It always seems easier to eat a healthy, seemingly balanced, diet in the warm weather; summer tends to be full of griddled meats fresh off the BBQ, salads, and fruit smoothies. The cravings for sugary food and heavy carbs tend to be less frequent due to the warm and hot weather. The sunshine also means that you’re more likely to be outside being active on a regular basis, so those extra calories from ice cream and the cheese on your burger are burned off quickly. People tend to feel that as fall approaches and the colder weather gets into full swing; any ideas about a healthy, balanced diet have to be flung out of the window.
However, this is not the case; fall brings with it an array of fresh, seasonal produce that can help to create delicious, healthy, hearty recipes that will fill you up and warm you to the bone. If you’re cooking from scratch; there’s no reason you can’t stick to a balanced lifestyle, full of your favorite food and recipes; there are even healthy choices to be had when you’re out and about, so don’t panic. The following are some ideas, tips, and things to consider regarding your fall appetite, and the changes in food choices you’ll notice from summer.
Nibbling On The Good Stuff
Whether you love gluten-free snacks or are partial to protein-packed treats, there will always be cold days and nights where you just want to reach for convenience foods and something to nibble on when you’re watching a movie. If you’re hungry or peckish, you’ll want to stock up on pantry snacks that will fill you up without a massive sugar rush which will invariably be followed by a crash. Take a look into what to stock up on in the cupboards, and what to avoid altogether. If the wrong, unhealthy foods and snacks aren’t in your kitchen, but nourishing alternative options are there instead; you’re unlikely to be running to the store on a chilly fall night, and you’ll reach for that healthy alternative instead. Utilize the internet and check out some healthy fall snack ideas, and ensure you’re not reaching for cinnamon or pumpkin spice donuts at every chance.
Cookin’ From Scratch
Fresh food doesn’t have to mean cold, crunchy salad; although, this is a perfectly good choice of meal if you’re craving crisp leaves and juicy tomatoes. For a start; you can create a hot salad, perfect for fall. The fresher your ingredients, the better; you might be tempted to throw a ready-meal in the microwave when you get home from work, but it’ll be full of hidden sugar, salt, and preservatives. Planning ahead will become your favorite activity as the seasons change. Take a Saturday or Sunday to cook some large pots of stew, soup, or casserole, and create your own ready meals. One-pot cooking is a great way to add lots of vegetables, containing vitamins and fiber, into a meal, and you can pour out portions into containers before freezing them. If you’ve made an effort to create wholesome meals, you’ll have the benefit of having delicious food to heat up after work. Serve your homemade stews with some steamed vegetables for added nourishment, and don’t be completely fearful of carbohydrates, especially if you’re staying active in the cold weather. You can have a chunk of whole grain bread with your soup or a handful of small roasted potatoes with a casserole.
Fall Produce
Fall is still a great time for produce. It is full of flavorful produce that has spent all summer, soaking up the rays and converting that energy into something delicious. Great fall fruits include apples, pears, figs, grapes, and pomegranates. We all know that these make great desserts. But they are also great in salads. Apples and pears can provide both a crisp flavor and texture to your bite of salad. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over a salad for little bursts of flavor with each bite. Halved grapes go great in a chicken or tuna salad sandwich. Fall vegetables include the standard trifecta for mirepoix: carrots, celery, and onions, but also includes kale, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, squash, and cabbage. All of these are chockfull of vitamins and minerals to make your fall feasts both filling and nutritious.
This is a contributor post, which has been reviewed and edited personally by me before being published. Links to external reviews are meant to provide additional ideas to readers and do not reflect my personal opinion or review of products.
Featured image credit: PhotoMIX Ltd.