Rooted in Autumn: Nourishing Your Body as the Seasons Change
Nutritionist Rhi Hepple shares simple seasonal tips to support wellbeing this autumn, from nourishing foods and warming spices to restorative daily rituals.
Do you feel a shift as the seasons change?
Perhaps you notice it in the mornings, when there is a little more coolness in the air, or in the evenings when the light begins to fade earlier. Maybe you naturally feel like slowing down, spending more time indoors and eating different foods.
Our bodies are part of nature, and although modern life allows us to carry on at much the same pace all year round, there is something nourishing about recognising these seasonal changes and allowing our food, routines and self-care to change with them.
One of the simplest ways we can support our health is by eating more seasonally.
Nature provides an abundance of different plants throughout the year, and autumn brings us some wonderfully grounding, colourful and nourishing foods.
After the vibrancy, activity and longer days of summer, autumn can feel like a gentle invitation to slow down.
We may feel a little more tired or sluggish, and some people notice an increase in seasonal symptoms such as congestion, excess mucus, coughs or allergies as the weather becomes cooler and damper.
Rather than resisting this change, autumn gives us an opportunity to begin turning our attention towards nourishment, warmth and rest.
In Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine, autumn is considered a time when we can benefit from grounding, warming and nourishing foods and routines. This doesn't mean making dramatic changes. Often, the smallest adjustments can make the biggest difference.
Bring more warmth to your plate
As the weather cools, try replacing some of the lighter summer foods with warm, cooked and easy-to-digest meals.
Think:
- Soups and broths
- Stews and casseroles
- Warming porridge
- Risottos
- One-pot dishes
- Vegetable curries
- Kichari or mung bean dishes
- Roasted vegetables
These meals can be particularly comforting when digestion feels a little sluggish and are an easy way of increasing the variety of vegetables in your diet.
And this is where our wonderful and colourful, autumn root vegetables come into their own.
Carrots, beetroot, parsnips, sweet potatoes, celeriac and other roots grow beneath the earth, and they are wonderfully suited to autumn cooking. They provide fibre, complex carbohydrates and a variety of vitamins, minerals and protective plant compounds.
Roasting a tray of root vegetables with olive oil, herbs and spices is one of the easiest ways to create a nourishing autumn meal. I love having roasted autumn vegetables with a delicious tahini dressing (just whisk up 2 tbsp of tahini with 2 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 tsp of sea salt) And adding butter beans or chickpeas for some additional protein.
And don't forget the other seasonal stars: squashes, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, celery, apples, pears, plums and walnuts.
Eating a wide variety of seasonal plants is also a simple way to increase the diversity of plant foods in your diet; something that can help support a diverse and resilient gut microbiome.
Don't forget the spices
Autumn is also the perfect time to bring warming herbs and spices into your kitchen.
Think ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, cumin and cloves. Why not make up your own seasonal spice mix to use in your cooking.
Autumn spice mix
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp ginger powder
Dry roast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium heat until you can smell them. Transfer from the pan into a wide bowl and allow to cool completely. Grind the seeds to a uniform consistency in a coffee grinder (dedicated to spices) or with a pestle and mortar. Pour them back into the bowl and add the ginger and turmeric powder and mix well. Store in a small air tight jar.
I particularly love using ginger and turmeric as the weather changes. A simple ginger, turmeric and lemon drink can make a lovely morning ritual, and these ingredients contain plant compounds that have been studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Ginger & Turmeric Autumn Shot
- A small piece of fresh ginger
- A small piece of fresh turmeric, or ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Warm water
- A pinch of black pepper
Blend or grate the ginger and turmeric, add the lemon juice and warm water and enjoy.
If you are sensitive to acidic drinks or have reflux, this may not be suitable for you — in which case, simply enjoy ginger and turmeric in cooking or as a gentle tea instead.
Make your tea a seasonal ritual
Autumn is also the perfect time to bring more herbal teas into your day.
Ginger and chamomile make a lovely digestive combination, while warming chai spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and ginger can make a beautiful afternoon or evening ritual.
Another herb I love at this time of year is thyme.
A simple thyme infusion can be wonderfully comforting when you feel congested or have a tickly cough. Thyme has traditionally been used as an expectorant and respiratory herb, and contains aromatic compounds with antimicrobial activity.
You can simply pour freshly boiled water over fresh thyme from the garden, or use dried thyme from your kitchen cupboard, and allow it to infuse for 5–10 minutes.
There is something lovely about having a few different herbs and teas available and choosing one according to what your body needs that day.
Give yourself permission to slow down
Food isn't the only way we can support ourselves as we move into autumn.
One of the most important seasonal changes we can make is simply to rest more.
Summer often brings holidays, socialising, travelling, longer evenings and a busier pace. Autumn gives us an opportunity to begin conserving some of that energy.
Perhaps this means going to bed a little earlier, spending less time rushing from one thing to another, or simply creating ten minutes in the evening to sit quietly with a cup of herbal tea.
For me, one of the loveliest autumn rituals is self-massage with warm sesame oil, followed by a warm bath or shower.
This is a traditional Ayurvedic practice known as Abhyanga. The warm oil feels deeply nourishing and grounding, while the slow, rhythmic massage can be a beautiful way of bringing awareness back into the body.
It is also a wonderful opportunity to pause.
Our skin is our largest organ and an important part of our body's protective barrier, so supporting the skin as the weather becomes colder and drier is another simple aspect of seasonal self-care.
You don't need an hour-long ritual. Even five or ten minutes of warm oil massage can become a lovely signal to your nervous system that it is time to slow down.
An autumn reset
Autumn is also a natural time to take stock.
Rather than thinking about a restrictive "detox", I prefer to think about lightening the load.
- Where have you been overdoing things?
- Are you getting enough sleep?
- Are you eating regularly and nourishingly?
- Could you drink a little more water?
- Could you reduce some of the things that leave you feeling depleted and make more space for the things that restore you?
Sometimes a seasonal reset is simply about returning to the basics: nourishing food, good digestion, adequate sleep, movement, fresh air, connection and rest.
And sometimes we need a little more support.
As a naturopathic nutritionist, I often guide my clients through a gentle seasonal reset, looking at digestion, nutrition, lifestyle and the individual factors that may be contributing to how they are feeling.
Autumn doesn't ask us to stop. It simply invites us to change our pace.
So this season, fill your kitchen with warming soups, colourful root vegetables, nourishing spices and herbal teas — and give yourself permission to embrace a little more rest, warmth and stillness.
Sometimes, supporting our health can be as simple as learning to live a little more in tune with the season.