As seasons change, it is always a great time to look at changing up what you offer at your family's meals.  Fall provides a nice variety of fruits and vegetables that is easy to slip into our meals.  From soups to stews, there is surely a win-win for all.  Let's look at the top five fall vegetables:

1. Broccoli:  A member of the cabbage family, broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin c and a good source of folate and fiber.  It also fortifies your immune system with a hefty 1359 mcg of beta-carotene, and small but useful amounts of zinc and selenium, two trace minerals that act as cofactors in numerous immune defensive actions.  Which is important nutrients getting your immunity read for cold and flu season.  Combined with tomatoes, it boosts the ability to fight prostate cancer, it is also a birth defect fighter, helps sun-damaged skin and helps fight many other cancers.  If you suffer from hypothyroidism, it is best to not eat this vegetable raw, as it will suppress the thyroid.  Steaming is ideal. 

Recipe:  Child friendly, organic broccoli au gratin recipe 

Read:  How greens may protect the heart

2.  Onions, garlic, leeks: While onions are typically in season starting in spring, red onions come to life in the fall.  The reason these all go in one category is because of their high ability to boost immunity in the gut known as prebiotics.  Prebiotics are non-digestible foods that make their way through our digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics keep beneficial bacteria healthy.  Since you cannot digest prebiotics, they are very important for helping the good bacteria grow to support and sustain a healthy immune system, control blood sugars and aid in weight loss.  Making onion and garlic a staple in your healthy way of eating may greatly lower your risk of several common cancers,  including ovarian, breast, colon, prostate, and oral.  Onions and leeks have both anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activity while garlic has both as well as high anti-viral properties, meaning it has the ability to kill bacteria and viruses.

Recipe:  Sassy serrano butternut squash soup recipe (with onions, leeks and go ahead and add the garlic!)

3.  Spinach, mustard greens and kale:  Ah yes, our family's favorite, right?  Well, they don't have to be on the list to avoid and you and your family can learn to enjoy them.  They just have to be flavored and cooked the right way.  All three are high in vitamin A, C and K, maganese, folate, fiber and kale is especially rich in calcium.  Kale has protective properties against ovarian cancer and promotes lung health (try adding some to your chicken noodle soup next time) while spinach has anti-inflammatory nutrients which is excellent for kids with asthma, and promotes gastrointestinal health.  Mustard greens is also an excellent lung food helping open up the airways and is good for women going through menopause.  As you can see, all three greens are excellent for the body.  Make frozen spinach a staple in your everyday foods.  It is easy to add to casseroles, meatloafs, quiches, spaghetti sauce, and even good to add to the mac and cheese.  Be careful if you are on blood thinning medicines such as coumidin as the vitamin K is the nutrient that helps in the formation of blood clots.  One would have to be careful of broccoli as well. 

Recipe:  The five best kale recipes for everyday cooks and Mustard greens with bacon and shallots

4.  Carrots and parsnips:  What kid does not love carrots?  But what about parsnips?  They are similiar except one is orange and one is white.  Both root vegetables, carrots are high in vitamin A, while parsnips are high in vitamin C and folate.  Foods that are rich in vitamin A and C are great ways to boost overall immunity.  Vitamin A helps promote lung health, which is ideal for those exposed to second hand smoke, who suffer from asthma or any other upper respiratory illnesses.  Foods that are rich in carotenoids may be beneficial to blood sugar regulation. Research has suggested that physiological levels, as well as dietary intake, of carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels.  Carrots (and sweet potatoes) often get a bad rap for increasing blood sugars, which they actually help reduce them.  Parsnips are easy to add to any pot roast recipes, or boil them with potatoes and mash them together. 

Recipe:  Slow cooker parsnip and carrot soup with pesto

5.  Pumpkin  Did you know that Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state - 492 million pounds each year?  Sounds like it is Charlie's Browns dream come true.  While we get excited to go out to our local pumpkin farms to pick our pumpkins, pumpkins is an excellent source vitamin A, C and folate.  Let's not forget the pumpkin seeds also known as pepitas.  Pumpkin seeds are an extremely healthy snack which is known to have many health benefits to the men in our families.  High in zinc, pumpkin seeds might impact and improve prostate function as well as provide protection for men's bones.  Pumpkin seeds also has an anti-inflammatory benefit for those who suffer from arthritis.  Snack on a quarter-cup of pumpkin seeds and you will receive 46.1% of the daily value for magnesium, 28.7% of the DV for iron, 52.0% of the DV for manganese, 24.0% of the DV for copper, 16.9% of the DV for protein, and 17.1% of the DV for zinc.

Recipe:  Cilantro pesto with pumpkin seeds

Here is a nice warm, fall breakfast recipe from local Chicago Dining Examiner: 

It is wonderful how Mother Nature has provided us with seasonal foods for a reason.  As you can see, most foods are rich in Vitamin A which promotes a healthy surface linings of the eyes and the respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts. When those linings break down, it becomes easier for bacteria to enter the body and cause infection. Vitamin A also helps the skin and mucous membranes function as a barrier to bacteria and viruses.  While Vitamin C is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. . Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants. Vitamin E and beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A)  are two other well-known antioxidants. Antioxidants are nutrients that block some of the damage caused by free radicals, which are by-products that result when our bodies transform food into energy.  Both are needed to keep our immune systems top notch!

Here's to a happy and healthy fall! 

Website:  The World's Healthiest Foods

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