This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.
Although summer harvest is a great time to enjoy some fresh produce, it is important to keep our bodies energized and healthy in the fall, too. November can be a stressful month as the middle of the fall semester approaches. As college students it’s important to not only get good sleep but to fuel our bodies with the right food. I wanted to give you ladies a list of fruits and veggies that are in-season during the colder months so that you can keep them in mind on your next trip to the grocery store.
Fruits
- Apples: Apples offer a dose of fiber, contain vitamin b-6 and vitamin c. To include apples in your breakfast you can chop them into your oatmeal or yogurt. If you have more time you can even be more creative and make some apple-cinnamon pancakes. For lunch try chopping some apples into your salad with quinoa for different textures!
- Cranberries: Cranberries are an antioxidant fueled fruit that taste delicious in fruit smoothies!
- Kiwis: Kiwis are filled with vitamin c and a good fruit to keep chopped up in a ziplock for a midday class snack!
- Oranges: Oranges taste better during their harvest season which begins in November. Keep one handy on campus for a fresh and quick class snack!
- Pomegranates: Pomegranates are antioxidant-packed fruits that taste delicious in fruit smoothies. My favorite fruit smoothie is a pomegranate, peach and orange blend!
Veggies
- Beets: Beets are great if you have iron deficiency like me. They are iron fueled and have lots of calcium. If you’re not the best chef, worry not. Beets taste great in simple salads with arugula, walnuts, some dressing and even orange slices! If you are not a salad enthusiast you can also roast, grill or steam them and eat them with chicken for protein!
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms peak in winter and fall and contain lots of important B vitamins. If you do not like mushrooms but want to try and include them into your diet, put them into foods you already like. Mushrooms can give chicken and pastas a great taste!
- Cauliflower: Cauliflower is packed with vitamin C and potassium. A good way to incorporate cauliflower into your diet is putting it in soups. Cheddar broccoli soup is a great soup to cut some cauliflower into as well!
I hope you take the initiative and decide to incorporate some of these in-season fruits and veggies to your diet. There are tons of other ways to do so but these are some simple and easy ways to start!