What are your favorite fall foods?
Fall is a great vegetable season in New England. Whole food, high nutrient eating is big part of self care to heal from Lyme disease. Seasonal eating, meaning eating what is being offered at the local farms is a great way to introduce fun and variety into your whole food plan. Try local pumpkins this fall.
Every time I turn around, I hear another reason to eat whole and local. I just heard on the radio today that the stuff that comes in the can labelled pumpkin pie filling may not be pumpkin, but all kinds of squash as well. Not that squash is bad, I just want to know what is in the can. You pick up a sweet eat pumpkin and you know what it is. Look the farmer in the eye. Ask her or him how it was raised then decide is this good to eat?
Forget about the carving pumpkins for food. The big ones are touch and fibrous and don’t really taste that good. Pigs will get the ones that don’t get to be jack-o-lanterns.
But at farms all over New England at this time of year you can get these darlings sweet eat pumpkins. They are orange and 6 or so inches in diameter, not too fibrous and taste delicious. Pick up a couple to bake soon.
Pumpkins have a long growing season and are good for eating in the fall and early winter. Many people don’t think of pumpkin at all. So they maybe eat pumpkin once or twice a year in Thanksgiving and Christmas pies. There are many reasons to include pumpkins in your diet all season long.
Why Eat Pumpkin
Healthy amounts of key nutrients.
- Vitamin A for vision support
- Vitamin C a baseline antioxidant used in the body
- Fiber to support healthy digestion and healthy heart
- Beta Carotene an anticancer molecule in the body.
For more details on the health benefits click this link. Pumpkin seeds are also a high nutrient snack.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy this fabulous food is in a smoothie. Here is a typical recipe I make.
Pumpkin Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ can of coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup cooked pumpkin
- 4 ounces of spinach or power greens
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp dried Ginger
- Stevia or Honey to taste
Equipment
- Knife
- Baking Paper
- Cookie Sheet
- Spoon
- Measuring Cup
- High Powered Blender
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Snap Stem off pumpkin
- Pierce with a knife
- Place paper on cookie sheet
- Place pumpkin on paper
- Bake at 350 for 30 -60 minutes or until flesh is soft
- Remove and Cool
- Scoop out seeds for compost
- Scoop out flesh. Compost the skin.
- Add coconut milk to blender
- Add all other ingredients pumpkin, greens spices and sweetener
- Blend until smooth
Try this smoothie it is like eating healthy pie. Let me know if you like it. Get out there and enjoy the local fall foods.
The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment or advice. All the material here is for information purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.