Autumn marks the transition from summer to winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is from the September equinox to the December solstice; the 21st of September points out the end of the Summer.

Autumn is traditionally known as the harvest season, a wonderful time for reaping the benefits of the long, warm growing season provided by spring and summer. It is the time for our bodies to harvest and gather energy for the colder months ahead.

Foods to Stay Healthy this Autumn

While you can’t completely avoid catching bugs and colds, you can give your immune system a helping hand!

Here is our guide to some of the best autumn foods that you can choose at the moment:

• Chestnuts and mushroom: At this time of the year you could even gather and go hunting these forest delicacies!  It is a wonderful activity to release stress. Furthermore, mushrooms are a source of important minerals like Selenium that works as an antioxidant to protect body cells from damage. Additionally, mushrooms are the only vegetarian food that can make vitamin D!

• Oat: high in fibre, proteins and vitamin B1. These components are especially helpful for weakness and stress. Moreover, they give a feeling of fullness, reason why we are more likely not to exceed with food during the day. It is wonderful for breakfast, with fruits and yoghurt, but also mixed with vegetables at lunch and dinner.

• Nuts, especially almonds and walnuts. A handful of nuts has an energizing effect on the body and brain, thanks to a high amount of fatty acids omega 3. Almonds are good friends against stress and tiredness. Nuts are also important in case of depression since they are rich in Magnesium, fundamental for the nervous system wellness. Nuts are a great snack in middle morning and afternoon.

• Wholemeal Bread and Pasta: wholemeal carbs are more energetic than the refined ones, but they affect less the blood sugars profile. In fact, they provide energies to our body, but with a slow release.

You can try these varieties of home-made pasta typical of Apulia:

Wholemeal Trofie, Orecchiette and Strozzapreti

To see more information about different types of pasta read:

Pasta Names and Shapes

The Pasta Teller: Chapter 5 – Fusilli

The Pasta Teller: Chapter 6 – Strozzapreti

Recipes from the blog: 

• Grapes: rich in vitamin C, an important vitamin to reduce the cortisol, the hormone of stress!
• Vitamin C also enhances our immune system, and therefore it protects us from flu and cold. As other kinds of fruit, it is recommended to eat grapes before meals, to avoid meteorism.

You can also read a great article about grapes and products like balsamic vinegar here: “Grapes and Balsamic Vinegar”

• Pumpkin Meat and Seeds: this is also rich in vitamin C, antioxidants and beta-carotene. It is also rich in fatty acids and Zinc, useful against asthenia and apathy. To conclude, seeds are wonderful to give a boost of crunchiness to salads and vegetable dishes.

• Chocolate! Good news! Chocolate is one of the foods richer in Magnesium. It is an energizing food, useful in Autumn, or, better to say.. always! Make sure you choose raw chocolate beans or chocolate bars with at least 75-80% of cocoa, as they contain more nutritional properties.

Get Spicy!

This the season of hearty soups, stews and casseroles, and spices are an easy way to enhance any dish!

Take inspiration from our selection of hot products to help you spice up your life this autumn!

Hot pepper spread Bursting with flavour this hot and spicy sauce will certainly add a strong taste to your dishes. It is the perfect combination of sweet red and hot peppers; leaving a warm, lingering aftertaste. Perfect alone or mixed with other sauces. For those who enjoy the heat 🙂