It’s easy to eat lots of fruits and vegetables in the summer when farmer’s markets and fresh produce are abundant, but in order to stay healthy it’s important to keep eating them year-round. Don’t neglect raw fruit and vegetables just because the weather's on the turn. Winter Salads can be full of crispness and flavor. Use mixtures of vegetables in soups, stews and sauces.
Apples are delicious, easy to carry for snacking, low in calories, and they are very inexpensive. Apples are a good source of soluble fiber. It is a good idea to eat apples with their skin. Almost half of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Eating the skin also increases insoluble fiber content. There are hundreds of varieties of apples on the market today. Apples can be sweet, tart, soft and smooth or crisp and crunchy.
Blackberries are high in vitamin and minerals. Great to eat just as they are or In cooking , they’re best paired with other fruit, usually apples, to make crumbles or pies, or juice them with apples for an autumn drink or sprinkle some on plain yogurt.
Plums lots of different varieties, available well into the autumn. Most are sweet enough to eat raw or you can bake them. Try slices added to green or fruit salads, or bake them alongside meat.
Pears help promote heart and colon health, and protect against macular degeneration. Pears are thought of as a hypoallergenic fruit and are often recommended as the first fruit to give to infants. Pears can, of course, be eaten as is, but can also be poached or added to salads and oatmeal.
Raspberries are at their best in the early autumn, they’re often larger and dark than the summer varieties. Mix with other fruit in fruit salads or compotes, use to fill flans or scones , or to make a tangy sweet sauce.
 Spinach is a nutrition power house. It also contains lots of vitamins K for your bones, is a protective of the heart and against eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Spinach can be add to just about any meal for an easy nutrient boost. Try it with eggs, pasta, fish and even pizza. Use it instead of lettuce in your salads.
Brussels sprouts belong to the cancer fighting family of vegetables. They also give you healthy skin , protect the immune system, fight against birth defects and arthritis and support a healthy colon. Use Brussels sprouts as a side dish seasoned with butter, salt, pepper , cheese or lemon, or add them to soups and stew.
Eggplant is good for the heart and can be baked , roasted or steamed. It can be eaten with or without the skin. Try it sautéed with other vegetables, in curries, or make your own Middle Eastern baba gannouji.
Carrots in autumn and winter, have a more robust flavor than in spring. Delicious in soups, juiced, or shredded into salads and sandwiches. They’re also good steamed, stir-fried or roasted. A dash of orange juice will bring out the flavor. They also make very good, moist cakes.
Cucumbers peel and cut into fingers for snacks, slice or chop into salads, add to bulgur or cous cous salads, mix with yogurt for a refreshing dip.
Sweet Potatoes have much more nutrition than regular potatoes. They’re rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and are classified as an anti-diabetic food. They received this because animal studies have hound they help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. The vitamin A they contain also makes them protective against emphysema. So, when the weather turns chilly, look forward to the soups, stew and fruit crisps that are such a part of autumn and enjoy making the most of the glorious autumn fruits and vegetables.
Source:www.sixwise.com and www.healty-eating-made-easy.com |
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