Fall is such a special time of year that visually represents both a bittersweet ending to the fun summer months and an exciting beginning to the holiday season that lies ahead. It is also an exciting time of year to get started with seasonal eating as our bodies internal cravings become stronger, and we learn to appreciate the local foods around us. While we may think that our pumpkin cravings are entirely due to the marketing techniques of food companies, our bodies are actually incredibly in tune with the seasons and naturally crave foods that will support and nourish us through each season of the year.

So if you want to embrace a more seasonal way of eating and living I couldn’t recommend a better time of year to get started. Because fall is filled with so many fun harvest festivals and warm comforting flavors it makes the process of eating seasonally so much fun!

Visit Your Local Farmers Market

If you want to embrace seasonal eating, you have to get connected with your local food system. The best place to do this is at your local farmers market where you can connect with the farmers that grow your food. When you shop at your local farmers market you are not only getting the freshest, most nutritious food, you are also supporting your local food economy and the farmers who depend on it.

Tune into Your Seasonal Cravings

There is a reason why we crave warm and earthy foods and flavors like chai, pumpkin, sweet potato, and cinnamon in the fall. All of these foods are warm and grounding, which aligns perfectly with this season of transition and the cooler fall days. So tune in to your seasonal cravings and allow yourself to enjoy all the seasonal flavors and foods that are abundant this time of year.

Cook with Seasonal Ingredients

Put those farmers market finds to good use and make a point to cook with seasonal ingredients rather than produce shipped from thousands of miles away. Some of my favorite recipes to focus on this time of year are massaged kale salads, butternut squash soups, and homemade apple crisp desserts. If you need some inspiration on how to cook a particular root vegetable or squash I highly recommend asking your local farmer. They are likely to have plenty of ideas for how you can use your seasonal produce for some delicious fall meals.

Want some inspiration for delicious seasonal fall recipes you can make at home? Give thiswarm carrot coconut curry butternut squash recipea try! I promise it will quickly become a new fall favorite and couldn’t be easier to make.

Megan Faletra (MS, MPH, RDN) is a global health dietitian, sustainability consultant, and the founder of The Well Essentials where she is devoted to helping others create a sustainable healthy life that supports a healthy body and planet. Megan is a self-proclaimed eternal optimist and believes in the power each and every person has to create incredible change in the world simply by choosing to believe that they can make a difference. Megan has a Master's of Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine and a Master's of Science from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition. She has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Rodales Organic Life, and many more online publications for her work in nutrition, global health, and sustainable living. When Megan is not working you will find her living in Vermont with her husband where she loves to cook seasonally from her garden and be outside in nature as much as possible enjoying a joyfully slow, sustainable way of living.