Leaves are beginning to turn, and temperatures are beginning to drop. It's time to bring out those cute boots and our favorite cardigans again. But also, it's a good time to think about what we're putting into our bodies and not just on them.
It seems like in today's world we are constantly hearing about the latest diet or food trend that is all the craze. We have chef-driven trends where a chef will create something popular for other chefs to emulate, agricultural trends where farmers grow new product, health and diet trends, and then cultural food trends. It's hard to keep up! It's much easier to give into these tendencies and be recommended what to eat instead of having to make the decisions for ourselves.
However, the actual best piece of advice is to do as our ancestors did. Count on the bounty of the seasons to feed and nurture our bodies. Eat foods that are harvested locally, when they are in season, and in their natural state. Because eating these seasonal foods in their natural state is one of the healthiest ways to eat this time of year.
Since most of us aren't able to cultivate and grow our own food sources, farmer's markets and local shops have made it easier to find the nutritious foods we're looking for. After all, seasonal eating has its benefits. You not only get the maximum amount of nutrition from those foods because they are being consumed at the right time, you get the best flavors because they are being picked at the peak of their ripeness to be enjoyed the way nature intended.
Fortunately, this time of year gives us the opportunity to try fruits and vegetables with no additives or preservatives, less sugar (other than what occurs naturally), and much more taste! Not to mention, it's way more economical. When produce is in season, it makes it more abundant and therefore less expensive for us to consume. What could be better than that?
So visit your local market and find the fruits and vegetables that are in season this fall, and load up on the goods! You could even make it a fun family outing - visit some farms for some great apple and pumpkin picking. Enjoy the fall harvest, and treat your body good with nutritious and delicious seasonal foods.
Judi Sheppard Missett created the original dance party workout and started the fitness revolution that became Jazzercise. Today -- more than 45 years later -- Jazzercise is one of the world's leading dance fitness companies, offering a program that continually evolves with new beats, new moves and new classes. As Founder and CEO of Jazzercise, Judi Sheppard Missett leads a team of more than 8,300 franchisees teaching 32,000+ classes each week around the world. Jazzercise is a pulse-pounding, bass-dropping fitness program that gets results...fast. Customers can incinerate up to 800 calories in one 60 minute workout and choose from a variety of classes including Fusion, Core, Strike, Strength, Flip Fusion, Interval and Dance Mixx. For more information, visit jazzercise.com.