TRY THESE HEALTHY FALL FRUITS AND HERBS.
Ahhh, the entry of fall!!! It’s by far one of my favorite seasons of the year! I like how home suddenly feels cozier in autumn. It could be the soothing heat you feel against your skin as you walk inside from the (now cooler) outdoor temperatures.
And it could be the warming, welcoming scents of fall-inspired produce and essential oils that you invite into your living space. There are many reasons why I happily embrace autumn.
One of the things I like to do in the fall is take advantage of the health benefits of the crops that falls brings. Grab yourself a relaxing cup of herbal tea as you read on and learn about ways that you, too, can benefit from some of autumn’s produce, herbs, and spices.
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HEALTHY HERBS FOR THE AUTUMN SEASON
Autumn is the perfect time of year to incorporate more nourishing herbs into your life. You can use them to make delicious pots of soup, which provide comforting warmth and sustenance during this chilly season.
You may also consider growing your own herbs indoors in the fall as well. They make aesthetically pleasing plants and give you a healthy harvest of spices to use in your culinary endeavors.
Whether you choose to grow your own herbs or purchase them in small batches from herbal suppliers, incorporating herbs is a flavorful way to infuse more plant-based goodness to your daily living.
Some of my favorite herbs to use are lavender, rosemary, sage, and mint. Each herb not only brings its own distinct aromas, but also adds a wealth of beneficial healing properties.
Here’s a brief overview of the health benefits of each:
ROSEMARY
Rosemary has natural antioxidant properties, allowing it to help stave off infection and bacteria. It is also considered an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic herb. (1)
You can brew yourself a cup of rosemary tea and slowly sip on it as you enjoy reading a good book or while watching a good documentary on television.
You can also use rosemary to season some of your soups and lean cuts of meat to deliver more of its health benefits into your body
LAVENDER
By far, lavender is my favorite, most soothing, and most fragrant herb of all! It is also lauded for its many medicinal properties.
You can use lavender to ease muscle tension, stress, anxiety, and insomnia. (2)
Lavender also helps to relieve itchiness of the scalp and skin.
And get this, lavender essential oil makes a very soothing and healing ‘ointment’ for skin burns! Simply place a few drops of undiluted lavender essential oil directly on the burned skin for quick, calming relief! This will also jumpstart cellular turnover to renew your damaged skin.
By the way, lavender is only 1 of 2 essential oils that are safe to use on your skin in an undiluted manner. However, you shouldn’t make a habit of using undiluted lavender essential oil on your skin on a regular basis because it’s still quite potent. In the case of skin burns, however, using it as undiluted provides impressive healing results.
You can also make your own moisturizing lavender oil by adding a couple teaspoons of fresh or dried lavender buds to a 3- or 4-ounce bottle of olive oil. Place the bottle on your windowsill and let it sit for about 2 weeks, shaking every 2 days.
This will extract the nutrients of the lavender into the olive oil.
Use your lavender olive oil as a body moisturizer after your bath at night. This makes for a soothing and relaxing night’s sleep!
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MINT
Who doesn’t love mint and its uplifting, perky aroma?!
Some health benefits of mint include reducing inflammation, reducing cold symptoms, and easing a dull headache. (3)
An easy way to enjoy the benefits of mint is by brewing and sipping on a hot cup of mint tea. This is a great way to help ease nausea and indigestion.
Add a few drops of mint essential oil to your shower gel to use after a rigorous workout in the gym. I makes for a very cooling and refreshing post-workout cleanser!
SAGE
Sage contains a long list of nutrients including B vitamins, folic acid, vitamin A, copper, iron, and magnesium. (4)
Add it to your dishes for a tasty zip of flavor….and to infuse its healthy properties into your dishes.
As always, check with your healthcare professional prior to adding any herbs, fruits, or other supplements to your health regimen.
PUMPKIN….REASONS TO ‘FALL’ IN LOVE WITH IT
Fall and pumpkin seem to go hand-in-hand, so it comes as no surprise that people want to use more of it during this season.
Not only is pumpkin delicious and extremely versatile, especially with baked goods, but it is also good for you.
Pumpkin is often considered a superfood and includes the following health benefits:
PUMPKIN CAN HELP WITH YOUR VISION
If you have been looking for natural ways to improve your vision and reduce vision loss related to the natural aging process, consume pumpkin when it’s available.
