Sweater weather. Long scarf season. Cup of hot tea and cozy nights time of year. I think there are so many wonderful things about the changing of seasons, not only the colors of the tress, but the festive abundance of fall foods available around us too!
Have you ever heard of eating "in season"? Essentially, this means one consumes fruits and vegetables that are growing or are grown in that specific season. For example foods such as apples are in season from August to April. Blueberries are in season from July to September, as are most berries. When one eats within the boundaries of the seasons, its not only benefiting you physically, but our environment as well. One of the biggest benefits includes reducing our carbon footprint and supporting a more geographically sustainable food economy. Another highly touted benefit to eating within the seasons is reducing pesticide consumption. How? Well I am sure for a ripe grapefruit to makes its 3 day journey to its final destination across the world, its going to need a little pick me up to stay ripe. This comes in the form of pesticides and other chemicals to keep it from naturally decaying when its not its seasonal time of growth.
The list goes on with how eating in season is great for you, your environment and even your wallet. So lets focus on the season at hand, Fall. Foods that grow, taste great and are readily available from September. 21st (first day of fall) until the last which is December 20, include squash, pears, cherries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butter lettuce, crab apples, plums, pineapple (surprisingly!) and of course pumpkin. There are of course many more during this time of year, and even more meals and recipes available for this cozy, comfort food time of year.
Increasing your consumption of seasonal foods can affect us on a biological level as well. Have you ever heard of our circadian rhythm? This is the system in which governs our body clocks. It essentially covers everything from our sleep patterns, hormone release, blood pressure and eating. When we eat out of season, its a bit like jet leg. Our micro-biomes and our digestive enzymes change not only with the time of day, but also with seasonal and lunar cycles.
For example, in the winter months we have increased levels of the digestive enzyme called "Amylase". This is the salivary digestion that takes place in the first phase of digestion, which begins in our mouths when chewing and breaking down foods. In the winter, this provides to being able to break down hardier, denser foods such as potatoes and squash. Eating within season will not only benefit your internal self, but your outer appearance as well since this regulates good and bad gut bacteria too. When we are eating in season, our skin glows, hair grows and our bodies are overall happier to be in rhythm with the natural way of things.
Check out this comforting fall desert recipe below (Bonus: Its vegan!)
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"Sour Cherry & Pear Crumble"
Crumble:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup gluten free large flake oats
- 2tbsp date sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I personally love more!)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened
Filling:
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups frozen and thawed organic cherries
- 2 cups peeled, chopped organic pears
Instructions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking tray or pan with parchment paper.
2.Combine the thawed cherries, pears, vanilla extract, maple syrup and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss well.
3.To prepare the topping, combine all the ingredients, except the coconut oil, in a medium boll and mix well. Add the coconut oil and work it with your hands, until it’s well incorporated.
4.Transfer the pear and cherry filling to the pan, sprinkle the topping on top and place the pan on a baking sheet, in case the juices from the filling spills out. Place in on the lower rack of the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
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If you are looking to incorporate more fall foods and seasonal recipes into your nutrition regime this year, feel free to reach out anytime via email on my contact page! Theres nothing more comforting than knowing what your putting in your body not only tastes good, but is doing good too.
Happy Fall
Ox Chanelle