Comforts of fall
Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I think there are some really great traditions that get us ready for fall, like snuggling by the fire with a good book, sipping on your favorite warm beverage, getting cozy in your fall sweaters, taking more baths, hanging a festive wreath, lighting your favorite candles, going apple picking, visiting your local pumpkin patch, and pumpkin flavored everything.
Fall is also a time to slow down and get grounded. There are so many delicious and comforting foods in season to help nourish your system and support this seasonal shift.
When most people think about healthy eating, salads and green vegetables usually come to mind. But how about adding a little more variety to your plan? Root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them.
Why eat more root veggies?
Long roots: carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body.
Round roots: turnips, radishes, beets, and rutabagas nourish the stomach, spleen, pancreas, and reproductive organs.
Which root vegetables do you eat most? If you’re like most of the world, it’s carrots and potatoes. Here are a few others to explore:
Beets contain an abundance of antioxidants and are highly detoxifying.
Burdock is considered a powerful blood purifier. This long, thin veggie is a staple in Asian and health food stores.
Celeriac, also known as celery root, is rich in fiber and with a respectable amount of antioxidants.
Jicama is crunchy and refreshing and contains a generous amount of vitamin C.
Onions are rich in antioxidants & other phytonutrients, making them prized for their ability to strengthen the immune system.
Parsnips, which look like giant white carrots, boast a sweet, earthy taste. They’ve also got plenty of fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, thiamine, magnesium, and potassium.
Radish is an excellent source of vitamin C. It’s also rich in calcium, molybdenum, and folic acid.
Sweet Potatoes contain unsurpassed levels of beta-carotene and are also rich in vitamin C, phytonutrients, and fiber.
Pro tip for shopping produce:
Do you read the stickers? Those stickers on your produce mean something important. Here’s a quick guide on what the first number stands for:
9= organic
3 or 4= conventional farming (with chemicals and pesticides)
8= genetically engineered
What are your favorite fall veggies? What new vegetable are you willing to try? What are your other favorite fall dishes?
