Olive Oil

Is olive oil seasonal? You bet. California's crop is first, usually appearing in stores by late November or early December. European oils arrive on the shelves at the beginning of the year. Olive oil should be consumed all year round, but winter is the best time to savor its freshly crushed, robust flavors.

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, a desirable form of fat that does not affect blood cholesterol levels, and in fact, may improve them. Eating olive oil in the raw is the best way to make use of these good fats. Try to incorporate olive oil into your diet every day, drizzled over veggies in dressings, or lightly heated with sauteed vegetables, meats or vegetable proteins.

Cranberries

Cranberries are extremely high in antioxidants, the "good guys" that help fight disease and boost immune function. Like their cousin the blueberry, cranberries are of the top sources for antioxidants when measured against 100 kinds of fruits, vegetables and grains.

Since fresh cranberries are most abundant over the holidays, stock up on them while supplies last. Buy them fresh and store them in the freezer for 6-12 months. Dice them over salads, puree them into dressings, or cook them into chutneys or sauces. I throw them into my smoothies every morning with other nutritional berries. Use them throughout the winter months to help immune function and ward off colds and flu.

Walnuts and Flaxseeds

All nuts and seeds have good fats to give the body extra insulation and moisture throughout the cold, dry winter. But walnuts and flaxseeds are the two best choices to have on hand for their high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids -- essential fats that research has proven to fight disease and increase immunity. Omega-3s are the fats that are most deficient in the American Diet.

To get the most out of these oils, flaxseeds should be ground before eaten. Otherwise, they will just pass through the system undigested. Essential oils can go rancid quickly, so it's best to store nuts in the refrigerator. Blend flaxseeds and walnuts into smoothies or sprinkle them over salads. Flax can be used to replace some of the flour in muffins, pancakes and baked goods.

Flaxy Pumpkin Muffins (vegan) Sweet and creamy pumpkin puree is used in these healthy muffins to increase nutrition and decrease the amount of oil used for moistening... Get Recipe

Garlicky Apple-Walnut Dressing This simple, easy dressing whips up in minutes and can be used over salads or meats, or for dips and satays... Get Recipe

Alison Anton - Alison is a nutritional chef, food writer, cooking instructor and meditation instructor. Alison's food articles have been published online at USAToday, Reuters, iVillage and more, and her popular food blog is regularly listed under Fox News' "Best Health Blogs".