Pumpkin has unique health properties and nutrients that are known to boost vision and eye health, including beta-carotene. This can convert to vitamin A in the body, which is a necessary nutrient for good eye health.
A one-cup serving of pumpkin per day can help with vision while simultaneously providing other health benefits.
Pumpkin also provides antioxidants that not only help fight free radicals that cause our bodies to age faster, but the same antioxidants in pumpkins can also help reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. (5)
PUMPKIN IS GOOD FOR HEART HEALTH
A healthy heart should be at the top of the list of our health concerns.
Even if you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, it is still beneficial to add more practices to protect our cardiovascular health.
If you like the taste of pumpkin, fortunately you can benefit by consuming it because studies show that it may help to reduce blood pressure. (6)
That’s because pumpkin has a high amount of potassium, which is good for helping to treat hypertension (a.k.a., high blood pressure).
BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH PUMPKINS
If you tend to get ill in the fall, such as with seasonal colds or allergies, you can boost your immune system by eating pumpkin.
That’s because pumpkin has lots of vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A…..all of which are powerful antioxidants. (7)
Increasing the daily intake of these antioxidants into your body can help to gradually build your immune system.
This gives you a better chance at fighting off cold-weather-related illnesses and viruses
WHY DOES EATING “AN APPLE A DAY” BENEFIT YOU?
I enjoyed accompanying my kids’ school on field trips to apples orchards in the fall. Each of us received our own empty sack upon arrival at the orchard.
We had fun as we followed the tour guide and filled our individual bags with the ‘picks of the crop’. Then, after arriving home, we would decide on the number of apples we would just consume ‘straight from the tree’ and the amount we would make into taffy apples.
Either decision was ok with us because we were proud of our harvest of these tasty, crunchy fruits…and I do like the types of fruit that have a good crunch!
But, did you know that apples host a plethora of health benefits for the body? They sure do! That’s where the old adage, “An apple a day….” comes from.
Consuming ‘fresh’ apples is a refreshing way to get your daily recommended allowance of fresh fruits and vegetables into your healthy diet.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF APPLES…
Apples are packed with antioxidants, which are going to help your body ward off unnecessary illness and disease by protecting your body from free radicals. (8)
FYI, free radicals cause cellular damage in the body and can cause you to age faster. Not a good thing!
Apples are also a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin K.
By the way, did you know that vitamin K is essential for proper and healthy clotting of the blood? Eating apples is a good way to get a safe amount of vitamin K into your system daily.
Apples also have lots of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and fiber, which are all essential nutrients for good health
APPLES AND WEIGHT LOSS
Have you ever heard the saying that ‘abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym?’ Well, it is certainly a truism.
If you are looking to lose weight, eating healthy is about 80% of the process, and 20% is adhering to a consistent exercise program.
When it comes to healthy eating, you want to go for a balance of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.
Not only are apples one of the healthiest fruits you can eat, but did you know that they can help aid in your weight loss efforts?
The reason is that apples are very low in fat and calories, have moderate sugar, and can fill you up with healthy fiber. The fiber from apples helps you feel full longer and can help you avoid over-eating.
A couple of suggestions on adding apples your daily food intake is to add them to a smoothie or enjoy a refreshing snack of apple slices dipped in Greek yogurt.
Consuming apples and Greek yogurt is also a tasty way to get some well-needed, healthy bacteria into your gut, for a better-balanced gut biome.
APPLES AND YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Many fruits, vegetables, and herbs can help improve your digestive system naturally, and apples are no exception.
Apples contain a fiber called pectin.
Pectin is a soluble fiber that helps to create a gel inside your colon that, when combined with the insoluble fiber content of apples, can help your colon to ‘push along’ the solid food particles for healthier digestion. (9)
Apples can also help with anemia. This is due to the high amount of iron in apples.
If you aren’t a big meat eater, getting your iron from apples is a great option.
EMBRACING FALL AND ITS GOODNESS
I trust this information will encourage you to embrace the autumn season wholeheartedly.
Do so by making the most of the healthful advantages offered by its bountiful array of fresh fall produce, herbs, and spices.
Your body will thank you for it!
