By Drew Mulvey MS, CDN, CNS, CLT
Tis the season of bright yellows, oranges and reds on the trees, apple picking and those last trips to the beach. That is right! At the end of the month, we will be entering into the season of Fall. As we enter a new season, it is time to leave some of the old behind and start fresh. Here are some ways that you can celebrate and fall right into health.
Seasonal Produce
Apples
How about them apples? This traditional Fall staple has more to it than simply as a base of pies and crisps. Apples are excellent for overall health AND proper detoxification. Let’s take a deeper look.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, apples can be very cleansing the liver, thus why it makes them ideal as any part of a detoxification program.1 Fall is also an ideal time of year for a detox according to these principles as well! Apples also contain several antioxidants essential for decreasing free radicals, compounds that produce inflammation. Some are proanthocyanins, responsible for aiding the liver in clearing cancer causing agents, carcinogens and tartaric acid and malic acid which inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and may help with indigestion.2,3 Interestingly, these two functions are closely tied as proper digestion is an essential part of detoxification.
On the topic of digestion, apples are excellent source of pectin, a fiber that decreases cholesterol in the blood, and removes heavy metals such as lead and mercury. On the topic of fiber, prebiotic fiber helps to diversify and feed beneficial organisms in the gut which apples are known for.
Enjoy in an apple spice or chocolate apple smoothie, use the sauce in place of oils or eggs in alternative baked goods, or whip up a nice healthy apple crisp (recipe is in my Pumpkin and Apple Recipe Guide). Other apple recipes are in my 21 Day Whole Food Detox Jumpstart Guide.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin spice is everywhere. We are baking it in our pies, mixing it in muffins and adding it to our lattes. Did you know that pumpkin can be nourishing in several different ways AND be part of a detox?
Pumpkin contains fiber which is essential for prevention of constipation and elimination of toxins from the body through feces. Fiber is also essential for feeding good bacteria in the gut. It’s organge color is a good indicator of the abundance of Beta carotene, a form of vitamin A important for immune function. In fact, pumpkin has the highest amount of beta carotene in comparison to other squashes such as butternut squash.1 This high level of vitamin A helps to neutralize free radicals and decrease inflammation. Pumpkin also contains other vitamins such as Vitamin C essential not only for immunity, but for proper function of our mitochondria, the part of the cell responsible for creating energy.4
It’s also good for stress! According to traditional Chinese medicine, pumpkin can be very beneficial for the Qi, or your vitality. Including this may help with a sense of well-being.1
Enjoy in a pumpkin latte, pumpkin chia pudding or in pancakes. If you are interested in more alternative pumpkin recipes or how you can use this to nourish your soul, be sure to check out my Pumpkin and Apple Recipe Guide this month, available for FREE to all new clients or for purchase on my website.
Other Seasonal Produce
Fruits:
Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Organic Grapes, Melons, Pears, Raspberries
Veggies:
Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Escarole, Fennel, Garlic, Green Beans, Kale, Peppers, Pumpkins, Potatoes, Radishes, Radicchio, Squash, Tomatoes, Zucchini
Apple and Pumpkin Recipes
It’s pumpkin and apple spice everything! Celebrate by adding some of these delicious dishes into your healthy routine.
Pumpkin Spiced Mocha
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
6 oz organic coffee
½ tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tbsp pumpkin puree
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsps raw honey
½ cup non dairy milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)
Place all ingredients in a shaker bottle and mix until fully incorporated.
Pour into a mug and enjoy this nice little fall treat.
**Note: If you do not use vanilla protein powder, add ¼ tsp vanilla extract**
Pumpkin Spice French Toast
(Gluten Free)
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
2 slices gluten-free toast
1 egg
2 tbsps pumpkin
3 tbsps non-dairy milk
Dash of cinnamon
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
Place coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium flame.
In a shallow dish, add all the ingredients aside from the bread and whisk together until they are fully incorporated.
Dip each piece of bread until the liquid has soaked through it. Place in the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the bread over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Place on a flat dish and top with your favorite fruit, yogurt, nut butters and/or maple syrup.
