The Fall Rebalance: What to Put in Your Basket This Season

11 hours ago

7 min read

The most disciplined investors I know rebalance on a schedule. They don’t wait for the market to scare or thrill them. They pick a date, review the portfolio, and adjust. A schedule takes the guesswork out.

Your kitchen has a calendar, too. Between October and December, the produce section changes, offering a new mix of flavors, colors, and nutrients. But we are creatures of habit, and by the time it occurs to me to look around to see what's new this season, half of what I bought last week is already in my basket.

Eating with the seasons is not a food trend. It is a rebalancing schedule that someone else, Mother Nature, already built for us. The change in season gives us a reason to reconsider what goes in the basket.

Think of it as a quarterly rebalance, with something good for dinner at the end.

We have a few months of seasonal discoveries ahead, a few new favorites to find, and a shopping list you can screenshot and bring along for the adventure.

Why a Fuller Basket Is Worth the Trip

Three studies give us good reasons to put a little more thought into the produce basket. They followed people’s eating habits and health, so they show associations rather than proving cause and effect.

Five servings, with a ratio

A 2021 analysis in Circulation, led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, pooled data on about 1.9 million adults. The lowest risk of death occurred at roughly five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, about two fruits and three vegetables. Compared with two servings a day, five was linked to a 13% lower risk of death from all causes. More than five servings showed no added benefit. Starchy vegetables, fruit juice, and potatoes did not show the same link.

Two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day give your shopping list a simple starting point.

Leafy greens and the brain

In a 2018 Neurology paper from Rush University and Tufts, researchers followed 960 older adults (averaging 81 years) from the Rush Memory and Aging Project for about five years. Those who ate the most leafy greens, a median of 1.3 servings a day, declined at a rate equivalent to being 11 years younger cognitively than those who ate almost none. A serving is half a cup cooked or a cup raw.

If you take a blood thinner, ask your physician about leafy greens before making any changes, because vitamin K matters in that case. Your physician is your expert.

This study does not mean greens turn back the clock, but it is a compelling reason to give kale, spinach, and Swiss chard a regular place on the plate.

Variety counts

The American Gut Project found that people who reported eating more than 30 types of plants a week had more diverse gut microbiomes than those eating 10 or fewer. Thirty may sound ambitious until you remember that beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds count alongside fruits and vegetables.

Seasonal shopping makes exploring that variety part of the fun! You can keep your favorites and leave a little room in the basket for something unfamiliar. Try a different squash, a purple sweet potato, or a pear variety you have never tried. Let the season introduce you to your next favorite.

The Four-Color Basket

Before you check out, look at your basket to ensure it includes at least one green, one orange, one red or purple, and one pale or white item. That is the whole system. If your basket has four colors, you have almost certainly rotated through different plant families.

A Budget Benefit

Seasonal abundance often brings better prices and more specials. When you buy locally grown produce, you also support farmers close to home.

October: The Handoff

October is the month summer hands the portfolio to fall. The sturdy vegetables arrive, and the last of the tender ones linger.

At the market

Fruit:

Apples
Pears
Grapes
Pomegranates
Cranberries
Figs
Persimmons
Dates

Vegetables:

Pumpkin
Winter squash
Sweet potatoes
Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Beets
Carrots
Parsnips
Turnips
Celery
Leeks
Mushrooms
Artichokes
Eggplant
Hot and sweet peppers

What makes October’s picks worth trying

The cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) carries vitamin C and vitamin K along with fiber.
Orange produce like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots supplies carotenoids, the pigments your body can convert to vitamin A.
Grapes and pomegranates bring polyphenols, plant compounds that researchers continue to study for heart and brain health.

Something to try this week: roast a sheet pan of Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes at the start of the week. You now have two colors ready for every meal.

November: The Slow Pot Season

The days shorten, and the produce gets sturdier and sweeter. This is the month for winter squash and for anything that wants to simmer.

In the market

Fruit:

Apples
Pears
Cranberries
Pomegranates
Persimmons
Grapes
Kiwi
Dates
Oranges
Grapefruit
Lemons

Vegetables:

Delicata (sweet winter squash you don’t have to peel)
Acorn
Butternut, and kabocha squash
Pumpkin
Kale
Swiss chard
Green and purple cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Carrots
Beets
Parsnips
Turnips
Radishes
Celery
Leeks
Shallots
Mushrooms
Artichokes
Sweet potatoes (try the purple sweet potato)
Potatoes

What makes November’s picks worth trying

Kale and Swiss chard are your leafy greens, the category tied to the Rush findings we explored earlier.
Leeks and shallots add depth of flavor, making it easier to eat more vegetables without feeling like you are trying.
Winter squash keeps for weeks on your counter, which makes it the most forgiving item in the basket.

