Fall’s here, and the first that comes to mind is, “YAH! Pumpkin season!”  

We’re lucky to live in a place where we experience the change in seasons, which are defined by food as much as the weather. And while eating seasonal foods gets us feeling festive as we transition from one season to the next, there are actually biological reasons why we eat certain foods at certain times of the year. In today's article by Territory we are breaking down how foods sync with our changing nutritional needs by season.

Here’s a breakdown of how foods sync with our changing nutritional needs by season. 

FALL: PUMPKINS, SWEET POTATOES, SQUASH AND APPLES

Fall is filled with deep orange colored vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes, butternut and acorn squash. The orange color comes from beta-carotene, which is a nutrient our body converts into Vitamin A.  Vitamin A is essential for eye health, particularly night vision. Being able to see well at night is increasingly important in the fall as it starts to get dark earlier. Eating the orange-colored vegetables of fall not only feels festive, but actually helps us to see better as we spend more and more waking hours in the dark.

Apples, another fall food icon, are one of the most important fruit sources of polyphenols, or plant compounds that act as antioxidants. Antioxidants help neutralize and clean up the highly reactive molecules called free radicals that float around our body causing damage to cells, illness, and premature aging. One of the most common sources of free radicals is sun exposure. Apples can help protect our cells from damage by cleaning up the free radicals created by summer’s sunbathing.

Amazing isn't it?!?

To learn about more seasonal foods and their nutritional benefits click here to read the entire article.