weight gain can seem inevitable during
these cold months. Staying active and using
your canned or frozen produce from the
summer even in the dead of winter can help
combat the winter pounds. Let’s not forget
about the grocery stores. Fortunately for us
they tend to carry most of our favorite
produce year round.
Fall & Winter Eating
By Nicole Carlson RD, LD
In Minnesota around this time of year, as
the sun starts setting much sooner than we
would like, we start to make some major
lifestyle changes for the next five months as
we enter fall and winter. We start to settle
in earlier, eat heartier meals and tend to
forget about those delicious fresh fruits and
vegetables because they are no longer
growing in our backyard. Even the typical
fall foods such as apples, pumpkins and
squash tend to get forgotten in their purest
form. Typically they are made into pies,
breads, bars or lathered in butter for a side
dish. It can be discouraging looking outside
to the cold wind blowing and feel like
making a fresh spinach salad. With all of
these changes we are fighting against,
o Apples
o Cantaloupe
o Grapes
 Green leafy vegetables are high in
fiber, folic acid, vitamin C, potassium
and magnesium. These are not only
o Kale
One way to keep our natural lifestyle
change with the seasons from negatively
affecting our health is to keep our routines
intact. If you regularly go to the gym three
times a week, keep doing that. Or if you
have a great habit of packing more lunches
for work rather than eating out, don’t stop
now. The colder weather and less daylight
can often bring down our mood and energy
level making it harder to keep up the
healthy routines. We can remain fully
fueled by continuing to eat a healthy diet
throughout these cooler months.

Here are some fruits that provide
many energizing vitamins and
minerals to your system that you
can look for in the grocery store
during the fall and winter. Try
throwing these into a smoothie with
yogurt or milk for a quick healthy
breakfast.
o Raspberries
o Plums
for salads; throw them in with a
chili, soup or casserole to benefit
from all their nutrients.
o Broccoli
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

o Lettuce
o Spinach
Orange vegetables are good sources
of folate, potassium and calcium and
also high in antioxidants including
carotenoids. All of these are easy to
o Carrots
o Pumpkin
There are many other vegetables
that have potassium, riboflavin, fiber
and vitamin D. Many of these make
o Beets
o Brussels sprouts
o Cauliflower
o Celery
o Mushrooms
Even with these good options out
there we often fall victim to weight
gain during these cool months
anyway. With the cooler weather
we tend to retreat inside, have
gatherings with friends and family
and gather around food and drinks.
Fruits and vegetables are often left
off the table and cheese laden, high
sugar foods are offered instead. We
tend to heap the plate as full as it
can go and forget about portioning
our foods. So this fall and winter, be
a trend setter and bring a healthy
fruit or vegetable to the party and
surprise the other guests with the
delicious produce that is available
during these months. Remember to
keep a routine and find some new
exciting produce to enjoy during the
fall and winter months.
o Watercress
o Swiss chard
can or freeze. Then pull them out in
the winter to put in your favorite
dish or serve as a side.
o Sweet potatoes
o Winter squash
for great sides or additions to your
main dish.
o
o
o
o
o
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Rutabaga
Onions
Zucchini
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© Insider Training, Inc., 2015