The 5 Best Fall Superfoods

Keep your body fuelled this harvest season with nutritious fruit and veg that’ll keep your health shining even if the sun isn’t

Your expert, Dr Michael Fenster, a chef and admired cardiologist who wrote the The Fallacy Of the Calorie.

A fundamental principle of my Grassroots Gourmet approach to food and health is to get closer to the delicious essence of authentic food by reconnecting with nature. A simple and often economically beneficial way to do this is to observe the natural local bounty that accompanies seasonal change. Below are five nutrition-filled fall foods guaranteed to please your palate and boost your health.

Anti-inflammatory power

Winter squash is one of the best sources on the planet for carotenoids, including alphacarotene, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin.

The fibre found in these vegetables is an important food source for our gut microbiome; a symbiotic organ that is critical for maintaining our health.

Additionally, certain starches found in winter squash contain homogalacturonan, and these types of polysaccharides have shown antioxidant, anti-infl ammatory and insulinregulating properties.

The B-complex vitamins are also critical for regulation of blood sugar levels and winter squash provides a good amount of vitamins B1, B3, B6, and pantothenic acid and folate. In addition to supplying vitamin C, manganese and the essential omega-3 fatty acid alpha linolenic, the Cucurbitaceae genus of plants contain cucurbitacins, which are glycoside molecules that are also found in Brassica vegetables, some mushrooms and mollusks. The result is less obesity and diabetes, a reduction in certain types of cancers and an improvement in overall cardiovascular health.

Try it in a curried butternut soup or use the roasted squash as a taco filling.

Antioxidant hero

Sweet potato is another great source of beta-carotene. True sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) should not be confused with yams

Dioscorea batatas), to which they are not even remotely related. Here in the UK there are two main varieties, one with white and one with orange flesh. The sporamins are the storage proteins unique to the sweet potato.

Recent research has focused on the powerful antioxidant properties of these compounds. Along with other phytonutrients found in the sweet potato, studies suggest that consumption of these vegetables can result in a powerful anti-inflamatory effect.

Also, the effects of fibre along with other compounds found in sweet potatoes can aid to improve the body’s ability to handle glucose. Despite the palate-pleasing sweetness, even those suffering from type 2 diabetes may benefit from the ability of sweet potatoes to aid in blood sugar regulation.

Try some baked sweet potato fries with a bit of chilli spice.

Bone strength

Green beans deserve much better treatment than being drowned in soup from a can andburied alive with unidentified fried objects. They are a rich source of B-complex vitamins like vitamin B6 and B2.

They are also a good source of essential minerals like manganese and silicon, which are essential for healthy bones, joints and connective tissue. They are also a good source of antioxidant compounds like phenols, and flavonols like quercetin, kaempferol, catechins, epicatechins and procyanidins.

Green beans are also a source of the essential omega-3 fatty acid alphalinolenic, and all this powerful anti-infl ammatory action, unsurprisingly, is associated with reductions in cardiovascular complications and type 2 diabetes.

Try some lightly steamed green beans in a quick salad with sliced apple, lemon, basil and toasted pine nuts.

Heart food

Few things are as emblematic of autumn as the iconic apple. And it’s the whole apple that is important to consume.

Studies have shown that you can’t get the benefits associated with consuming the fruit in its whole form when you substitute it with apple sauce, apple juice or even the pectins alone. These benefits include an improvement in blood glucose levels. Through a holistic interaction involving fi bre, pectins and other phytocompounds found only in the whole fruit apple, consumption is associated with an improvement in blood lipid levels and thus reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

And it’s not only the cardiologist that the apples can keep away – they may keep you away from the fridge. Studies have shown that those consuming one apple approximately 15 minutes before a meal ate approximately 15% less food. Such a diet has been shown to be associated with the favourable alteration of at least two different types of gut bacteria: clostridiales and bacteriodes. It has also been shown to be associated with increased amounts of the bacterial byproduct, butyric acid, which is a saturated fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties.

Try braising apples with onions, herbs and spices for a tasty topping to any meat or poultry.

Energy booster

Although pork is available and delectable year-round, it has a historical role in the autumn pantheon of gastronomic goodness. It’s a complete protein, trans fat-free and the majority of the fats are mono and

polyunsaturated. It supplies large amounts of the essential minerals phosphorus, selenium, sodium, zinc, potassium, copper, iron and magnesium.

Pork is a great source of B-complex vitamins like vitamin B6 and B12, and thiamin, niacin, ribofl avin and pantothenic acid. Thiamin is essential for proper carbohydrate metabolism as well as muscle and nervous system health. Ribofl avin is essential in maintaining skin and repairing damaged tissues.

Pastured swine also produce meat with a much more favourable omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio. By avoiding the routine use of antibiotic therapy, there is not the alteration to the gut microbiome seen in animals processed on an industrial scale.

When you’re collecting comestibles for your autumn cornucopia it is as important to pay attention to the manner in which the products are raised or harvested as it is to the categories of selection. Quality counts and that includes the pedigree of production.

Five reasons to buy organic and/or pastured products

1. Vibrant colour translates to nutritional density (not artificially dyed)

2. Less likely to concentrate soil contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

3. Thin skinned fruits less likely to contain pesticides and herbicides

4. Studies suggest one serving of organic equals two servings of conventional

5. Pastured animals have more favourable fat types, concentrations and ratios

Find nutritional tips and more in every issue of TRAIN FOR HER magazine.