3 Gut-Healthy Foods for Fall
Heal your gut this season with these popular produce staples that are now in season and easy to incorporate to your weekly grocery list
Although we should prioritize gut-health all year round, autumn yields plenty of changes in nature, which sets off everyone’s favorite time of year: flu season.
As we’ve learned in my previous blog on the importance of gut health, our gut holds a majority of our immune system.
Keeping this area of our body healthy and thriving is imperative for all of our organ systems, but especially our intestines that comprise our “gut.”
What we eat directly affects this area of our body, so filling ourselves with pumpkin pies and pumpkin spices latte’s shouldn’t be the things you are most excited about consuming this season (even though enjoy everything in moderation!)
Actively focusing on reducing your sugar intake and instead, increasing your intake of seasonal fruits and vegetables is the number one way you can protect yourself against seasonal pathogens and bacteria, reduce your chances of catching the flu, and support a healthy microbiome.
Nature, reflects nature. Therefore, it’s no coincidence that as the leaves change to vibrant red, yellows, and orange that we should be encouraged to buy produce that express the same aesthetic.
Although this list will only discuss three key foods for the gut, focusing on buying other seasonal foods at your local farmer’s market including: pumpkins, squashes, red pepper’s, purple onions, and apples should still be incorporated as well.
Red Cabbage
This super cabbage is in season until November and is next level nutritious for your whole body, but definitely your gut.
It comes packed with more Vitamin A and C than most greens and has proven skin-healing properties.
When we’re looking for a great gut-healthy food, we’re always going to look at it’s fiber content. The fiber is what feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut that keep things flowing in our digestive tract and supports healthy elimination and detoxification processes in our bodies.
Red cabbage is dense with fiber because it's rich in the antioxidant anthocyanins.
It’s also a cancer-fighting food because of it’s sulforaphane content that forms when eaten raw.
This vegetable is versatile in the kitchen and can be used in salads, soups, or even blended to make a pasta sauce!
Brussel Sprouts
I know, not everybody’s favorite. However, I am a true believer than when cooked and seasoned right, everyone’s minds could change.
I have yet to change my husband’s, but he’s getting there.
Besides, sometimes you have to change your mindset first before really giving something a try. Once I tell you these mini cabbage’s health benefits, maybe you’ll finally give them a real try.
This is the number 1 food for gut health. There are many different types of fiber, and Brussel sprouts contain the type that our good bacteria loves. When our good bacteria is well fed, it thrives, and our immune system strengthens immensely..
Auto-immune diseases like eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, or celiac, can all be caused by an imbalance in our microbiome due to the presence of too much bad bacteria overtaking the good.
A healthy, whole foods diet has been proved to reverse these types of conditions by bringing balance back to the gut with fiber-rich foods like brussel sprouts.
My favorite brussel sprout recipe
3. Kale
Kale is a more well-known fall veggie and you’ll see it being used in a lot of different harvest bowls and pasta dishes.
One of my current favorite is my pumpkin, kale pasta, you can find the recipe here.
A common theme in all these veggies is going to be the fiber content. Kale is another fiber powerhouse while also touting significant amounts of Vitamin A, K, and C— all important vitamins in supporting our immune system.
Vitamin A encourages a healthy gut-lining and Vitamin C increases absorption of iron. Kale is also rich in iron so adding a splash of orange juice to your salad dressing is a trick to help get the most out of your kale salad.
Try diversifying your kale, kale comes in many different colours and textures and by diversifying it, you get different nutrients while also supporting healthy digestion.
Lookout for dragon kale, purple kale , or large leaf kale at your local grocery store or farmer’s market.
