End of the summer, shorter days, colder weather … this period is always tough! But to fight this fall blues and make this transition easier, we celebrated this week on our social media the seasonal flavors, with 5 fruit and vegetables that keep us healthy. The watchword: take care of yourself, even more in these particular circumstances. To give us a hand, Stella, naturopath, revealed the benefits of 5 October fruit and vegetables: pomegranate, chestnut, broccoli, sweet potato and carrot. She even shared with us her secret recipes!
The pomegranate: our heart’s best friend!
- The pomegranate is an amazing fruit that helps our body fight against the effects of aging, thanks to all the antioxidants it contains!
- It has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is therefore more than welcome in our bento boxes as winter is coming closer!
- Consumed regularly in juice, it is good for our cardiovascular system health.
Good to know: the pomegranate tree is a shrub that likes the heat and fears extreme cold. It adapts well in the Mediterranean region, in the same climatic zone as the olive tree.
The chestnut: full of vitamins
- The chestnut is a tonic dried fruit that brings energy to our nervous, vascular and venous systems thanks to all the vitamins, carbohydrates, magnesium and phosphorus it holds!
- With a composition similar to that of wheat, it is gluten free.
Let’s cook!: for a tasty note, chestnuts are always welcome cooked, cut or not, in homemade velouté and they go perfectly with squash and butternut!
Good to know: we often confuse regular and horse chestnuts. Chestnuts, whether cultivated or wild, can be eaten, cooked in many ways: candied, roasted, or even as a cream. We can find them in grocery store or on local markets in fall. Horse chestnuts, though, are poisonous and cannot be eaten.
The carrot: our face’s best friend!
- The carrot, drunk in juice, helps fight against fatigue and infections and is beneficial for our body. It helps us resist infections, particularly in the ENT area.
- It is a powerful antioxidant (thanks to carotenoids) which, among other things, helps maintain healthy skin and fights against premature cell aging.
- Thanks to its substances, it prepares our skin for the sun, helps prevent sun allergies by increasing the epidermis’ resistance, favors a natural tan, and limits premature skin aging.
Let’s cook!: a 100g portion of cooked carrots can contain up to 10mg of beta-carotene, twice the amount considered beneficial. To vary the pleasures, remember to eat it in all its forms: cooked, raw, in juice and preferably organic!
The broccoli: the wellness trick!
- Broccoli, thanks to the vitamin C it includes, helps strengthen our immune system and fight effectively against winter ailments. It also protects our respiratory tracts thanks to a specific compound: the sulforaphane.
- It is a great detoxifier. It makes the metabolism work more efficiently and makes digestion easier. Its little extra: relatively low in calories and carbohydrates, it helps us stay in a good shape!
- It plays a significant role in ours eyes health. Thanks to the carotenoids it contains, it could slow down eye aging.
Let’s cook!: one cup of steamed broccoli contains almost 20% of your recommended daily fiber intake. And to enhance its natural flavor, it can be cooked with spices like nutmeg and mustard!
The sweet potato: our immune systems’ best friend!
- Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, vitamin A, B6, B9, C and E, and in nutrients such as calcium, copper, potassium or manganese: they are very beneficial for our general health!
- It makes digestion easier thanks to its fibers.
- It helps strengthen the immune system thanks to all the vitamins it contains.
Let’s cook!: with its rather pronounced sweet taste, mashed or in chips, it will please kids’ and adults’ tastebuds!
Good to know!: despite its “sweet potato” name, it is neither a potato nor a starch! It is a tuber originally from South America, which is often compared to the potato, but these two foods are not related.
Who knew that vegetables hid so many benefits? Well, now you do! To take advantage of their healthy properties, make sure you respect the season and that they are local and organic, as much as possible. What about you, what are the fruit and vegetables that follow you all season long?