Make it simple: A big pot of soup with squash, carrots, leeks, and kale makes a lovely Sunday project, with enough to set aside for the week. By Wednesday, dinner is already waiting.

December: A little winter brightness with citrus

Citrus arrives! Oranges, grapefruit, and mandarins bring bright color and fresh flavor to December’s basket. Root vegetables and hearty greens round out the selection, ready for warm soups, roasted sides, and winter salads.

At the market

Fruit:

Oranges
Grapefruit
Tangerines and mandarins
Lemons
Limes
Kumquats
Pomegranates
Pears
Apples
Cranberries

Vegetables:

Kale
Collard greens
Brussels sprouts
Beets
Red cabbage
Sweet potatoes
Leeks
Cauliflower
Parsnips
Carrots
Rutabaga
Turnips
Winter squash in every variety, including butternut, acorn, honeynut, kabocha, delicata, and spaghetti

More than just good taste

Citrus is a reliable source of vitamin C, and December is when it tastes the best.
Collard greens and kale keep your leafy green serving alive through the holidays.
Roots like parsnips, rutabaga, and turnips are inexpensive and store well, so they protect your budget in a spending-heavy month.

Two ways to enjoy December’s produce

Slice an orange into a kale salad with red cabbage and pomegranate seeds. That is four colors on one plate!
Add collard greens or kale to a hearty 15-bean and ham pot of soup

Fuel for the result you want to see

Ask any good advisor about a goal, and the first question you get back is: What is this money for? Some dollars have a one-year job. Others have a twenty-year job. Every serving on your plate has a job too, so before you fill the basket, decide what you want it to do.

Changes in skin, hair, and energy over the years are common and usually gradual, shaped by many factors at once: sleep, hormones, genetics, stress, medications, and what you eat. Food is one lever. No single food changes things overnight. Patterns repeated over months do the work.

Your fall basket can support more than a good dinner. Here are a few ways to connect what you enjoy eating with what your body needs.

For skin nourishment

Walnuts and other fall-harvest nuts, flaxseed, olive oil, avocado, fatty fish like salmon or sardines, and water
Why: your skin is built from protein and supported by dietary fats, and fluids matter alongside them

For collagen support

Citrus, kiwi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pomegranate, sweet potatoes
Why: your body cannot make vitamin C, and it needs vitamin C to build collagen, the protein in your connective tissue. The orange and red items add carotenoids, the pigments we covered in October

For hair health

Eggs, Greek yogurt, lentils, beans, and fish contribute protein, the building material for hair. Lentils also provide iron, and pumpkin seeds add zinc. Sudden or persistent shedding deserves a conversation with your physician, since nutrition is only one possible factor.
Why: hair is made of protein, and low iron can play a role in shedding for some people. If shedding is sudden or persistent, ask your physician to look at iron, thyroid, hormones, and medications before you change your shopping list

For digestive regularity

Beans, lentils, pears, vegetables, and whole grains bring fiber and variety to your meals. If you are adding more fiber than you usually eat, build up gradually and include fluids along the way.

There is plenty of overlap here, which makes shopping easier. You do not need a separate menu for every goal. A varied basket can serve several purposes.

The Stuffed Date

If our last newsletter inspired you to try dates, remember that they are in season in the fall, which makes them the perfect carrier for this idea. Slice one open and fill it with walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or a little peanut butter. The filling pairs their natural sweetness with fat or protein for a satisfying snack. Dates are sweet and concentrated, so a couple can go a long way.

Whether any one filling changes your hair or skin depends on the whole pattern of your month. The pairing is a smart snack, and the pattern is the strategy.

Try out

Brie + finely diced apple, topped with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of honey
Mascarpone + orange zest, topped with chopped pistachios and cinnamon
Goat cheese + cranberry chutney, topped with toasted pecans and a little fresh rosemary
Cream cheese + pumpkin butter, topped with crushed gingersnaps or pumpkin spice

Dates are a delicious way to enjoy the fall!

A Note on Where You Live

These lists offer a general guide, but the seasons follow a slightly different calendar depending on where you live. Your local farmers’ market can help you discover what is being harvested nearby. “What’s good this week?” is always a useful place to start.

A screenshot of the three monthly lists makes a handy shopping companion. There is no need to try everything. One unfamiliar ingredient might be enough to make dinner more interesting. If you follow a prescribed diet or take medication affected by certain foods, check with your care team about any significant changes.