We have made it to the final day of August, and with the start of September comes the beginning of the fall season. The transition from season to season can feel abrupt and can bring many changes both physically and mentally. It is best to properly prepare for the changes ahead in order to avoid experiencing the brunt of the effects. Let us break down how we can best take care of our gut health and immunity levels in the fall season.
How Best to Take Care Of Your Digestive System When Changing Seasons
A shift in seasons can cause a disruption in the weather and our daily lives. These changes can impact our digestion and cause us to experience complications such as bloating, constipation, and an unhealthy gut. Luckily, there are some rituals we can implement now that can help smoothen out the transition ahead.
- Introduce new foods slowly - With the coming of a new season, the shelves at the grocery market will start to be filled with fall-friendly ingredients. Gradually introduce the new in-season ingredients into your diet in order to avoid angering your digestive tract.
- Stick to your meal times - The change in season usually means the body’s internal clock also changes. It is important that you stick to your regular eating schedule to avoid disrupting the schedule your digestive tract has gotten used to.
- Incorporate warmer beverages - As the weather starts to get colder, your beverages should become warmer. Warm beverages such as herbal teas can help to warm up your body in the colder months and stimulate your digestive tract. Herbal teas are especially wonderful due to the anti-inflammatory properties and digestive support they offer.
- Continue physical activity - Despite the colder weather, we must find different ways to continue staying active in the cooler months. Indoor yoga, pilates, joining your local gym, and indoor tracks, are all great ways to continue to stay active.
- Embrace the fall meals - With every season, there are new meals to celebrate and indulge in. For example, in the summer nothing sounds better than a peach salad with grilled steak and corn. It is no different with fall. Foods such as soups, stews, comfort pasta, and pumpkin pie will get you in the fall spirit. These different meals can also be a great way to explore the kitchen and broaden your gut microbiome.
- Take A Probiotic Supplement - A supplement that helps with bloating such as Probiotic Renu will ensure your digestive tract is best taken care of. It ensures that you maintain the beneficial bacteria in your gut and reduce the potential for harmful bacteria to enter.
Immunity Support Tips and Tricks for the Fall Season
As the weather gets cooler and the cold and flu season approaches us headfirst, we must prioritize taking care of our immune systems. Here are some ways you can support your immune system to stay as healthy as possible.
- Limit Alcohol Consumption - Consuming alcohol weakens the immune system. In order to keep our defenses up, we must limit our alcohol consumption as much as possible.
- Take your supplements - Consult with your physician on which supplements you might need to best support your immunity levels and overall health. Typically, labs are done to pinpoint if there are any vitamin deficiencies in one’s body, but there are certain essential nutrients that everyone should make sure they are consuming regularly. Vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B12, and folate are all examples of essential vitamins one must regularly keep in their diet/routine.
- Maintain Hygiene Levels - Practices such as washing your hands before meals and after using the restroom were created for a reason. They help to protect you from illnesses and germs. It is more important than ever in the colder months to maintain your hygiene levels.
- Consume foods that help with immunity - We have all heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Make sure that you are incorporating immunity-boosting foods into your diet to best support your health. Ginger, spinach, and turmeric are all examples of foods/spices that can help your immunity levels.
A Delicious Gut-Friendly Recipe to Cook for Dinner this Fall
What better way to celebrate the start of fall than with a hearty bowl of butternut squash soup? This meal is a wonderful option to whip up on a cold fall night. With gut-friendly ingredients like ginger and turmeric this butternut squash soup will leave your stomach and heart happy.
Ingredients:
1 large cooked butternut squash
1 cup of chicken stock
7 oz of coconut milk
Salt, pepper, ginger and turmeric to taste
1 tbsp of olive oil
Garlic to taste (optional)
Directions:
- Using 1 tbsp of olive oil, warm up a pan to medium heat then add the salt pepper ginger and turmeric to taste. You can add minced garlic for extra flavor.
- Once the seasonings and herbs have had a chance to simmer in the oil, add your chicken stock and butternut squash.
- Finally add in the coconut milk to make this soup creamy and delicious.
- Using a blender, you can find that creamy smooth consistency that the soup has to offer.
- Feel free to add your favorite herbs on top for some added flavor and freshness.
Don’t forget to enjoy!
The replacement of coconut milk over other creamy substances is to avoid having dairy in this recipe. Some people might have an adverse reaction to dairy. An intolerance to dairy is called lactose intolerance and can cause a host of digestive issues we rather avoid. Lastly, the use of ingredients such as ginger and turmeric targets issues such as inflammation and immunity complications making this the perfect meal for a fall evening.
The beauty of fall is that the ingredients tend to lean towards the way of comfort. Lean into this and allow yourself a chance to fall in love with the vibrant flavors that the fall ingredients have to offer. Your brain and body will thank you for it.