During the winter doldrums, how and what we eat seems particularly important — whether to offset holiday excesses, fulfill New Year's resolutions, or find comfort from the cold. Whatever food indulgences we allow between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, most of us approach January with a little culinary restraint — and maybe ramp up the gym time.

A glimpse through the Seven Days archives reveals that our food writers past and present have different ways of dealing with dining in January. Here's a brief recap.

Longtime readers likely remember Alice Levitt for her larger-than-life persona and love of meat (her Vermont vanity plate read "bulgogi," referring to the Korean beef dish). But a January 2015 story was all about fresh produce. She even assembled a few coworkers for a juice tasting.  Melissa Haskin's tenure was short, but we still recall her "taco cleanse." How did that go? Not exactly as expected.  Corin Hirsch took the idea of cleansing a little more seriously, investigating various foods that can give the body a bit of a reboot without fasting. Her recommendations: astringent, acidic and bracing foods, such as bitters, lemon juice and curries.  Some people crave comfort in the cold, and Hannah Palmer Egan seems to be one of them. In January 2016, with help from Haskin, she gathered a sweet selection of slow-cooker recipes.  As for me, I tend to eat the same way I always do, but in the new year I might get a little sillier about it. For several years, I wrote up tongue-in-cheek guides to the hottest Vermont food trends.



Happy New Year!