“15 Best Superfoods for Fall”

 

These amazing seasonal foods are the perfect excuse to visit your local farmers market.

FALL SUPERFOODS: The weather is getting cooler, but your produce choices are heating up.
These amazing superfoods are either hitting their peak in the garden or can easily be found in your local farmers market or grocery store. They're the perfect excuse to get cooking on cool nights!

APPLES: Sweet or tart, apples are satisfying eaten raw or baked into a delicious dish. Just be sure to eat the skin—it contains hearty-healthy flavonoids. Health benefits include:

• Full of antioxidants
• 4 grams of dietary fiber per serving

Harvest season: August-November

BRUSSELS SPROUTS: Made the correct way, these veggies taste divine. They have a mild, somewhat bitter taste, so combine them with tangy or savory sauces, like balsamic vinegar. Health benefits include:

• 1/2 cup contains more than your DRI (Daily Recommended Intake) of vitamin K
• Very good source of folate
• Good source of iron

Harvest season: September–March

PARSNIPS: Though these veggies may resemble carrots, they have a lighter color and sweeter, almost nutty flavor. Use them to flavor rice and potatoes or puree them into soups and sauces. Health benefits include:

• Rich in potassium
• Good source of fiber

Harvest season: October–April

PEARS: The sweet and juicy taste makes this fruit a crowd-pleaser. Cooking can really bring out their fabulous flavor, so try them baked or poached. Health benefits include:

• Good source of vitamin C and copper
• 4 grams of fiber per serving

Harvest season: August–February

RUTABAGA: A cross between a turnip and a cabbage, rutabagas are a popular Swedish dish. To utilize their earthy flavor, add them to casseroles, puree them with turnips and carrots to make a sweet soup, or roast them with ginger, honey, or lemon. Health benefits include:

• Good source of fiber
• Good source of vitamin C

Harvest season: October–April

CAULIFLOWER: The sweet, slightly nutty flavor of cauliflower is perfect for winter side dishes. It's wonderful steamed, but it can also be blended to create a mashed potato-like texture or pureed into soup. Health benefits include:

• Compounds that may help to prevent cancer
• Phytonutrients may lower cholesterol" "Excellent source of vitamin C

Harvest season: September–June

SQUASH: Unlike summer squash, winter squash has a fine texture and a slightly sweet flavor. Because of its thick skin, it can be stored for months. It tastes best with other fall flavorings, like cinnamon and ginger. Health benefits include:

• Contains omega-3 fatty acids
• Excellent source of vitamin A

Harvest season: October–February

PUMPKIN: A type of winter squash, pumpkin can be used for much more than jack-o'-lanterns. Its sweet taste and moist texture make it ideal for pies, cakes, and even pudding! Health benefits include:

• Rich in potassium
• More than 20% of your DRI (Daily Recommended Intake) of fiber
• Good source of B vitamins

Harvest season: October–February

SWEET POTATOES: These veggies are for much more than Thanksgiving casseroles. More nutritionally dense than their white-potato counterparts, try roasting them—they'll taste delicious, and you may maintain more vitamins than boiling. Health benefits include:

• Excellent source of vitamin A
• Good source of iron
• Anti-inflammatory benefits

Harvest season: September–December

TURNIPS: Tender and mild, these root vegetables are a great alternative to radishes and cabbage. To flavor these veggies, use fennel, breadcrumbs, or even brown sugar. Turnip leaves, which taste like mustard leaves, are easy to cook and dense in nutrients. Health benefits include:

• The roots are a good source of vitamin C
• Turnip leaves are an excellent source of vitamins A, K, and folate

Harvest season: September–April

POMEGRANATES: This slightly sour fruit has gotten a lot of press as an antioxidant powerhouse. The juice provides a tangy base for marinades, and the seeds can be tossed into salads to amp up the flavor. Health benefits include:

• A UCLA study showed pomegranate juice has higher antioxidant levels than red wine
• Good source of vitamin C and folate

Harvest season: August–December

DATES: This Middle Eastern favorite is a sweet fruit that is perfect braised in stews, chopped up in desserts, or stuffed with cream cheese or almonds. Health benefits include:

• Low in fat
• Good source of fiber
• Good source of potassium

Harvest season: September–December

KIWI: Use this sweet fruit to add a tropical flavor to your recipes. It's great mixed with strawberries, cantaloupe, or oranges and can be combined with pineapple to make a tangy chutney. Health benefits include:

• More vitamin C than an orange
• Good source of potassium and copper

Harvest season: September–March

GRAPEFRUIT: The signature tartness of grapefruit provides a contrast to other citrus fruit. Add it to mixed greens, combine it with avocado and shrimp, or enjoy a fresh glass of its antioxidant-rich juice. Health benefits include:

• More than 75% of your DRI (Daily Recommended Intake) of vitamin C
• Good source of lycopene
• Contains pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol

Harvest season: September–April

TANGERINES: The small and sweet citrus fruits are positively refreshing for Fall recipes. Our favorite flavor combos include almonds, dates, and honey. Juice them with oil, vinegar, and ginger for a to-die-for dressing. Health benefits include:

• Good source of vitamin C
• Good source of beta-carotene

Harvest season: November–April

Health Magazine on September 06, 2018

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“Veggies That Make Healthy, Tasty Soups”

Cucumber: This nutritious veggie is one of the ingredients in the cold soup called gazpacho. The seeds, in particular, have lots of natural chemicals known as phytonutrients, like carotenoids and flavonoids. Some recipes add body with crushed walnuts and low-fat yogurt. Have a bowl, and you'll be cool as a cucumber on a hot summer day.

Butternut Squash: You can peel it, cook it until soft, and puree it into a smooth, thick, satisfying fall soup. Many recipes use savory curry spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric. You'll get plenty of vitamins A, C, and B6 from the squash. Some people add sour cream or yogurt as a topping. Keep calories down with low-fat versions.

