With the changing seasons comes a whole new set of produce, which means opportunities for different flavours and nutrients. Autumnal vegetables and fruit are super tasty and have had the benefit of a whole summer to grow and absorb nutrients from the sun and soil, allowing you to reap the benefits when the weather cools down. Here’s an insight into our favourite autumn delights and the ways in which they’re good for you.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is good for you in SO many ways and even the seeds make a tasty, nutritious snack, allowing you to use almost the whole fruit. Just 100g of pumpkin contains 170% of your recommended allowance of vitamin A, which is good for your eyes, skin and hair and it contains absolutely no saturated fat, which means you can eat it without worrying about your hips!
Brussels Sprouts
Okay, so brussels sprouts may have a rather…stinky side effect, but the amount of nutrition they offer can make it well worth it. If you can manage just 100g of sprouts, you’ll be getting 141% of your RDA of vitamin C, an essential vitamin in collagen synthesis, which is vital in the fight against the signs of ageing. If you aren’t a fan of the good, old fashioned ‘boil them to death’ method of cooking Brussels, try stir frying them with bacon lardons and a handful of chopped walnuts, plus a drizzle of maple syrup – delicious!
Blackberries
Foraging season is well underway and if you’re savvy enough you can probably get your mitts on kilos of blackberries for free, providing you know where to look. Blackberries are a good source of dietary fibre, so eating a 144g portion will help to regulate your bowels and reduce the chance of bloating. They are also a very good source of vitamin K which is an essential factor in helping the blood to clot and preventing excessive bleeding. They also taste rather yummy when made into a crumble with apples or pears!
Purple Sprouting Brocolli
Purple sprouting broccoli looks lovely on a plate, but it’s so much more than a pretty face. Broccoli is packed with phytonutrients and flavonoids, both of which are powerful defences in the fight against cancer. Studies have shown that these compounds can protect against prostate, colon, urinary bladder, pancreatic, and breast cancers. Also, don’t discard the leaves when cooking purple sprouting broccoli – these are shown to contain high levels of cancer fighting compound too, and cooking them up will also reduce your food waste.
Pears
Pears are one of the most popular fruits in the world and it’s easy to see why. As well as producing several varieties which are tasty to eat, they’re also versatile and easy to cook with, being just as easy to eat with goats cheese as custard (but never at the same time!). Pears have also been discovered to be a vital ally in the fight against type 2 diabetes, as they can actually improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin, allowing suffers to regulate their blood sugar levels more precisely.