How to Eat Healthy This Fall

The autumn harvest is coming in, and your local grocery store or farmer’s market may be brimming with seasonal fall produce!

In this post, we’ll talk about how to eat healthy during the fall. We’ll discuss what great, nutritious fall foods are available and give you some tips to improve your diet quality during this bountiful season.

Fall Healthy Eating

Fall is one of the best times to eat locally and seasonally. To find the best produce right now, you need to know what foods are in season in the fall in your geographical area. Seasonal eating helps support local farmers, keeps costs at bay and gives you better tasting, more nutritious produce.

In the US, the following are at their peak in September, October and/or November:¹

4 Tips to Eat Healthier This Season

Looking forward to warm, cozy meals and the start of the holiday season? This time of year is all about pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider donuts, Oktoberfest and Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s important to balance those treats and heavy meals with healthier choices.

Let’s help make eating healthier a little easier with our top fall nutrition tips. Whether you want to improve diet quality by limiting processed foods or simply eat more seasonal produce, these tips can help you reach your goals.

Related: How To Stay Active Over the Holidays

#1 - Warm Up Your Salads

When it’s frosty outside, you probably don’t want a cold salad with raw veggies. For some people, a cold salad isn’t satisfying or doesn’t sit well with them. You can still get great nutrition in warm, cooked salads. And if you’re bothered by high FODMAP foods, add low FODMAP foods such as bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin seeds and walnuts.²

#2 - Hydrate

Staying hydrated isn’t just for the hot summer months! In fact, as the average temperature drops, it may be harder for some people to stay hydrated since they’re not battling the heat.

Related: 5 Ways To Drink More Water

Between passing cold fronts and low indoor humidity, things can get pretty dry! To protect against dry mouth, dry skin, and general dehydration, consider adding the following to your autumn diet plan:

• Water: Fluid recommendations vary based on your individual needs. However, water recommendations from health experts are generally 12-15 cups per day for men and 9-11.5 cups per day for non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding women.³
   
• Soups: Aim for low or no-sodium broths when purchasing packaged soups. Sodium and salt can make you thirsty and promote water retention.
   
• Decaffeinated or herbal teas: If you find yourself drinking less cold water during colder months, find a warm, non-caffeinated beverage to sip on.
   
• 100% fruit juice: Can be a great way to drink some nutrients like vitamin C, but limit the amount of juice you drink because it’s high in sugar, so consider cutting it with water.
   
• Juicy fruits: Snack on apples, cranberries, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, pears and pineapples.
   
• Vegetables with high water content: Incorporate vegetables like bell peppers, celery, Swiss chard, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower into your diet. For hydration purposes, avoid air-frying or roasting, which can dry them out. Consider steaming or boiling instead.
   
• Electrolyte drinks: Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, chloride and magnesium are especially important for hydration. A few sips of an electrolyte drink can help you quickly rehydrate. To reduce sugar intake, look for no-sugar or reduced sugar options.

#3 - Create Simple Twists on Fall Favorites

You might wait all year for pumpkin spice season, but you can still enjoy iconic flavors while fueling your body with great nutrition. Here are some ideas to make fall comfort foods a little healthier:

• Healthy pumpkin pie spread: Take plain, canned pureed pumpkin, and sprinkle with lots of pumpkin pie spice. Use this healthy spread in yogurt, oatmeal, on toast or as a dip.
   
• Winter squash carbonara: Spiralize winter squash or try spaghetti squash. Replacing noodles with squash helps you pack in extra nutrition with less calories overall. Get creative by adding your favorite fresh herbs, other vegetables and mushrooms.
   
• Hearty veggie chili: Prioritize vegetables in your chili. You’ll find so many delicious fall vegetables that pair well with the mouth-watering flavors of chili. Go completely vegetarian with beans and lentils, or add lean ground turkey or chicken to replace beef.

Get The Meal Plan: 12 Months Of Healthy Eating: Healthy Comfort Foods 

#4 - Focus on Key Seasonal Nutrients

It’s essential to get a variety of nutrients all year long, but you may want to pay special attention to certain ones in the fall. Focus on eating a well-balanced diet to include these key nutrients in your daily meal plan for fall:

• Calcium: Calcium is important for bone health all year round, including in the fall. Equip yourself with adequate calcium from a variety of foods, including dairy (preferably low-fat or nonfat), winter squash, fortified OJ, salmon, sardines, almonds and leafy greens (kale, spinach and collard greens).⁵
   
• Vitamin D: The sun is a key source of Vitamin D, but as the days get shorter, we spend more time indoors (or bundled up outdoors). This means that we need to pay more attention to this vitamin in the fall and heading into the winter months. The best food sources of Vitamin D are salmon and other fatty fish, egg yolk, fortified cereals, and fortified milk.
   
• Immunity nutrients (zinc, iron and vitamin C):⁶ To support healthy immune function as the cold weather arrives, focus on these key nutrients. For zinc, choose foods like poultry, fish, lean beef, whole grains, beans, pumpkin seeds, and fortified breakfast cereals, (but read labels carefully to determine zinc content as well as added sugars, which should be avoided).⁷ For iron, choose foods like eggs, poultry, beans, leafy greens and fortified cereals.⁸ For vitamin C, choose foods like citrus, bell peppers, potatoes and cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli. use ODS cite below for consistency with zinc.
   
• Probiotics and prebiotics: Both play a role in maintaining a healthy gut, which has a close relationship with immunity. Prebiotics (or the “food” for probiotics) are found in cabbage, onions and bananas, among other foods. Probiotic foods include kefir, yogurts with active cultures and fermented foods.⁹

Even though it is best to get nutrients from real food, talk to your provider about your need for multivitamins and other nutritional supplementation.

*A health-promoting diet focuses on a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats from nuts and plant oils. Limit intake of both saturated fat and added sugars to less than 10% of your daily calories, and sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but your calorie and other nutrient needs may vary. For dietary guidance specific to you, consult a healthcare provider.

1 US Department of Agriculture. Seasonal produce guide. SNAP Education Connection Website. Accessed October 1, 2024.
2 Cleveland Clinic. Low FODMAP diet. Cleveland Clinic Website. Published February 24, 2022. Accessed October 1, 2024.
3 Gordon B, Klemm S. How much water do you need? Eat Right Website. Published June 23, 2022. Accessed October 1, 2024
4 Kleiner SM. Water. J Acad Nutr Diet. 1999;99(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(99)00048-6
5 Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source.  Calcium. Harvard Health Website. Accessed October 2, 2024.
6 Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source. Nutrition and immunity. Harvard Health Website. Accessed October 2, 2024.
7 Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/ National Institutes of Health (NIH) Website. Published March 2, 2018. Updated September 28, 2022. Accessed October 2, 2024.
8 Cleveland Clinic. 52 foods high in iron. Cleveland Clinic Website. Published November 4, 2020. Accessed October 2, 2024.
9 Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-Consumer/ National Institutes of Health (NIH) Website. Updated March 22, 2021. Accessed October 2, 2024