For our October theme, we chose “Scary Good Eats”, the art of coming up with delicious seasonal dishes to make your mouth water.

Food in season

Autumn is eminently the nutty season. Chestnuts, hazelnuts, beech nuts and walnuts are all ready for picking in the woods. That’s a good thing, because nuts are very good for your health: they contain a lot of proteins, fibers and various minerals and vitamins. You can eat them in their unprocessed form (without added salts or sugars), or you could mix them into a hot dish, with mushrooms for example, for a delicious autumn recipe.

If you’re not into nuts, there is a vast range of autumn vegetables to choose from. Cabbage, for instance, or parsnips, turnips, salsify, fennel or celeriac. But the king of autumn veg is of course the pumpkin! You will soon find it in every grocery store, on the sidewalks and front yards of many houses. There’s a whole variety of preparations available as well. In whole, marinated, oven-baked and in delicious soups. Or what about a hearty pumpkin risotto?

Boost your immunity this fall

It’s colder outside and we often stay indoors longer. Sometimes in poorly ventilated spaces where germs and viruses are transmitted more quickly from person to person. Our team of dieticians recommends a healthy diet, high in fibers, that provides optimal support to the immune system. Micronutrients that are essential for fighting infections include vitamins A, B, C, D and E as well as iron, selenium, and zinc.

Wonder where to find these essential vitamins? Here’s an overview:

  • Vitamin A - oily fish, egg yolk, cheese, tofu, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes.
  • Vitamin B - cereals, whole meal bread, offal (such as liver), egg yolk, fish, poultry, whole grains and seeds.
  • Vitamin C- parsley, peppers, kiwi, watercress, Brussels sprouts,  broccoli,  kale and citrus fruits.  
  • Vitamin D - eggs, fish, as well as certain types of milk and margarine.
  • Vitamine E -  nuts, green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils.
  • Iron - red meat, chicken and fish, as well as legumes, whole grains and iron-fortified cereals (for vegetarian alternatives).
  • Selenium - nuts, meat, cereals and mushrooms.
  •  Zinc - oysters and other seafood,  meat, chicken, dried beans and nuts.

Scary Good Eats

Say October, say Halloween! Curious what healthy and delicious alternatives you could offer. These images provide some inspiration: