Autumn is a time of changes in the environment where temperatures drop, humidity increases in the environment and days are shortened, these changes can affect our mood and the immune system and it is more common to have a cold, flu and other viruses more common this season.

Photo by Damir Spanic on Unsplash

For this reason, it is so important to pay attention to our food is this time of year to strengthen our defenses, below we give you a series of guidelines to feed properly in autumn:

We can start the day with a good comforting breakfast, we can include seasonal fruits such as pomegranate, mandarin, orange among others, since fruits rich in vitamin C such as citrus help strengthen the immune system.

To warm up you can opt for a porridge of oats, muesli and granolas without added sugar and add a handful of nuts.

It may be interesting to accompany breakfast with an infusion, for example of ginger and/or turmeric.

Ginger is anti-inflammatory and can help us with respiratory conditions, cough, digestive problems etc and turmeric in turn is a powerful anti-inflammatory and also antioxidant.

Include vegetables and vegetables in lunch and dinner, it is important to take advantage of seasonal vegetables and vegetables, since they are cheaper and at the same time are their best point of flavor.

It is important to continue taking two to three pieces of fruit a day, the best way will always be in its whole form, since they provide more fiber, but also on some occasions you can enjoy a squeezed juice or fruit and milk smoothies, yogurts or vegetable drinks.

Consume in each meal a quality protein, they can be of animal origin: meat, fish, eggs, or we can also include proteins of plant origin such as legumes, and soy derivatives.

Legumes take vital importance in autumn especially for people who like to eat hot, you can cook stews with vegetables or in the form of puree.

Their consumption is recommended at least three times a week, they provide complex carbohydrates and are rich in fiber.

To eat between hours we can opt for fresh fruit, yogurts without added sugar, nuts and in case you feel like some sweet snack we can eat roasted sweet potato with cinnamon, dehydrated ripe fruit, milk or vegetable drink with pure cocoa, chocolate with a high percentage in cocoa, homemade oatmeal cookies and banana among other options.

Within the group of carbohydrates, we must highlight the tubers such as potato, sweet potato and cassava that are an important source of complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and some resistant starches with prebiotic action for the body, that is, they help improve the composition of our intestinal microbiota.

The microbiota interacts with the immune system, promoting signals for the maturation of the immune cells and the normal development of their functions as well as the destruction of toxins by avoiding the colonization of pathogenic bacteria, hence the importance of taking care of our gut, as it has a barrier function of the bowel that will help us to prevent the passage of bacteria and viruses among other pathogens.

It decreases the consumption of ultra processed: refined breads, packaged juices, refined cereals, ice cream, pastries etc.the abuse of simple sugars and refined oils that usually contain most processed foods can promote an inflammation in our body of low degree that can destabilize our immune system.

It uses extra virgin olive oil for dressing and cooking, as they contain phytosterols that reduce LDL cholesterol known as” bad cholesterol " and are also a potent anti-inflammatory.

Omega 3 oils present in oily fish also have anti-inflammatory power, you can find them in oily fish, better always the small (sardines, salmon, anchovies etc) and also in sources of vegetable origin such as nuts, flax seeds and chia.

Take advantage of the magic of autumn, the color of its leaves, its forests full of leaves, to nourish yourself with nature, walk in the mountains, pick mushrooms, chestnuts and stay active.

Below we leave you an example of examples of hot healthy dishes to cook this fall:

  • Carrot creams
  • Sweet potato and mushroom cream
  • Curry pumpkin cream
  • Sautéed pumpkin and chicken
  • Bean stew with pumpkin.
  • Chickpea stew with pumpkin
  • Beef stew with vegetables and chestnuts
  • Salad with mushrooms and goat cheese
  • Mushroom Mousaka
  • Rice with mushrooms and vegetables

I hope it helps to give you new ideas to plan your meals this fall and enjoy seasonal foods.