GB23. 8 Cozy Fall Superfoods to Support Your Midlife Health

In this episode of Midlife and Glowing, Alicia and Nicole explore the benefits of seasonal fall superfoods specifically geared towards supporting women's midlife health. They discuss the nutritional advantages of pumpkin seeds, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, sweet potatoes, beets, cinnamon, and turmeric. These superfoods help with hormone balance, bone health, brain function, sleep, mood, blood sugar regulation, and cardiovascular protection. Tips on how to incorporate these foods into daily meals are also provided. The episode concludes with a 'glow reflection' encouraging listeners to add one seasonal food to their diet this week.

00:00 Welcome to Midlife and Glowing
00:32 The Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
01:43 Zucchini: A Versatile Fall Favorite
03:49 Nutritional Power of Brussels Sprouts
04:32 Cranberries: More Than a Thanksgiving Side
05:38 Sweet Potatoes: A Nutrient-Rich Staple
06:32 Beets: A Heart-Healthy Choice
08:06 Cinnamon: A Cozy Superfood
08:58 Turmeric: The Anti-Inflammatory Hero
09:58 Conclusion and Reflection

📌 Resources:
🍰 Healthy Sugar-Free Desserts Guide → https://subscribepage.io/healthy-desserts-guide
🍝 Turkey Meatballs recipe we mentioned in the episode → https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-yFMf9xW2n/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Transcript

Alicia: 0:00

Hey there. Welcome back to Midlife and Glowing. I'm Alicia.

Nicole: 0:03

And I am Nicole, and since we're in the heart of fall today, we're talking about something seasonal, surprising and supportive for your midlife health fall Super foods.

Alicia: 0:13

I love this because fall produce is not only delicious and cozy, it's packed with nutrients that specifically help perimenopausal and menopausal women.

Nicole: 0:22

So today we've pulled together a short list of fall foods that might surprise you, along with how they benefit your hormones, bones, brain, and overall vitality. Let's dive in. First up. up. Pumpkin seeds. These little guys are a fall classic, but they're more than just a snack. They're rich in magnesium, zinc, and tryptophan. Magnesium supports sleep and nervous system regulation, which can get a little rocky in perimenopause, zinc helps with immune function, skin and hormone health, and tryptophan supports serotonin and melatonin production. Great. For mood and sleep.

Alicia: 0:57

So it's not just in Turkey.

Nicole: 0:59

Exactly.

Alicia: 1:00

You know, and I also love to sprinkle them on salads, yogurts. You can roast them with spices for a crunchy little snack. I've put them with like a, a cucumber salad, a chicken

Nicole: 1:12

Oh yeah.

Alicia: 1:13

I think I've even added'em to egg salad. I mean, they're just so good and easy to add into, you know, so many things.

Nicole: 1:20

definitely.

Alicia: 1:21

little crunch.

Nicole: 1:22

Mm-hmm.

Alicia: 1:23

And also they are good just to have a handful of too.

Nicole: 1:26

Yeah. Oh, definitely I have a little rosemary roasted almonds that I'll do and then I'll add pumpkin seeds at the end, so it's like a little almond and pumpkin seed mixture. Yeah, it's good. I also will put them in smoothies sometimes too, so it's good to a little pack of protein in there. Next up zucchini. It is such a great fall food, high in water content and fiber, so it supports digestion and helps with bloating, which many women notice in perimenopause, contains antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect eye health, especially important as age-related vision changes begin in midlife, nutrient dense, making it great for satiety and blood sugar balance. You can enjoy it roasted, spiralized into zoodles. You can use it in baked goods like the fudgy, zucchini brownies in our Healthy Sugar free desserts guide, which we'll link in the show notes for you or even shredded into soups and stews for added fiber.

Alicia: 2:24

Yeah, I've made, um, little like zucchini pizza bites.

Nicole: 2:28

Ooh, Yum.

Alicia: 2:29

pepperoni, pizza sauce,

Nicole: 2:32

Yeah.

