In this guide, The Best Healthy Fall Recipes, you’ll find a list of amazing seasonally Fall fresh produce to stock up on, why you should eat seasonally, and get a complete list of the best Fall recipes to try.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love summertime, but Fall really has all the amazing things when it comes to food, weather, and even fashion. There’s just something about putting on a scarf, drinking a pumpkin spice latte while walking around in the cool crisp air, and making healthy cozy comfort foods.

With it officially being the first day of Fall, I am kicking things off with a bang and rounding up the Best Healthy Fall recipes. I’ll break things up into seasonal Fall produce categories, talk about the health benefits, then link a ton of fun recipes.

Sweet Potato Chai Spice Muffins

Easting Seasonally

While Summer has some amazing produce like berries, Fall has some amazing crisp apples, pumpkin spice everything, and all the hearty vegetables you can ask for. Luckily, most grocery stores are fully stocked with year-round produce all the time. So if you’re craving an apricot in the wintertime, you’re more than likely to find it.

The quality of produce isn’t exactly the same when you eat them out of season. Think about it…If you eat the apricot in the Winter when it peeks in Summer, it means the apricot was harvested in the Southern Hemisphere and picked before fully ripped to transport. The taste and quality are greatly affected.

Here are some other reasons why eating seasonally is the way to go. 1) It boosts the economy. When you shop at your local businesses and farmers market, you’re supporting your local region. 2) It’s more affordable. Shopping for seasonal produce when they are brought in more locally is a lot cheaper than buying off-season produce that comes from out-of-country. 3) Sustainability. Those trucks driving a log way to deliver product has an effect on the environment as suppose to someone delivering produce somewhat locally. 4) More nutritious. There is nothing healthier and tastier than biting into a fresh apple during the Fall or a juicy strawberry during the Summer. It’s harvested and picked when ready to eat and you’re getting the full nutrients it has to offer.

Eating Seasonally

Apples

Clear eyes means you have a healthy body and apples play a vital role in that. According to Kimberly Snyder, Author of The Beauty Detox Foods, apples help to cleanse the body and give you gorgeous eyes but also help flush out heavy metal toxins from the body.

Apples also help lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, and have so much fiber to keep your colon cleansing efficiently. They’re packed with vitamin C and is loaded with antioxidants, specifically one called quercetin which works to boost the immune system and protect against cancer.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Apples

Cabbage

Ah, cabbage…so inexpensive and very overrated. It’s got more vitamin C than an orange and is a great anti-aging food that helps heal damaged tissues. It also contains vitamins A and E and packed with so much fiber to help clear waste that congests in your organs.

It’s a superfood in my opinion because of the ability it has in aiding in thyroid issues, muscled development, and prevents aging. I like to eat cabbage, raw, fermented, roasted, in smoothies, the possibilities are endless.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Cabbage

Carrots

Carrots have the highest amount of beta-carotene of all vegetables. It contains vitamin A which is great for shiny hair and scalp. But besides beauty, carrots have strong cleansing properties that are great for detoxifying the liver and removing any toxins. It’s packed with fiber, iron, and Vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C, and K.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Carrots

healing lemon chicken soup

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is taking over everything these days and I’m not mad about it one bit. You’re likely to see if as a cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower hash browns, in smoothies, and sauces.It’s trending that’s for sure and for good reason.

Cauliflower consumption can help prevent TONS of diseases, including various forms of cancer (most commonly breast, colon, liver, lung, and stomach), cardiovascular disease, and brain disease.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Cauliflower

roasted cauliflower steak with gremolata

Broccoli

I love broccoli and so do my boys. Broccoli contains calcium, magnesium, and zinc to keep bones strong. For women, it’s high concentrate of folate and iron keeps the blood nice and healthy.

Broccoli helps to alleviate inflammation and skin damage from the sun with an ingredient contained called sulforaphane. The there is vitamin A, which helps with collagen repairing and full of antioxidants.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Broccoli

Eggplant

Eggplant is another underused vegetable that needs more spotlight attention due to the great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, fiber, folic acid, potassium, just to name a few…

It helps prevent anemia, contributes to great heart health, bone health, and aids in digestion. I grew up eating eggplant and just love this tasty vegetable in the Fall.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Eggplant

Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant

Kale

Oh, how I love kale everything! This superfood leafy green is so high in fiber and has a great source of antioxidants. It also contains anti-inflammatory nutrients that are good for the entire body.

I use kale in everything, soups, sautéed for breakfast, in smoothies, on top of pizza, and salads. When eating them raw for salad, be sure to massage the kale very well with your dressing to help it soften and make it easier for you to digest.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Kale

Mushrooms

One of my favorite veggies is mushrooms. I can eat it every single day. Mushrooms are fungi in which every day, more is being discovered about their amazing health properties.  Mushrooms contain B-Vitamins, which help break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; riboflavin, which helps with hormone production and also plays an important role in the nervous system; and niacin, which helps maintain healthy red blood cells.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Mushrooms

Potatoes- Regular and Sweet Potatoes

Potato fennel Leek Soup

Potatoes are filled with vitamin C, B6, and potassium (even more potassium than bananas), and are the world’s fourth largest food crop and grows in 36 states in the USA. (source). The starch found in potatoes makes any dish heartier and tastier.

Sweet Potatoes are an excellent vegetable that helps brighten the skin with vitamins A and vitamin C. Together, these antioxidant vitamins work together to help with damaging free radicals. They are also low in sugar, high in fiber, and stabilizes blood sugar.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes

Pumpkin

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte

Pumpkin!!! The official vegetable and produce of Fall and the chance to through pumpkin into all your meals and recipes. It’s so good and just screams Fall.

Pumpkin contains fiber, potassium, and vitamin C that are key for heart health. It’s one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that gives orange vegetables and fruits their vibrant color and is converted to vitamin A in the body.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Pumpkin

Squash

Acorn, butternut, spaghetti squash oh my! When I see these at the grocery store, I just get so excited because you can do so much with squash. Butternut, for example, is low in calories but very high in nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, and Potassium. Acorn, is packed with fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. It also packs many beneficial plant compounds, including carotenoid antioxidants.

Healthy Fall Recipes: Squash

Other amazing Fall produce I can’t get enough of: Figs and Pomegranates. I literally eat these like crazy when they’re in season because it’s just sooo good and sooo good for you.

In Summary…

Now, I know there are so many other amazing Fall produce, but I was trying not to overwhelm you with so much information. I tend to ramble on LOL…if I haven’t done so already.

In summary, eating seasonally has so many health benefits as well as contributes to a better economy and the quality of your food. I hope you enjoyed the breakdown list of seasonal produce to shop for as well as the Best Healthy Fall Recipes.

XO,

Natalie