As Autumn settles in — with cooler mornings, shorter days, and a slower rhythm — your body is already sensing the change.
Many don’t realise these seasonal shifts affect far more than just the temperature around us. They directly influence how your digestive system functions, how your gut microbiome behaves, and even how your genes express themselves.
This is where the true power of seasonal eating comes in…
Why Autumn Demands a Shift in Your Plate
During Summer, our digestive systems tend to be stronger, our circulation is more active, and our bodies are more capable of breaking down raw, cold foods.
This aligns with the types of foods nature provides in warmer months — light, hydrating fruits and vegetables that help keep us cool and energised.
But as we enter Autumn, your body’s digestive fire naturally begins to cool, a concept well-recognised in both naturopathic and traditional medicine. Cold, raw foods become more difficult to break down, often leaving you feeling bloated, sluggish, or depleted.
To support this internal shift, your diet should also change — moving away from raw salads and chilled smoothies toward warm, cooked, grounding, restorative meals.
THINK:
- Roasted root vegetables like pumpkin, beetroot, carrot, and parsnip
- Warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin
- Soups, stews, broths, and herbal teas
These foods are easier to digest, help conserve energy, and support your immune system as we head into the colder months.
Gut Microbes: The Seasonal Communicator Between Food and Health
Here’s where the science gets really interesting…
Your gut microbiome — the ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes living primarily in your colon — shifts in composition depending on what you eat. And when you eat seasonally, you’re feeding your microbes exactly what they need to flourish in this particular time of year.
Autumn vegetables like sweet potato, leek, cabbage, and onions are rich in prebiotic fibres — non-digestible fibres that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. When these bacteria are well-nourished, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which help:
- Regulate inflammation
- Strengthen the gut lining
- Support brain function
- Modulate your immune response
Even more impressively, gut microbes influence gene expression through the production of these metabolites. In other words, what you eat today can impact how your genes behave tomorrow — turning on health-promoting genes and switching off those associated with inflammation, stress, and chronic disease.
This is epigenetics in action — and your food is the signal.
The Takeaway: Food is Information
So when we talk about eating with the seasons, we’re not just talking about taste or tradition — we’re talking about functional, biological alignment.
Eating seasonally:
- Supports digestion
- Enhances microbiome health
- Strengthens immunity
- Reduces internal inflammation
- And quite literally, rewires your gene expression for better long-term health
Start Today
Instead of reaching for your usual lunchtime salad, try a warm bowl of roasted veggies tossed with olive oil, fresh herbs, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Add a protein source like grilled tempeh, chicken, or legumes, and enjoy alongside a cup of ginger tea.
Small shifts like this can profoundly support your gut, your hormones, and your energy — especially in the perimenopausal and menopausal years when everything feels more sensitive and responsive.
You deserve to thrive,
Teressa
Naturopath + Biochemist
Ready to kick start Gut Health? Book a Call!
This is how gut microbes can influence weight!
Probiotics can help you gain weight or lose weight by interacting with our genetics, food and metabolism.
And yes, I did say lose or gain weight……..
Firstly, let me explain that the trillions of microbes in the gut need to be varied, meaning that there should be a large variety of species. There are many different species (or breeds) of microbes, and they all have their place in aiding health — the more variety and balance, the better health results.
Back to the weight loss or weight gain issue….
Do you eat yogurt and berries for breakfast? Thinking that it’s helping you lose weight?
Well, Lactobacillus acidophilus (like the species found in yoghurt) has been connected to weight gain.
I am not saying throw your yoghurt and berries in the bin. Instead, I am suggesting looking at the overall picture. If Lactobacillus acidophilus is the predominant micro-organism of the gut, then weight gain can result.
It is about the variety of species of gut microbes. Imagine if we only have trained german shepherd guard dogs in the world. It may be a safe world, but I am sure that other breeds may be more suitable as a family pet.
While Lactobacillus acidophilus is associated with weight gain, other Lactobacillus species correlate with weight loss.
Species like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Bifidobacteria animalis have been found to support weight loss.
Want to lose weight?
Look at your gut flora to support your goal.
Tests can be performed to identify the predominant species of the gut, and specific species can be utilised to support weight changes.
Want more information about your gut health?
Or want to look at all the factors contributing to weight gain, I’d love to be able to help.