Alicia: 2:32

you put em in like a muffin tin and then you bake'em. They are so good. And actually my entire family likes them. When I made'em for the first time last year, I had planned on making a bunch and then I was going to eat'em throughout the week as a snack or you know, a little lunch or something like that. And my boys came home and demonlished all of'em. So, and I was fine with that. It's, yeah, it's, it was a nice little, uh, healthy snack and

Nicole: 3:01

Yeah.

Alicia: 3:02

they like it, whatever, and, you know, I've done the zoodles too, you know, made my own zucchini noodles, and those are so good with a little spaghetti sauce, maybe some homemade meatballs. I made them with those meatballs that you had the recipe to.

Nicole: 3:15

Oh, the Turkey ones. Yeah. Nice.

Alicia: 3:18

So there's just so ma, I mean, you make it with breads, you can sneak it into smoothies.

Nicole: 3:24

So many different

Alicia: 3:25

ways you can enjoy it.

Nicole: 3:26

totally. Zucchini boats, right? I feel like grandma, we were talking about grandma in our last episode. I think about different meals that they prepare for them at the assisted living. And I remember her telling me that they sometimes make zucchini boats, um, for them, and they also make the next one coming up on our list.

Alicia: 3:48

yep exactly. And the next one is Brussels Sprouts. I know a lot of people don't like the taste of them, myself included but they are so good for you.

Nicole: 3:58

And nutritionally, they're part of the cruciferous veggie family along with broccoli and cauliflower. These veggies contain compounds like indole 3 carbanol, Sulforaphane, and diindolemethane, which support the liver in metabolizing estrogen.

Alicia: 4:13

That matters in perimenopause and menopause because estrogen is fluctuating or declining. So it supports healthy detox pathways, which help keep your hormones balanced and reduce those symptoms. Plus cruciferous veggies support bone health and have anti-cancer properties.

Nicole: 4:30

Can't get better than that.

Alicia: 4:31

Nope. Another fall food we don't talk about enough is cranberries, not just the sugary sauce At thanksgiving. Fresh or frozen cranberries have amazing benefits.

Nicole: 4:42

They're rich in antioxidants and are especially known for supporting urinary tract health. Something midlife women can struggle with more As estrogen declines. Estrogen helps maintain the urinary tract lining, so as it declines, women can become more prone to urinary tract infections. Cranberries can help reduce that risk.

Alicia: 5:01

They're tart, so they're a great add to salads or blended into smoothies, and we're not talking about the dried, often sugar added cranberries. We're talking about fresh or frozen.

Nicole: 5:16

Exactly. They are so good for you. Filled with, anthocyanins, which are a type of antioxidant that is also good for blood sugar balance. And we've talked a lot about how as estrogen declines you become more insulin resistant. So something like cranberry supports that blood sugar balance, which can help with that issue that we have in midlife. And we can't leave out sweet potatoes. They're rich in betacarotene, which the body converts to vitamin A for skin, immune health and eye support.

Alicia: 5:46

They also provide slow digesting carbs and fiber, which help with blood sugar regulation and keep your energy and mood steadier throughout the day.

Nicole: 5:55

And here's a bonus. They're a great source of potassium, which supports heart health and helps regulate blood pressure. Important since cardiovascular risk rises post menopause.

Alicia: 6:06

Yeah, I love, I mean, our sister makes a really great, um, sweet potato casserole

Nicole: 6:10

Yeah.

Alicia: 6:11

in charge of at Thanksgiving, but I love them like a baked sweet potato.

Nicole: 6:16

Yeah.

Alicia: 6:16

make lots of different skillets with sweet potatoes, even like a chicken noodle soup or, you know,

Nicole: 6:23

Oh yeah.

Alicia: 6:23

soups, I add'em to my chilies. So there's just so many ways you can incorporate it into your meals.

Nicole: 6:30

Yeah, definitely. Beets are another great fall food. Rich in nitrates that support blood vessel health and circulation, which helps lower blood pressure, all of which is important as cardiovascular risk rises after menopause. They contain betaine and betalains, which are powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. They support liver detoxification, which is helpful for hormone metabolism.

