Fall was a time in traditional societies to harvest the bounty of produce grown and to prepare them for storage over the winter months. It was also a time to gather resources in preparation for the colder weather.
Now it’s also the time to set the stage for your health and well-being over the coming holiday season. Your food choices now will help determine your health during the coming winter months. By eating health supportively now, you boost your immune system and keep a healthy weight which becomes a foundation to see you through the next 4 months of frequent holiday celebrating.
Fall gives us an amazing selection of immune building foods like the pumpkin and winter squash families as well as tubers like yams and carrots. These complex carbohydrates give us a naturally balanced sweet taste and stabilizes blood sugar fending off the munchies. This in turn gives us a steady stream of readily available energy throughout the day. The naturally sweet complex carbs also help us to adjust to the shorter days.
Combining these yellow and orange friends with a serving of whole grain such as brown rice, quinoa, or millet and a helping of protein along with ample amounts of low startch veggies gives you a health building, tasty meal which will also help keep your weight stable through winter.
SEASONAL PRODUCE PICKS:
Starchy Veggies: Pumpkins, winter squashes (kabocha, banana, acorn) carrots, yams
Low Starch Veggies: Brocolli, Choy, Chard, Cauliflower, Kale
Fruits: Apples, pears, persimmons, figs, pomegranates
Fall is the time to harvest many varieties of nuts to use as condiments or crunchy additions to grain and veggies recipes. Enjoy the bounty of produce available through the coming months by creatively adding one new veggie, grain or fruit recipe each week.
A Votre Sante,
Kaaren