As the chilly weather sets in, it’s time to start preparing dishes that are distinctly associated with fall. Think butternut squash soup, pumpkin and sweet potato pie, roasted cauliflower and apple cinnamon muffins. In-season food like pumpkin, figs and Brussel sprouts are rich in fibre and vitamins, making them the perfect additions to your diet at this time of year.
By adding the season’s favorite foods to your diet, you can ensure that you are getting a mix of nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to keep you and your baby healthy. That’s why the team at Your Baby Club has shared a guide to the most nutritional seasonal produce to add to your diet at this time of year.
- Pumpkin
The autumnal fruit (or vegetable, as some would argue), pumpkin, which is popular around Halloween and Thanksgiving, is packed with vitamins, nutrients and fiber that are beneficial. The fruit has many immune-boosting properties, as it contains beta carotene, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron and folate – all of which boast a host of health benefits. Adding pumpkin to your diet can help keep your iron level in check and prevent iron deficiency anaemia.
Other additional benefits of pumpkin include:
- Keeping constipation at bay
- Helping with abdominal pains and improving immunity
- Supporting healthy blood pressure
- Butternut Squash
From a hearty butternut squash soup to a roasted recipe, fall is the most popular time of year to prepare a dish with the delicious root vegetable. Just like pumpkin, butternut squash is rich in vitamins and minerals that are the perfect addition to your diet during the season.
The seasonal squash is high in potassium, which helps you to maintain healthy blood pressure. High blood pressure can be dangerous for you. Butternut squash is packed full of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body, an essential vitamin. Vitamin A is required for heart, lungs, eyes, bones, respiratory and central nervous systems.
- Brussel sprouts
Sprouts are harvested from fall onwards and are a popular side dish on any Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. The vegetable is high in vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin B9, which is also known as folic acid (which is great if you’re trying to conceive or are pregnant). Folic acid plays an important role in the development of cells, it also helps to form the neural tube and helps the development of the brain.
Brussel sprouts are a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin K is another beneficial property of eating Brussels spouts, which again, is essential if you’re pregnant.
- Apples
Apples are both great for snacking on and baking into a pie, plus they are a great source of calcium. This vitamin helps to strengthen growing bones, teeth and it also helps contribute to muscle, heart and nervous system development.
The fruit is packed with other health benefits for both you, from fibre, which can help with digestion, to helping build your immune system with vitamin C and being rich in iron, which can help to prevent anaemia.
- Figs
Figs have a variety of different benefits, from helping aid digestion, to preventing high blood pressure and strengthening and helping the development of bones and teeth.
The fruit is rich in minerals, potassium and nutrients, including vitamins A, B1, B2, C, all which contribute to a healthy you. Figs also contain omega-3 and folate.
Have you got a particular seasonal recipe that you love using one of these ingredients? It would be great to hear what you think.
