No one says that eating delicious comfort foods means a healthy lifestyle is out the window. Follow our eating tips for this fall and you’ll enjoy this season to the max!
When you notice that it’s getting cooler outside, you seek warmth and comfort at home, and that includes your eating habits. A change in season often comes with a change in diet and routine. You may notice that you miss cooking delicious things because you ate salads and no-cook meals during most summer days. Well, good news! You can now heat your oven and stove without suffering too much because of the heat. Cook and eat all the things you’ve avoided this summer! And if you want healthy and warming meals, pay attention to our eating tips for this fall.
9 healthy eating tips for this fall
1. Reinvent vegetables
Vegetables are a fantastic food to fill up on as they are incredibly dense in nutrients and high in fiber. Use them in pasta sauces instead of the classic mincemeat and tomato sauce combo. You can also invest in a spiralizer and make zucchini or celery root noodles. Use vegetables in smoothies too.
2. Try different soups
Fall is the season of golden leaves, but also of soups. You can create a great new habit by making a big pot of soup every Sunday. That way you can have healthy food for at least for the next three days. Plus, soups usually require little active cooking time. You can watch your favorite series while the veggies boil. If you make too much soup, you can freeze it for the future. Try smooth root vegetable or winter squash soup, or a classic chicken and veggie soup.
3. Fiber should be a priority
Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains are the foods rich in fiber. You should always have more of that – both soluble and insoluble fiber – during the fall season because it has a satiating effect and helps us control our food intake. For example, if you eat about 30 grams of fiber daily, you’ll be able to keep your food portions in check.
We suggest you start your autumn days with a fiber-rich breakfast. Try oatmeal and fruit or make a chia pudding, for example. Also, eat plenty of vegetables and legumes at noon and in the evening. Try broccoli, peas, Brussels sprouts, lentils, and black beans, because they have plenty of fiber. Also, when you crave pasta dishes, choose whole-wheat varieties.
4. Don’t forget about protein
Protein is an important macronutrient when it comes to controlling blood sugar levels and appetite. But protein doesn’t mean just meat. Include various protein in your diet, meaning eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds, tofu and dairy. Meat is also a great source of protein, but try not to eat it every meal.
5. Make a priority of warming ingredients
There are ingredients that help you stay warm during the cold season. Start using them in the fall and until spring begins. Chili, cayenne and black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, horseradish, garlic, and ginger have warming properties. Use them when you cook. They’ll also boost your immune system.
6. Cook using healthy fats
Healthy fats are great for your health (as you can guess from their name), but also incredibly satiating. Use coconut milk, and extra virgin olive oil in your dishes, and include avocado, fish, eggs, and nuts in your fall menu. Don’t forget healthy fats when you make a veggie soup, because they help you absorb the nutrients within vegetables!
7. Try different cooking methods
Grilling is one of the quicker and easier ways to cook meat, and you probably use it mostly during the summer. A grilled steak is ready in a few minutes, so you don’t heat your kitchen too much. You can now stop avoiding heating your kitchen (on the contrary, you’ll enjoy some heat in the cold days of the fall) and use your oven as often as you want. Also, try poaching, steaming and slow-cooking.
8. Do not avoid raw vegetables
We usually stop eating raw foods in the fall, because we missed the cooked warming dishes too much. But it’s better to eat a combination of cooked and raw foods. Raw foods contain live enzymes that help us digest food. Make gazpacho, guacamole, fresh tomato bruschetta, and plenty of salads!
9. Use seasonal foods
To enjoy fall more, but to eat healthily, you should buy seasonal foods. If you can, buy from farmers. There are lots of versatile fall foods you can include in your dishes: beetroot, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, mushrooms, pumpkin, rhubarb, pears, apples, and plums.
These are our best eating tips for this fall. Do you have any other to share with everybody?