Lentils: A hearty soup made from these legumes will warm you up and keep you well-nourished in the cold of winter. They're loaded with protein and are good for your heart, too. That's partly due to the high fiber, but also to the manganese and folate. Some recipes add sausage for extra flavor and another shot of protein. Dried lentils take longer to cook, so pick them up in precooked cans if you're in a hurry. They're just as healthy.

Broccoli: Like kale, spinach, and chard, broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable loaded with nutrients like vitamins K, C, E, B6, as well as chromium and folate. So, get those big stalks onto your soup spoon! They'll soften as they cook, and you can break them into bite-sized pieces before you throw them in. Some recipes puree it to thicken and flavor the soup.

Potatoes: You might have some concerns about their high carbohydrate content. But these tubers are loaded with potassium and vitamin C. Cut them into cubes for a chunky soup. If you puree them, try to limit ingredients like cheese, heavy cream, and bacon that add calories and fat.

Mushrooms: You may want to go easy on cream of mushroom soup because of the extra fat in many recipes. But there are lots of other ways to make soup with mushrooms. And that's a good thing because these fungi can supply you with riboflavin, niacin, selenium, and potassium. They even have some vitamin D, which you can't get from other vegetables. Plus, they're low in calories with almost zero fat, cholesterol, or salt.

Fresh Spring Peas: These delicate veggies come along for just a few weeks each year. They have lots of vitamins, and 1 cooked cup has 8.6 grams of protein and 8.8 grams of fiber. This helps slow the amount of sugar that gets absorbed into your bloodstream, which is better for your health. You can puree them and add low-fat yogurt instead of cream for a bit of tartness and to cut calories.

Dried Split Peas: They make a thick, hearty winter soup. Crumble a bit of turkey bacon or lean sausage on top for flavor. Just like fresh peas, these nutritional powerhouses have vitamins K, B1, and C, along with manganese, copper, phosphorus, folate, and lots of phytonutrients like flavanols, phenolic acids, and carotenoids.

Asparagus: It has lots of vitamins, such as K, C, and E. It also has a bunch of the B vitamins, including B1, B2, B3, B5 and some B6. This veggie is also packed with folate, copper, selenium, manganese, and phosphorus. Fiber and phytonutrients in asparagus can help digestion and lessen inflammation, among other things. You can cook and then puree the stalks to make the soup and save the more delicate tips to add later.

Leeks: These veggies have sulfur compounds that help build connective tissue and get rid of toxic substances. They also have a flavonoid called kaempferol that helps protect blood vessels. Leeks make a delicious stock for all kinds of vegetable soups and stews. Or you can cook and puree them with potatoes to make a cold soup called vichyssoise.

Beets: They've got lots of nutrients, some from a group called betalains that help fight inflammation and get rid of toxins. For something new, try making a traditional blood-red Eastern European soup called borscht. You can serve it hot or cold and add potatoes, onions, meat, cabbage, and even little dumplings called pierogis. Garnish with low-fat sour cream or yogurt if you like.

Cabbage: This humble and inexpensive vegetable has a truckload of nutrients. A cup of cooked cabbage has 56.2 milligrams of vitamin C. Plus, you'll get plenty of fiber, folate, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin A -- not to mention antioxidants and phytonutrients. Try spicy cabbage soup with a light broth, tomatoes, onions, and lemon juice.

Kale: Even if you already use it in your salads and side dishes, this cruciferous vegetable has so many phytonutrients, flavonoids, and antioxidants that it's worth throwing into your soup as well. It's unusually high in lutein, which helps keep your eyes healthy. Make a potato and kale soup with chicken or vegetable stock that will keep you going all day. Or add it to any mixed vegetable soup, like minestrone.

Onion: This versatile ingredient helps make any number of vegetable- and meat-based stocks. It's got a place of honor in French onion soup, which you can top with cheese and crusty bread. Just be careful not to add too much fat and salt. Besides fiber, potassium, manganese, and vitamins (C, B1, B6), onions are especially high in antioxidants like quercetin that help protect cells and curb inflammation.

Reviewed by: Christine Mikstas, RD, LD on October 24, 2018

Resources: 

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Creamy Broccoli Soup Recipe."
Advances in Nutrition: "White Potatoes, Human Health, and Dietary Guidance."
Green City Market: "Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar Crisp & Bacon."
Logo Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry: "Resistant Starch Regulates Gut Microbiota: Structure, Biochemistry and Cell Signaling."
EatFresh.org: "French Onion Soup," "Lemongrass Chicken Soup," "Lotus Root Mushroom Vegetarian Soup," "Lentil Soup," "Lightly Curried Butternut Squash."
Food & Nutrition: "Fresh Peas Mean Spring's Delicious Arrival."
Fruits and Veggies More Matters: "Mushroom -- Shedding Light On Their Nutritional Value."
George Mateljan Foundation (World's Healthiest Foods): "Cabbage," "Spicy Cabbage Soup," "Onions," "Minestrone Surprise," "Super Energy Kale Soup," "Kale," "Leeks," "Asparagus," "Green Peas," "Broccoli," "Lentils," "Squash, winter," "Cucumbers."
Household USDA Fact Sheet: "Cream of Mushroom Soup."
James Beard Foundation: "Cold Minted Pea Soup."
Land's Sake CSA: "Eat the Beet: Borscht by Emily."
OldWaysPT.org: "Springtime Soup," "Walnut And Cucumber Gazpacho."
T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies: "Easy Potato Soup."
The Kitchen Think: "Traditionally Polish: Red Borscht With Porcini Mushroom Pierogies."
Department of Agriculture: "National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy Release."

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine, #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.