Autumn Foods That Ground You

Autumn has arrived, and the busy back-to-school season that's quickly met with the hustle and bustle of the holidays is among us.  If you're anything like me, this last part of the year flies by in a wink.  Because of this, it can feel like a time where your out of control schedule is controlling you.  You're pulled in many different directions, and you just want to sit down for a second to catch a break.

One of the beautiful things about nature is that it knows.  It knows how insane this time of year gets and exactly what we need to find our way back to what we need from nature.  So many grounding foods become available this season, and it's of our highest benefit to take advantage of them.  These foods can ground us and help us to re-balance when we are feeling out of control.

Here are a few of my favorites…

Pumpkin and squash

These are two traditional autumn foods, but they’re also exactly what we should be eating to ground ourselves. When you want some sweetness in your meal, these are the ideal way to achieve that and a much better alternative to chemical-laden artificially sweetened items. So, use that pumpkin you carved out for Halloween to create a healthy meal with the next day, you will feel oh so healthy and grounded while enjoying a delicious pumpkin dish.

Root vegetables

Vegetables that fall into this category are sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, garlic, and ginger. They add some great flavor to your meal and will make you feel rooted and grounded.  Interesting how that works, right?  Foods that grow as roots in the ground are naturally rooting and grounding to us.  Nature is amazing.

Naturally Fermented Foods

Raw sauerkraut is perfect to add some sourness to your autumn meals, while also strengthening your gut health. Fermented foods don’t only make your meals taste great and assist with grounding you, but they also act as prebiotics and feed all the good bacteria in your gut. Some other naturally fermented food items include kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and pickles, to name a few.

Add on the proteins

Finding healthy, high-quality protein sources will be of benefit to you this time of year.  Proteins that come from high-quality foods give you the nutrients you need to build strong muscle while also feeling more grounded. We tend to crave more substantial meals this time of year due to their grounding effect.  Hearty stews and soups are among the most popular food items this season, and that’s exactly why.  Are there any plant-based proteins you have meant to experiment with in the kitchen?  Now is a perfect time to be adventurous and try something new.

And finally…

Don't pass up these delicious autumn foods that are not only enjoyable but beneficial to us in many ways.  Aside from eating foods that naturally ground you, there are other ways you can enjoy feeling grounded.  Being in nature has a natural grounding effect — so take a walk outside as often as possible to breathe in the crisp air and enjoy the colorful scenery.  Breathing exercises help with feeling more grounded, so focus on your breathing throughout the day and take note on if you're breathing freely or holding your breath often.  When you notice you're holding your breath, take a moment to practice a short breathing exercise.

And one of the things that I do that I find most grounding is to stand up straight, feel hip distance apart and roll forward and back on to the balls of my feet.  Do this about five or six times and then settle into your heels.  Allow your entire foot to settle down onto the floor.  Take at least five deep breaths standing here in this grounded position.  You won't believe how much it releases that feeling of being “in your head.”  Trust me… give it a try.

Do you struggle with feeling grounded?  What are you going to try after reading?