Why Choose Fall Fruits and Vegetables?
With the advent of global importation, most of the fruits and vegetables we eat are available in supermarkets year-round. So why should anyone pay special attention to seasonal produce?
Because eating seasonal fruits and veggies is good for your health, the environment, your taste buds, and your pocket. Seasonal fruits and veggies are more nutrient dense because they’ve had time to matur on the plant rather than being picked early. They are also more likely to be locally grown, which is good for your health and your local economy.
You’ll also save money by sticking to what’s in season. That works out for the environment, too, because eating seasonally reduces water use, land use, soil degradation, and pollution. What’s more, eating seasonally adds variety to your diet and keep the things interesting in terms of taste. A apple freshly plucked from a tree will be much tastier than one shipped thousands of miles or left in cold storage for months.
Healthy Fall Fruits and Veggies
Agile Urgent Care has put together a list of healthy recipe suggestions that feature your favorite fall fruits and vegetables. We hope these also inspire you for the colder months to come!
1. Pumpkin: This fall staple is good for more than just Halloween decorations. It is an excellent source of vitamin A, which may improve your vision if you’re deficient. It also decreases bad cholesterol and helps protect against free radicals.
What to Make: Pumpkin Pie
2. Figs: This fall fruit is a source of rich fiber, which may help decrease cholesterol, promote blood sugar control, prevent constipation, and keep you feeling full longer. Figs are also packed with potassium, which helps control your blood pressure.
What to Make: Honeyed Figs and Brie Cheese
3. Pears: These can make any fall recipe tastier and more nutritious. It is a great source of fiber, and offers the antioxidant vitamin C, copper, and boron, a nutrient that helps the body retain calcium.
What to Make: Chicken with Pears and Walnuts
4. Cauliflower: Cauliflower is a source of vitamins C and K, which help to regulate your inflammatory response. It is also rich in folate, which is crucial for any women thinking of conceiving, since it helps prevent neural tube defects.
What to Make: Cauliflower Masala
5. Beetroot: Beetroots deserve to be more than just a salad ingredient. The fall root vegetable has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also a good source of folate, potassium, and manganese, which helps with calcium absorption and blood clotting.
What to Make: Roasted Beets with Pistachio
6. Sweet Potato: Another fall vegetable you can get year-long are sweet potatoes, which are packed with tons of fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C in each serving. And they make for some really good fries.
What to Make: Black Bean Sweet Potato Fudge
7. Grapes: This fall fruit is not just for wine making. Grapes are full of vitamin K and polyphenols, which are micronutrients that are packed with antioxidants and potential health benefits. Polyphenols can improve or help treat digestive issues, weight management difficulties, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and cardiovascular diseases.
What to Make: Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grapes.
With the holiday season approaching, now is a great time to adopt healthy eating habits and enjoy healthy, whole foods to keep your body well.
Shopping for fall vegetables and fruits and discovering a few recipes you love is a great place to start!
