Healthy Eating

Five [Healthy] Fall Staples

Story & photos by Ashley Sornsin

When it comes to Fall foods, flavor and comfort is where it’s at! Often, these foods are filled with not so healthy ingredients to make them both comforting and delicious. Fortunately, an abundance of healthy food options exist. Check out these five healthy fall staples that are loaded with flavor and nutrition. These staples are must haves all season long!

1. PUMPKIN

Pumpkin spice and everything nice! Pumpkin is highly nutritious, unfortunately many pumpkin foods tend to be filled with sugar! Look for the real deal like pumpkin puree which is packed with vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A and C, plus it’s low in calories. It can be added to many recipes from muffins to pasta dishes, and if you love that pumpkin spice flavor, just use the actual spice! This blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves offer a host of health benefits, from anti-inflammatory properties, to helping aid in digestion and regulating blood sugar. A little spice goes a long way!

2. CHOCOLATE

Chocolate lover’s rejoice because chocolate is not only delicious, it can be a health food too! Unsweetened cocoa powder, that is, contains polyphenols that have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It’s typically the high amounts of sugar that are added to cocoa that can turn this health food into foe. Here’s your green light to add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder into anything you want chocolatey (like peanut butter) or avocado chocolate mousse. Adding this potent ingredient adds not only a lot of flavor, but many health benefits as well. What’s not to love?

3. BLACK BEANS

The perfect addition to fall chili are black beans. They add comfort from being extremely filling, and they also pack a nutritious punch. A great source of fiber, protein and folate, black beans are a great go-to bean that can be used not only in savory dishes like chili, but they also can go undetected in decadent recipes like black bean brownies. This magical legume is a nutritious staple food!

4. CHICKPEAS

An incredible versatile legume, chickpeas are a great source of gut-friendly fiber and packed with protein. They’re particularly beneficial at helping reduce blood sugar and insulin levels too. Known as the main ingredient in hummus and delicious roasted, they’re a healthy savory staple, but don’t underestimate their ability to be sweet. Say hello to delicious and nutritious dessert hummus, in flavors like pumpkin pie, cookie dough and brownie batter (bonus, make your own with just a few ingredients). These little legumes are nutritious allstars to be enjoyed all season long.

5. DATES

Extremely delicious and sweet, dates also contain a high level of antioxidants and are filled with fiber. Since dates are a natural fruit, they are a healthy substitute for refined sugar in recipes (replace 1 cup of refined sugar with 1 cup of date paste – 1:1 dates/water). In its simplest form, a date is a great dessert, try a stuffed date (filled with nut or seed butter) for a satisfying treat. Eating a dessert that not only tastes good, but also contains several vitamins and minerals, feels good too!

There’s an abundance of reasons to fall in love with these five healthy fall staples. Not only are each of these delicious, they are extremely nutritious as well. Be creative and use one of these five ingredients in a new way and explore the unique flavor profiles they offer. Enjoy the comfort of these foods in a healthy way, while gaining all of the nutritional benefits. These five staple items will take you far beyond the fall season! n

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