The concept of eating what’s in season is not new. People around the world have been eating the foods nature provides, when it provides them, for millennia. Unfortunately, our awareness of when and where seasonal foods are grown is fading. With a large variety of food available at your favorite grocery store year-round, it can be difficult to know which foods are “in season” and provide the greatest nutritional benefit at specific times of the year.
To get the most nutritional value from seasonal foods often means eating locally. Not only is local eating good for the environment and economy, it allows you to reconnect with the cycles of nature. You can’t beat locally grown carrots or squash for their flavor, freshness, and rich nutrient value, especially this time of year!
In Fall and Winter, we naturally gravitate to food that is grounding and gives us energy for the colder months. These foods provide comfort, stability, warmth, and longer-lasting energy. This time of year, build meals around:
- Organic or pastured meat and poultry
- Legumes, nuts and seeds
- Pastured eggs
- Non-gluten grains in moderation (e.g., amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa)
- Crunchy, starchy, heavy-leaf vegetables with an emphasis on root vegetables, squash, potatoes, onions and garlic
- Dried fruit
- Limited fresh fruit
- Warm beverages (e.g., hot herbal and spiced tea, chai)
- Warming spices (e.g., ginger, mustard, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper)
For a FREE sample meal plan and recipes that will warm and ground you through Fall and Winter, contact me with SEASONAL MEAL PLAN in the subject line.
Here’s to your health and vitality!
