Seasonal Eating Fall Edition

Are Pumpkin Spice Lattes considered fall seasonal eating? It seems like it’s everywhere already – obviously in coffee drinks, but also in cereals, cookies, nutrition bars, teas, yogurt, gum, even hand soap!

While pumpkin spice doesn’t count as seasonal eating (#sorrynotsorrystarbucks), its return is still a nice reminder that as the season changes, so do the fruits and vegetables that typically thrive during this time.

We’re so accustomed to our massive grocery stores with a diverse range of produce year-round that it’s easy to mistake the abundance for a natural occurrence. It’s not, and it’s so beneficial for our bodies to switch up our diet with the seasons. It’s even nature’s way of preparing us for the climate changes and giving us the nutrients we need most for the upcoming months.

So if you’re on the fence about why you should hop on this foodie love train, here are my Top 5 reasons to make the seasonal switch, just in time for autumn.

1) It Saves Money, Honey!

It’s just simple economics here. If your food is out of season, then it will require more resources to grow and ship to your local store from somewhere else — not just from across the country, but from other continents. Those extras cost money, and you’re the one footing the bill.

Plus, what you end up with will probably not be organic. Why? Because those crops will require a little extra chemical boost to grow ripe before their time. And last, but certainly not least, food that is out of season just doesn’t taste good!

2) Fall Health Score: A+

Eating seasonally is just healthier for you. That’s because you have a wide array of organic fruits and veggies to mix-n-match. When things are listed as organic in the grocery, it usually (but not always) means those items are in season because they didn’t require pesticides and fertilizers to grow them. Check out The Plante Life Guide to Going Organic and discover all the ways this healthier option can transform your life and your body.

3) Bring It On In this Season!

When you’re shopping seasonally, you want to your food to come from as close to where you live as possible. This is where your local Farmers Market comes to the rescue. Consider these professionals your go-to green thumb gurus. They know all about the food you’re buying because they grew it themselves. There is no one better to ask about where your apples were grown, what gets sprayed on your zucchini, or whether this avocado is ripe enough. Extra bonus — they often know the best recipes too.

You can find a Farmers Market near you here and here. If you live in a bigger city, there is simply no excuse for not visiting; there will be at least one or two each week.  

4) Be a Food Tourist this Fall and beyond!

When you eat seasonally, you get to experience a wider variety of food in your diet — things you may have never even heard of before. What’s a stone fruit? (It includes peaches, plums and cherries. Yum!) Can you really sub spaghetti squash for pasta? (Yes!) Are Brussels sprouts actually from Brussels? (Sort of, but they are definitely delicious.) With a little pre-planning, you can whip up a ton of international dishes based on what’s available now — without having to buy a plane ticket. Bon appetit!

5) It Could Be Our Natural State.

A lot of people hold onto weight in the winter and get super upset about it. Micronutrient Specialists Mira and Dr. Jayson Calton offer a different perspective, that those extra lbs. might just be a “natural and beneficial way to reset and prime your metabolism for efficient and sustained fat burning.”

Autumn’s bounty — potatoes, corn, apples, pumpkins, pears and squash — consists of “very specific kinds of carbohydrates (starchy carbohydrates and high sugar fruits), foods designed to give you lots of energy and cause an addictive response.” Your body is instinctually stocking up for the colder winter months so you don’t run out of energy when the Earth has less food options to offer. So the weight gain is normal and essential to our ancestors (and maybe still our) survival.

Pretty smart, huh? Just like most mothers, Mother Nature knows best. 😉

Now, seasonal eating may seem like a simple concept, but you do need to do a little legwork to learn which produce is in-season and when.

Here are my Top 11 Favorite Seasonal Fall Foods:

1. Apples

2. Brussels sprouts

3. Cabbage

4. Beets

5. Cranberries

6. Pears

7. Pomegranates

8. Pumpkins

9. Turnips

10. Squash

11. Sweet Potatoes

I definitely make exceptions too. I enjoy avocado 365 days a year, but I can definitely taste the difference when it’s out of season. Just keep it to those can’t-live-without treats. 

What are your favorite Fall fruits and vegetables? Do you have a killer recipe you make every time the weather gets cold? Let me know in the comments below, or better yet, snap a pic and share it with me on Instagram @MoniquaPlanteWellness.

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LOVE + an awesome Autumn!