I appreciate how Ayurveda, the traditional system of healing from India, offers timeless guidance for living in sync with the natural rhythms of the year. This wisdom encourages us to make small adjustments to our diet and daily activities with each season to stay healthy, balanced, and well.

When we live out of step with the seasons, we can easily feel scattered, fatigued, or off-center. But when we understand the nature of each season and learn to adapt, we can weather change more gracefully and thrive.

According to Ayurveda, autumn is a vata season—dominated by the elements of air and ether. The weather tends to be cool, dry, windy, and variable, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. These same qualities—light, dry, cold, mobile, and subtle—can also show up in our bodies and minds this time of year.

In summer, we naturally crave lighter, cooling foods—salads, cucumbers, melons—to balance the heat. But as the weather shifts toward cool and dry, it’s time to enjoy the opposite: warm, grounding, and nourishing foods that stabilize and comfort us.

A Whole Food, Plant-Forward Approach

Ayurveda emphasizes a whole food, plant-forward diet—an approach that modern nutrition science continues to affirm. Eating this way can improve energy, mood, and digestion, and lower the risk of many chronic diseases.

Unlike restrictive diets, a whole food, plant-forward way of eating is defined by what it includes: whole, minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods that come from the earth. As food writer Michael Pollan famously said, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

This fall, choose warm, slightly heavier, moist, and even oilier foods and drinks that help you stay grounded through the season of change.

Practice Nourishment

On Sundays, I do a kitchen ritual I call Kitchen Sadhana—a practice of nourishment. It’s my time to organize the kitchen, shop for the week ahead, make a meal plan, and do a bit of food prep. It’s a ritual that helps me align my meals with the season and bring more mindfulness to how I nourish myself and my family.

What’s in season is what your body naturally needs. Think apples, pears, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, delicata squash, rainbow carrots, leeks, and beets. Look to your local farmers market or co-op to see what’s fresh and local this week.

Seasonal Foods to Favor

Fruits: Apples, pears, quince, pomegranate, citrus. Enjoy them baked, stewed, or stirred into porridge.
Leafy Greens: Kale, arugula, bok choy, chicory, spinach, chard—gently cooked or sautéed.
Cruciferous Veggies: Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi—roasted or in soups.
Roots: Turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, celeriac, rutabaga—roasted or stewed.
Squash: Pumpkin, butternut, delicata, acorn—roasted or pureed into soups.
Nuts & Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, flax, chia, walnut, almond—sprinkled on oats or salads.
Legumes: Lentils, mung beans, split peas, black beans, kidney beans—seasoned with warming spices.
Whole Grains: Quinoa, millet, barley, brown rice, oats—served warm or added to soups.
Healthy Oils: Extra-virgin olive, sesame, avocado, or flaxseed oil—for cooking or drizzling.

Recipes to Try This Fall

• Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
• Warming Grain Free Cereal with Pears
• Golden Milk
• Lemony Carrot and Cauliflower Soup
• Mujadarrah Lentils and Rice
• Easy One Pot Black Bean Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
• Roasted Vegetable Salad with Chimichurri
• Vegetarian Bibimbap
• Delicata Squash Bake with Tahini Sauce

Need more inspiration? Visit the Recipes page on my website for a collection of curated, seasonal recipes for healthy eating.

Want a refresher on seasonal self-care? Download the Autumn Tip Sheet.

Wishing you warmth, nourishment, and joy this season.Happy Autumn Eating!