HealthNews Dozen: The Best of the Fall Vegetables

With the onset of autumn, the offerings at the local grocery stores and farmers’ markets are already changing, as summer foods are dwindling and fall vegetables are becoming prevalent. As the weather begins to cool and people take to the comforts of their warm homes, comfort foods are in season, as are a number of colorful and vitamin-filled selections.

In order to make the selection of the fall vegetables easier, as well as to familiarize consumers with some foods which might be new to them, Discovery Health enlists FoodFit founder and author Ellen Hass to list the most commonly found vegetables of the season. Each of the selections offers nutritional value as well as some variety and color for the food dishes to be cooked up as the weather cools.

Almost every one of the vegetables on the list this week brings with it a healthy dose of vitamin C, with the sole exception of garlic and carrots. Garlic is well-known for its healing abilities and immune system qualities, and the phytochemicals in one clove of garlic are essential to almost any healthy diet. Carrots are perhaps the best source of vitamin A, and as one of the easiest foods to prepare, it is a consumer favorite.

Along with vitamin C, a number of the vegetables are also a source of vitamin A, including all of the leafy greens— collards, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, kale, bok choy, and watercress—as well as the beans, squashes, and bulb vegetables.

Potassium is important in most diets as well, and that can be found in avocados, beets, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, winter squash, and sweet potatoes. And good sources of fiber include avocadoes, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, salsify, winter squash, and sweet potatoes.

The foods richest in numerous vitamins and minerals include the Jerusalem artichokes (iron, thiamin, potassium, phosphorus, copper, fiber, niacin, vitamin C), winter squash (vitamins A and C, potassium, thiamin, fiber, folate), sweet potatoes (vitamins A, B-6, and C, fiber, copper, potassium), avocados (vitamins A, C, and E, potassium, fiber, iron), and salsify (riboflavin, potassium, fiber, vitamins A, C, and B-6).

All of the leafy greens can be served raw or cooked, with or without meat dishes, and even in some stews and soups. Combine them with beans and something like garlic, and a very nutritional dish is in the works.

Some of the vegetables are perfect as appetizers or in salads just as they are, like avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach. And though others like beets and sprouts require some cooking, the reward is colorful dishes with loads of vitamins and minerals.

All of the items on the list may not be available at every grocery store, especially the chains, but farmers’ markets typically have the best variety, as do specialty groceries with large fruit and vegetable sections. And since most of the items can be prepared as solo dishes or combined with virtually any salad or meat product, they make fun alternatives to the lighter fares of the summer. Thus, adding many of these seasonal foods to fall and winter meals will not only please the palate but the body as well.