Often less appreciated than summer, autumn is nevertheless a season full of advantages: the countryside turns orange-red, the temperatures are more pleasant and we can start thinking about the end-of-year celebrations.
Fall is also the season for very specific foods – from squash to mushrooms, pears to cabbage. And many of them are as good for the figure as for your health! Here is the fall selection from nutritionist Frédérique Chataigner:
Squash to stock up on fiber
Pumpkin, squash and butternut squash are emblematic of autumn. And that’s a good thing because, in addition to their high content of beta-carotene and antioxidants (good for the skin and eyes), these vegetables are particularly rich in fiber.
However, fiber is satiating (takes a long time to digest, it has an appetite suppressant effect) and it helps regulate blood sugar levels (blood sugar levels).
It is better to eat the squash as little as possible – as a gratin rather than a soup, therefore. The nutritionist’s advice: test it spaghetti squasha vegetable that is prepared like pasta, for example with a good carbonara sauce.
Apples and pears for a healthy snack
Autumn is peak season for apples and pears. Provided they are eaten (organic) with the skin, these fruits provide a good amount of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, with a positive impact on blood sugar and satiety.
The nutritionist’s advice: at snack time, take 1 apple or 1 pear + 1 square of 70% cocoa dark chocolate + 1 handful of almonds. Healthy and low in calories!
Kale to treat yourself to a vitamin boost
This very fashionable cabbage contains interesting levels of vitamin C, K and A. However, as the nutritionist explains, “if we want the metabolism to function properly, we must provide it with all the vitamins and minerals it needs!“
Beets to improve your sports sessions
This is “the” vegetable ally of athletes! Considered (wrongly) too sweet, beets are actually rich in iron. It therefore stimulates blood circulation, which contributes to improve physical performance during sports sessions. Perfect for staying motivated even in autumn.
Cauliflower to replace starchy foods
This fall-winter vegetable is a perfect substitute for the same quantity of starchy foods! The nutritionist therefore offers two tips: first, crumble your cauliflower to obtain a fine grain like rice, to simply fry in a pan in a little olive oil.
Secondly, make a delicious, healthy and low-fat pizza dough by crushing 1 steamed cauliflower with 1 whole egg. A good way to reduce the glycemic load of a meal…
Mushrooms to increase your protein consumption
Vegans and vegetarians know it well: mushrooms are a real gold mine when it comes to plant proteins. However, these contribute to increasing muscle mass, therefore increasing basic metabolism.
Nuts to reduce inflammation
Nutritionist Frédérique Chataigner points out that weight gain is an inflammatory phenomenon. Now, that’s good: nuts, for which autumn is the peak season, are very rich in “good” fats (omega-3, for example) which naturally have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Sweet potato to ease up on the potato
In autumn, it is interesting to swap the (classic) potato for its seasonal cousin, the sweet potato. Richer in fiber than potatoes, they are also more filling and more concentrated in vitamins and minerals. And you can cook it exactly the same way : in puree, in soup, in gratin, in salad…
Thanks to Frédérique Chataigner, hypno-nutritionist and psychotherapist, founder of the Chataigner Method and author of SelfHacking, Weight Loss with Gluttony.
Source: www.topsante.com
