Tune In to Seasonal Eating

As seasons change and crops change, so should the food on our plates. In summer, it’s easy to fill smoothies with fruits and the plate with leafy greens. But as the weather cools down, the crisp & refreshing raw foods don’t sound so good anymore, do they?

With temperatures slowly dropping off, our foods tend to heat up. We may start craving warm roasted root vegetables, tender chicken, spicy chili, and hot tea. This taste-bud transformation happens because our bodies are quite in tune with the seasonal shifts. So let’s listen up to our senses and eat the seasonal foods that fall supplies.

FRUITS

Apples – enjoy these antioxidant-packed bites baked or in the form of homemade warm applesauce topped with cinnamon
Cranberries – with potential to improve immunity and decrease blood pressure, use these to top off your cereal, oatmeal, salads, or sweet-potato hash
Dates – enjoy braised, stuffed, or chopped, although small, these serve as powerful punches of potassium and fiber
Pears – full of fiber, Vitamin C and copper, bring out the flavor more by baking or poaching
Pomegranates – with more antioxidants than red-wine, blend into a juice or enjoy the seeds sprinkled on your next salad

VEGETABLES

Beets – mix this root veggie in with juice or smoothies to help lower inflammation and blood pressure
Brussels Sprouts – try these savory sources of folate and iron roasted with balsamic vinegar
Cauliflower – with properties that may help fight cancer, this is a wonderful fall and winter food which can be enjoyed steamed, roasted, or pureed into a mashed cauliflower side dish
Parsnips – compared to a carrot, with a sweet and nutty flavor, this veggie is rich in potassium and fiber
Pumpkins – tasty in pies, risottos, soups, and stews, pumpkins will pack your plate with benefits of improved eye-sight, lowered risk of cancer, improved skin, and more potassium than a banana
Rutabagas – puree this source of fiber and Vitamin C into a soup or stew
Squash – containing magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, phosphorous, calcium, and iron, squash is one of the fall-favorites enjoyed roasted, baked, pureed, or as a pasta replacement
Sweet Potatoes – these health-boosting sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber can be savored as fries, chopped and roasted, pureed as soup, or diced into your next batch of chili