Autumn fruits: a spring for the palate

The arrival of autumn is a great opportunity to put into practice an excellent habit: to incorporate into our diet the fruits that nature offers us. Not infrequently I have referred to the fact that the best way to ensure a healthy diet is to take advantage of the products of each season. This would be one of the keys to the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

I do not mean by this that we should reject the food that, thanks to advances in conservation methods, the industry makes available to us throughout the year. It is about giving priority to these seasonal products that, because they have not been processed, retain their nutritional properties to a greater extent.


In addition, from the purely organoleptic point of view (taste, smell, color), autumn fruits are at their optimum consumption moment. We all have the undoubted experience that a recently picked fruit has much more quality and intensity of flavor than another fruit harvested before its optimum ripeness point and conserved in modified atmospheres or in cold rooms.

How to take advantage of autumn fruits

- Grapes: rich in vitamin B6, folic acid, flavonoids and tannins with antioxidant effects.


- Pears: recommended for its high content of water, potassium and fiber. Ideal to carry in your bag, briefcase or backpack and take at midmorning.

- Quince: consumed in the form of jam, which provides potassium and tannins; hence its high astringent power. Associated with a tender cheese we get a very complete snack.

- Granada: its red color reveals its high content of antioxidants. Ideal complement to any salad.

- Apples in any of its varieties: very rich in water and fiber, so they have few calories.

- Nuts: rich in proteins, unsaturated fats such as oleic, linoleic and omega 3 fatty acids; vitamins of type E and C, folic acid, flavonoids, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, as well as a significant amount of fiber. They have been relegated from our diet because of their high caloric value, but consumed raw (without adding salt or frying) they are not so much.


Recent epidemiological studies in our country (Predimed) have shown the direct relationship between daily consumption of nuts and the protective effect against cardiovascular, respiratory diseases and certain tumors. The dietary recommendation would be to take 25-30 grams of nuts per day, which would be equivalent to: 2-3 walnuts, 5-6 almonds and some hazelnut or cashew.

We could apply to the health of the body what, with regard to the soul, Paul VI affirmed: "autumn, for its sweetness, its moderation, its calm magnificence, is a true spring of the spirit".

Pedro J. Toranzos

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