Alicia: 6:52

Yeah, I like roasting them. I like, you know, boiling them. Then you peel the skin off and have'em with butter and salt. I love them in salads. It's such a nice little added surprise to a salad. They're

Nicole: 7:06

Yeah,

Alicia: 7:06

good. Also good in smoothies, so,

Nicole: 7:09

definitely. And it's not something

Alicia: 7:12

that I knew I liked, I didn't think I liked it. And honestly, when you're like, boiling them to get the skins off and, you know, kind of cooking them, it does smell like dirt or earth.

Nicole: 7:24

mm-hmm.

Alicia: 7:24

But that's not, I mean, I don't think they taste like that. I think they're just a really delicious root vegetable.

Nicole: 7:30

Yeah, I agree. I'll also just peel'em and slice'em up raw and sprinkle'em with salt. Like that's another way that we'll sometimes eat'em, you know, if we're just doing like raw veggies with like guac or hummus or something like that. Yeah.

Alicia: 7:44

I don't know if

Nicole: 7:44

I mean, they are, they're not great as finger food because they're gonna turn everything red. Um, but

Alicia: 7:51

your urine. So do not be alarmed if when you go to the

Nicole: 7:56

And stool,

Alicia: 7:57

Yeah, when you go to the bathroom after having those, if things are looking a little pink, it is

Nicole: 8:03

Mm-hmm.

Alicia: 8:05

and it's just from the beets. And while it's not a food per se, we can't talk fall super foods without mentioning cinnamon.

Nicole: 8:12

Cinnamon has been shown to help improve insulin sensitivities, which can support blood sugar balance it also has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The best type of cinnamon for supporting your health is Ceylon Cinnamon, which is spelled C-E-Y-L-O-N.

Alicia: 8:27

So sprinkle it on your sweet potatoes or even in your coffee or tea. It's an easy way to cozy up your food while also helping your body. Sprinkle it on your, well, okay, it's apple harvest season or maybe a little past that, but maybe you still have some apples. You can do your baked apples with a little cinnamon on it.

Nicole: 8:47

Oh yeah. Mm-hmm. Your apple sauce with cinnamon in it. Mm-hmm.

Alicia: 8:50

Yep. good.

Nicole: 8:52

Apples and cinnamon is such a good combo.

Alicia: 8:56

It is. It really is.

Nicole: 8:58

And last but certainly not least, turmeric. Turmeric contains curcumin, which is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatories. It supports joint health, brain function, and cardiovascular protection. All areas that become higher priority in perimenopause and menopause. It can also help reduce symptoms of depression and improve resilience to stress.

Alicia: 9:18

And speaking of things that stain turmeric also does, so be cautious. I know I think I have a silicone spoon or something that I used to stir my meal and I was cooking with turmeric and it definitely stained that. but you can add it to curries, soups, egg dishes, golden milk lattes, roasted veggies, or even sprinkle it into smoothies with black pepper, which boosts the absorption of the turmeric.

Nicole: 9:49

Yes. Turmeric is not well absorbed, so black pepper and also fats, eating it with healthy fats, those two things help improve its absorption. So there you have it. Pumpkin seeds, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, sweet potatoes, beets, cinnamon and turmeric. All cozy, all seasonal, and all powerful superfoods for midlife women.

Alicia: 10:11

And the best part, they're affordable, accessible, and easy to add into your meals.

Nicole: 10:16

Exactly. And that brings us to today's glow reflection. How can I add one seasonal food this week to support my midlife health?

Alicia: 10:24

Maybe it's sprinkling pumpkin seeds on your salad, roasting sweet potatoes, or swapping dessert for a baked apple with cinnamon. Whatever it is, start simple and enjoy the cozy, nourishing benefits of fall.

Nicole: 10:36

Thanks for joining us for this glow bite. We'll see you next time on midlife and glowing.