The start of fall often means the start of holiday parties, sugary pumpkin spice lattes and various treats. And if you're looking to achieve a weight loss goal (and more specifically to reduce belly fat), then it might feel like your fall meal options are limited.
But today I'm sharing 10 DELICIOUS fall foods that you can eat RIGHT NOW that taste amazing and help support a weight loss goal.
Scroll down for some major fall foodie goodness!
Brussels Sprouts
Depending on where you live, it could very well be Brussels sprouts season.
Brussels sprouts contain glucosinolates and sulfur containing compounds that aid in phase 2 liver detox.(1) This is incredibly important for getting rid of the processed sugars, fructose and grains from the body while working toward a weight loss goal. Especially with all of the holiday events coming up, loading up on some detox promoting foods may be a good idea!
Try my simple and DELICIOUS Brussels sprouts sauté with THIS recipe.
Grain-Free Oatmeal
Regular oats are not a good option for a belly fat loss goal because it can greatly spike the storing hormone insulin and is so incredibly low in protein needed for body recomposition.
To solve this oatmeal dilemma, I’ve created quite a few grain-free, high protein alternatives that are AMAZING. I like stirring in my zero sugar vanilla protein powder to give the grain-free oatmeal an extra boost.
Checkout one of my favorite grain-free oatmeal recipes with the video above.
Stewing Meat
The humble stewing meat makes some of the coziest most delicious meals that are perfect for colder weather. I mean onions, garlic, slow cooked meat… wow. AND it also tends to be one of the least expensive cuts of meat while also being loaded with protein, making it an incredibly amazing option for a weight loss goal.
I like to make various stews during the fall with stewing meat. I’ve shared one of my favorite stew recipes in my THRIVING Cookbook.
One simple swap to look out for if your goal is belly fat loss, is swapping out any starchy ingredient for non-starchy options. So if you see grains or potatoes in a recipe, swap it out for cauliflower, butternut squash, carrots and turnips. This helps to keep the insulin spike lower and make it better for a belly fat loss goal.
Bone Broth
Speaking of stews, bone broth is an excellent pairing because it naturally contains high levels of collagen. From a weight loss perspective, pairing protein with collagen helps to boost satiety even further, helping you to prevent cravings that work against a weight loss goal.(2)
Healthy Coffee
Coffee is like the absolute epitome of fall vibes. If you’re following Intermittent Fasting, especially if you’re new to IF, coffee can be a helpful natural appetite suppressant to make your fast super easy. It’s also loaded with antioxidants that have been shown to help reduce fat buildup around the liver.(3)
Just make sure it doesn’t have ANY sugar. Especially with a belly fat loss goal, sugar sweetened drinks will REALLY work against it. If you MUST have a sweetener, I recommend opting for either pure monk fruit extract or stevia. But you should really check out my zero sugar coffee recipes as well for some inspo.
Cinnamon
'Tis the season for cinnamon.
Cinnamon is a warming spice that also has been studied to have some blood glucose stabilizing perks.(4) The more we can stabilize blood sugar levels, the less of an insulin spike we can typically expect, making it great for a weight loss and belly fat loss goal.
I love pairing cinnamon with nutmeg in my protein pancakes for some extra seasonal warmth to my brekky. But you can also throw cinnamon in a smoothie or as a topping for your grain-free oatmeal.
Pssst... you can get my protein pancake recipe along with 9 other protein packed recipes for FREE with every purchase of my delicious zero sugar protein powder! Grab yours HERE.
Carrots
Carrots have gotten a bad reputation as being “sugary”, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, if you were to juice 16 oz. worth of carrot juice, the sugars would add up. But having carrots as a replacement for fries or potatoes is a MUCH better option for a belly fat loss goal.
To put this into perspective, the glycemic load measurement is a more accurate way to determine the impact of a food on our blood sugar levels than glycemic load. Something that has a high glycemic load will score above 20. Baked russet potato scores around 33.
Cooked carrots only score at around 2-3, which is ridiculously low.
I like to bake carrots into fries, throw them in stews or bake it with a combination of mustard powder, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
Almond Flour
As we’re entering fall, we’re also entering baking season.
If you’re used to making muffins or other fall baked goods, then you’ll want to checkout almond flour. Almond flour is made out of ground almonds without any grains. Grains have a great potential to spike the storing hormone insulin, so swapping it with a grain-free, starch-free alternative is a good option.
For most recipes, you can swap out flour for almond flour pretty easily. Although to make it even better for your weight loss goals, you can also combine almond flour with protein powder as the “flour” base. This helps to significantly raise the complete protein content of the baked good while also maintaining a grain-free option.
Squashes
Spaghetti squash, butternut squash, pumpkin - all are generally great starch swaps for potatoes. In fact, 1/3 cup of mashed and cooked butternut squash only has a glycemic load of 3, which just like carrots is SUPER low.
Squash is also very versatile.
spaghetti squash instead of pasta
roasted butternut squash soup with a protein
pumpkin puree to make protein pancakes
I’ve made recipes on my blog and in my cookbooks and programs with most squashes because they taste great, are perfect for the season and are so much better than potatoes for a weight loss goal.
Brisket
Similar to stewing meat, brisket is slow cooked, super high in protein and generally a cheap cut of meat.
And a cooked brisket meal is just so wholesome and delicious but with such simple ingredients. You can pair it with butternut squash, onions, garlic, carrots and turnips for a truly epic high protein meal that’s super cozy and serves your goals.
It might seem like I’m mostly favoring beef proteins on this list, but it’s because of the slow cooked nature and how fitting it is for fall. Especially with a busy work or school schedule, you can throw these types of meats in a slow cooker at the beginning of the day and have dinner ready for you by the time you get home. Magical delicious goodness.
Protein Hot Chocolate
This is a recent creation of mine and I had to share it in this list because it’s so fitting for the cozy weather… and it’s ZERO SUGAR. So you can satisfy that sweet tooth while getting an extra 10-20 grams of complete protein without all of the sugar that comes in a standard hot chocolate.
Yes. It is that magical.
The recipe is super simple and uses either whole milk (if you’re not carb sensitive or if you’re not lactose intolerant) OR unsweetened nut or seed milk of choice and my zero sugar chocolate protein powder. My protein powder uses pure monk fruit extract for the sweetener so it’s naturally zero sugar but still has a sweet flavor so that you get the hot chocolate you’re looking for.
Autumn's Zero Sugar Hot Chocolate Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk OR coconut milk OR almond milk
2 scoops Autumn's Chocolate Protein Powder
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
Add all of the ingredients to a small pot over medium heat.
Whisk together every 30 seconds until the hot chocolate has reached the desired temperature.
Optional to serve with zero sugar whipped cream. (Optional, but highly recommended.)
Unlock 100+ DELISH recipes that have helped thousands of men and women around the world with the Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle!
The Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle also includes:
Science-backed Intermittent Fasting tips and strategies
8 weeks of meal planning
3 week workout plan with videos
7 Day Detox
and MORE!