Butternut Apple Soup
Ingredients:
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
3 cups bone broth
1 large red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 large organic Fuji apple, diced
1 1/4 lbs butternut squash, diced
6 fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can garbanzo beans
Slice orange in half and juice in a citrus juicer. Place aside.
Place the grapeseed oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until they are fragrant.
Add the rest of the ingredients aside from the bone broth and garbanzos beans. Toss them with the onions and garlic until they are fully incorporated
Add the bone broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the butternut squash is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
With an immersion blender, process the ingredients until they are fully incorporated.
Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and add them to the pot.
Recipe derived from Lidia’s Kitchen.
Classical Music Month
This truly brings me back to my childhood. I grew up around this. When I was a young girl my mom and I used to dance around to classical music in the living room downstairs and we would make our summerly trips to Tanglewood, set up a blanket and picnic and listen to the symphony play from the auditorium. How does this play into health?
Classical music has been shown to have great benefit on the central nervous system, and particularly for focus! Studies have shown that listening to classical music helps to release the neurotransmitter dopamine. 5 This neurotransmitter is associated with rewarding behaviors but is incredibly important for mood, focus and even sleep! Anything that helps the body to decrease the stress response transition into a place of homeostasis, a state where the body’s physiological processes are functioning at optimally. This can lead to better recovery, immunity, and hormonal balance, which is particularly important for active individuals.
When you’re feeling a little anxious, need to relax or are studying for that hard exam, throw on some classical music!
Better Breakfast Month
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It jumps starts your metabolism, it cuts cravings and overall it can help to keep you satiated throughout the day. Very commonly, we do not get enough nutrition during this meal, nor do we know what dishes are good for us! If you are an active individual or someone who lives a stressful lifestyle, breakfast is going to be important. Here are some tips.
Carbohydrates:
These are particularly important not only for energy several other benefits. Check it out! Carbohydrates decrease production of cortisol, our stress hormone. Acutely, cortisol can work in our favor as an anti-inflammatory. Exposure to cortisol over an extended amount of time can be pro-inflammatory, create insulin and weight loss resistance, disrupt sleep patterns, start to eat up your muscles and contribute to cessation of a period. Cortisol also blunts the production of progesterone to pregnenolone and disrupts hormones and is positively correlated with increased stress and anxiety. This can also be correlated with increased belly fat. Grabbing for that coffee first thing in the morning? Try adding in a carbohydrate to decrease the stress response.
These essential for brain power too! Our brains require about 120g of carbohydrates a day just to function properly. Thus, it is important to add these into your morning routine for a healthy noggin!
Good Sources of Carbohydrates:
Gluten-free rolled oats, organic whole wheat/whole grain bread (I like Ezekiel Bread and Alvarado Street Bakery Sprouted Bread), fruits such as berries, apples, pears, melon, or ½ banana; sweet potatoes, potatoes, grains such as amaranth and others listed below.
Protein:
Decreases glycemic index, which ultimately regulates blood glucose and insulin levels. This is important for keeping one satiated and preventing a sugar crash. Protein is also essential for building muscle but to help with the production of digestive enzymes, organs and joints!
Good sources of protein:
Pasture-raised eggs, high quality protein powder, collagen peptides, uncured organic turkey bacon or Canadian bacon, organic chicken sausage, organic grass-fed, whole milk yogurt (if not sensitive)
Vegan: Organic tofu or tempeh, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, organic PB2 or PBfit or almond butter powder
Fats:
Slow down gastric emptying and thus can keep you fuller longer. Certain fats are also important for decreasing inflammation, particularly those from flax, chia, hemp and pumpkin seeds; walnuts and avocado.
Good sources of fat:
Avocado, nuts, seeds or their butters, oils from coconut, olive oil, etc.
Whole Grains Month
There has been a lot of conflicting evidence over this, but ultimately it comes down to the type of grains that you do eat. Gluten has been an issue for several individuals, especially if there is any intestinal inflammation or joint pain involved, but does that necessarily mean that you have to bypass the grains all together? Not at all.
