In many parts of the country, the appearance of colorful leaves means the coming of colder, shorter days. But it also means the harvesting of colorful foods that are healthful and flavorful. This is a great season for wellness training on how to have a healthy harvest.
Here are the ABCs of great fall flavors:
- Apples provide antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C—as long as you eat the skin. They help with digestion and can help lower cholesterol thus reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke. They also reduce your risk of colon cancer.
- Chestnuts are a good source of vitamin C and are a protein snack alternative to carbohydrates. Get a head start on roasting chestnuts by arranging them in a single layer in an oven-safe dish and roasting them at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let them cool before peeling.
- Cranberries are a low-calorie source of vitamin C and fiber. They can reduce your risk of breast cancer and urinary tract infections and can even protect your teeth against plaque and cavities. They go well with any and all dishes; breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Grapes also provide vitamin C and can improve your heart health. Combine with nuts for a quick and healthful snack.
- Pears provide vitamins B12, A, C, E, fiber, copper, potassium, and folic acid. They can help lower cholesterol, prevent high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer.
- Pumpkins provide vitamin C, fiber, and potassium. The seeds provide essential fatty acids and zinc. Pumpkins can reduce risk of cancer, heart disease, cataracts, and stroke.
- Sweet potatoes provide vitamins A, B6, and C as well as fiber, copper, and potassium.
Check out www.FoodFit.com for more nutrition and health information about many more healthful fall foods—along with delicious recipes!
Fat Fall Foods
Even healthful fall foods can be prepared in unhealthful ways. According to WebMD (www.webmd.com), for example, caramel-dipped apples encrusted in nuts can add up to hundreds of calories, unless you use a thin layer of low-calorie caramel and unsalted nuts. You still get the sweet and the crunchy—without so many calories!
Many pumpkin desserts, such as cheesecake, bread pudding, or pie, also add too many calories and too much fat to the normally nutritious pumpkin. WebMD suggests crust-less pumpkin custard or low-fat pumpkin muffins.
Likewise, some sweet potato casserole recipes that involve creamed soups or crispy bacon, or sweet potato pie recipes that use butter or cream, can add hundreds of calories and fat. Substitute low-fat butter or margarine, less sugar, light whipped topping, and other healthful choices when you prepare these nutrient-rich fall foods.
Family Harvest
Even the process of getting fall foods can be a healthful exercise if you venture outside the produce aisle of your grocery store. Take the family on a fun fall outing to harvest fall foods yourselves:
- Visit an apple orchard and pick a bushel fresh from the tree.
- Check out a cider mill to see how cider is made and get some organic, nonpasteurized cider. Some might even have a shop where you can get spice mixes for hot mulled cider and other apple products.
- Shop at a local farmer’s market, meet your neighbors, and get fresh foods.
- Bring the kids to a corn maze and enjoy the hike through the fields before getting some fresh corn.
Why It Matters
- Training employees how to eat healthfully helps to keep them … healthy! And that keeps them on the job.
- It also makes them more alert and productive while on the job.
- Healthy employees also make fewer claims on health insurance policies.