9 Fit Foods to Buy in October

October and the onset of autumn come with many nutritional roadblocks – namely Halloween, the number-one candy-selling holiday of the year. (Americans purchase about six hundred million pounds of Halloween candy each year. Yowza!)

That said, there are plenty of nutritious, fat loss–friendly foods that will be flooding your grocer’s shelves in the coming weeks – and the best part is, seasonal produce won’t cost you a pretty penny! Check out these recipes for nine of the season’s freshest finds to help you shrink your waistline while keeping your pocketbook fat! 

1) Butternut Squash 
Nutritional benefit: Only 63 calories per cup!

Recipe: Curry and Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

2) Pumpkin
Nutritional benefit: Excellent source of potassium, which can help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

3) Sweet potato
Nutritional benefit: High in vitamin A, believed to be an essential fertility vitamin.

4) Turkey 
Nutritional benefit: Good source of iron (opt for dark meat for a bigger dose), which helps carry oxygen to muscles.

Recipe: Turkey Breast Mushroom Stew 

5) Cranberries 
Nutritional benefit: One cup delivers 20 percent of your RDA of manganese, a mineral important for bone health.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins (That’s two seasonal foods in one!)

6) Broccoli
Nutritional benefit: All of the vitamin C you need in one day can be found in a single cup; research has shown that it can help prevent complications from the common cold.

Recipe: Veggie Quiche 

7) Apples
Nutritional benefit: Contain pectin, a soluble fiber that may help keep hunger at bay. 

Recipe:Spiced Apple Protein Shake 

8) Bell Peppers
Nutritional benefit: One cup provides 10 percent of your daily folate (vitamin B9) needs, which aids cell production.

Recipe: Bison Stuffed Peppers

9) Brussels Sprouts

Nutritional benefit: A source of glucosinolates, phytonutrients that have cancer-preventing properties.

Recipe: Scallops and Brussels Sprouts