When I was a girl at the end of September we had to put on jackets to protect ourselves from the autumn cool, I have a picture taken on October 11 (long ago) in which we are the last brave ones who extended the summer in the countryside, and we were smiling in front of a bonfire!
Last year we ate the panellets on November 1st with thin (long sleeve) t-shirts and no coat. It is not necessary to be very awake to realize that something is happening with the weather.
I want to fall! but after hovering on the calendar, my favorite station prefers to stay latent. Even so It is convenient to adapt our diet according to the needs of the body, just as we did progressively with the habits before the children started school. On the one hand possible changes come from the season (rain, wind, cold) - or at least I hope so - and on the other, children are more exposed to infections and diseases of all kinds, because they remain many hours locked up with many other children, facilitating the transmission of viruses and bacteria.
With this panorama, parents can count on food to preserve the health of ours. We must prioritize seasonal products, and reintroduce again energy foods that we had forgotten when summer arrived.
Autumn vegetables and fruits that provide us with very good quality vitamins
The first tip is that you buy (whenever possible) local / national seasonal products. Not only are they better, they are healthier and they contain better nutrients, but by doing so we show a manifest environmental awareness: because when bringing food from the other part of the world, expenses arise in unnecessary packaging and fuel. We also live in a country that produces a very interesting variety of foods.
Goodbye to watermelon, beans, apricots and eggplants, and welcome juicy pomegranates, tasty pumpkins, citrus fruits and grapes. After a few months in which we neglect food a little, our body knows what it wants, let's pay attention and rediscover (as if it were a treasure) the colors and flavors of autumn.
The organism of our children will need a little help, which we will provide them with careful selection of ingredients, and spending time preparing healthy and energetic meals
Citrus fruits and pomegranates provide vitamin C, the grape cleanses us inside, nuts contain a lot of fiber (so that the digestive system works better, and with it our immunity).
We can start to alternate raw salads, with purees of tubers and pumpkins, and we should be happy to find eggplants, while we put in the shopping cart the first quinces (a delight for the palate). And I do not know if this year we will have mushrooms because it is raining very little, but well selected they can be a good source of quality vegetable proteins: children like sauteed with ham, or as a side dish with potatoes.
The products of the season are good for the body, and for the pocket
We already know that seasonal foods are cheaper, especially if we can buy them directly (or almost) from local suppliers. They are also just what our body needs.
All of us who appreciate the authentic taste of fruits and vegetables, we know that by eating pumpkins in autumn, clementines in winter, strawberries in spring and tomatoes in summer, we are giving the palate a taste. But tasting is not as important as the well-being they grant us.
We want to place special emphasis on the return of legumes (don't you want them to be hot at high temperatures), on the supply of nuts, and on the most authentic desserts of the season (sweet potatoes or apples). We have all returned exhausted from the holidays, and the excessive heat makes a dent in body and mind, so we must help children feel more active, and fight fatigue.
You know: in autumn fresh and seasonal products, every day and (if possible) in each of the meals. We will give a special touch to family meals, and take care of our health.