Grains are an excellent source of fiber that help to feed the beneficial bacteria in our guts. That is important especially if we want to fight off foreign invaders, digest macro and micronutrients properly and even produce specific vitamins and compounds which are beneficial for repairing the gut lining. Plus, whole grains are low in sugar. Yes, carbohydrates do break down in the form of glucose in our body, but denoting “whole grain” means there are several other components that help to slow down this release of glucose and keep one feeling fuller. Many body builders actually know this secret, where most carbohydrates that are ingested consist of grains and whole grains and not sugars.
They can also be a great source of antioxidants! For instance, buckwheat is an excellent source of rutin, a powerful anti-cancer compound and capillary protectant and oats are an excellent source of compounds knowns as avenanthramides, another powerful anti-cancer compound.2,6
Can’t have gluten? Try these gluten-free whole grains!
Teff
Millet
Quinoa
Oats (marked gluten-free)
Buckwheat
Brown Rice
Amaranth
Want to learn more about the benefits of gluten-free grains? Check out my cookbook “The No-Title CookBook” for more information and plenty of delicious gluten-free recipes!
What about cereal?
I admit, I used to be one for the cereals. I grew up on cinnamon toast crunch, French toast crunch, had a slight obsessed with Trix in high school, and in college Raisin Bran. Unfortunately several of these cereals are laced with sugar, food dyes which can lead to behavioral issues and very little nutrition that can decrease nutrient availability in the diet. But does cereal mean that it has to be out of the box? Check this out.
The definition of cereal is a grass cultivated for it’s edible components or the “grains”. Sorry, it does not mean something that has been mass produced, injected with a few chemicals and boxed with preservatives. (Sounds appetizing!) Using the lesser processed cereal grains can offer several added health benefits! They contain nutrients such as zinc to help improve immunity and protein digestion, can be an excellent source of plant-based protein and provide the gut with high quality fiber. Not only does the latter make you feel fuller, but it may also contribute to decreasing LDL levels, slow down the release of glucose in the blood and feed beneficial gut microbiota to improve the immune response.
These should be included generously in one’s for endurance and body building as a source of fuel and for muscle recovery! Plus, these carbohydrates are essential for helping the body detox and eliminate toxic compounds efficiently, particularly through the glucuronidation pathway, responsible for clearing out drugs, estrogens and carcinogens. Though whole grains are limited during a cleanse, they are still an essential part of any detox program!
If you do want that extra crunch, here are some cereals that I personally like.
Arrowhead Mills has no sugar added puffed cereal grains such as brown rice, millet and kamut (a gluten containing grain. Avoid if celiac or gluten free.)
One Degree Organic Rice Crisps (and Chocolate Crisps)
In Moderation: Envirokids Peanut Butter Panda Puffs
References:
1) Pitchford, P. 1993. Healing with Whole Foods. North Atlantic Books.
2) Reinhard, T. Super Foods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet. 2nd Edition. Firefly Books. Buffalo, New York. 2014.
3) Eswaranandam, S., Hettiarachchy, S., Johnson, M.G. Antimicrobial Activity of Citric, Lactic, Malic or Tartaric Acids in Nisin incorporated Soy Protein Film Against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, and Salmonella gaminara. Journal of Food Science. 2006; 69(3). Abstract retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.tb13375.x
4) Zimmerman, M. Burgerstein’s Handbook of Nutrition: Micronutrients in the Prevention and Therapy of Disease. Thieme.
5) Helsingin yliopisto (University of Helsinki). Listening to Classical Music Modulates Genes that are Responsible for Brain Functions. Science Direct. March 13, 2015. Accessed August 18, 2021. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150313083410.htm.
6) Nouri Z, Fakhri S, Nouri K, Wallace CE, Farzaei MH, Bishayee A. Targeting Multiple Signaling Pathways in Cancer: The Rutin Therapeutic Approach. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Aug 14;12(8):2276. doi: 10.3390/cancers12082276. PMID: 32823876; PMCID: PMC7463935.
