The Ultimate Autumn-Winter High-Fiber Shopping List

Summer and her garden bounty may be on the way out, but don’t panic! There is still so much plant magic to be had, and luckily, some of these cooler weather crops are also gut health heroes. Remember, the best produce is always going to be what’s being harvested right now, ideally as locally as you can manage. Here’s what to add to your cart or basket or reusable tote bag as you peruse the farmer’s market or even your regular grocery store this fall and winter.

Cool and Cruciferous

These cool-season crops thrive in temperatures below 70°F and develop sweeter flavors when exposed to chilly weather and light frost. Cruciferous vegetables are some of the most fiber and antioxidant-dense foods you can add to your plate.

• Brussels Sprouts: These miniature cabbages (6g of fiber per cooked cup) get sweeter after roasting. Look for firm, tightly packed sprouts (or buy them on the stalk!) and try them halved with mustard, chestnuts, or a splash of balsamic vinegar.

• Cauliflower: These don’t just come in white—try purple or orange (3g fiber per cup cooked) and use each head a million different ways.

• Broccoli: The florets may be the showiest but don’t forget to eat the stalks (5g fiber per cooked cup).

• Romanesco: Related to both broccoli and cauliflower but featuring fractal florets, romanesco (4g fiber per cup) is one of nature’s most beautiful cruciferous creations.

• Kohlrabi: Peel away the tough outer layer of kohlrabi (5g of fiber per cooked cup) and enjoy it raw with a dip, shaved into slaw, or roasted until tender.

• Collard Greens: Sturdy greens (8g fiber per cooked cup) that last well into the cooler months.

• Cabbage: Green, red, savoy, and pointed cabbage (4g of fiber per cooked cup) all come into their own during the cooler months. Shred it into slaws, roast thick wedges until caramelized, or add it to soups, stews, and stir-fries.

Winter Squash

Different from summer squash, the squash of winter and fall are harvested when they have matured fully and therefore have tougher rinds and fully finished seeds.

• Butternut Squash: The creamy dreamy king of squash (6.6g fiber per cooked cup) is a crowd-pleaser.

• Acorn Squash: These squash (9g of fiber per cooked cup) can serve as a natural bowl if you roast halves and fill with grains, beans, herbs, and nuts.
  

• Spaghetti Squash: Once cooked, this magic squash (2–3g of fiber per cup) separates into tender, spaghetti-like strands that can totally swap with the real thing for a pasta dinner.

• Pumpkin: Not just for decor, pumpkins (8g fiber per ½ cup) are amazing in any recipe that calls for butternut or sweet potato. Save your jack-o-lantern seeds (2g fiber per ¼ cup) to roast, salt, and snack on.

Wild and Unusual

You’re in for a treat if you are lucky enough to have a forager sharing their wild mushroom finds at your farmer’s market. Mushrooms are highly seasonal and often available for only weeks at a time at different parts of the year. Fall and winter often yield the following kinds, but you may also be able to find these at other times in dried form.

• Porcini: Also known as king bolete or penny bun (a little over 2g fiber per cup), these nutty prizes are a chef fav.

• Lion’s Mane: They look like what they sound like, a shaggy, white mushroom (4.5g fiber per cup) that also has studies that suggest it helps with brain and mood support.

• Maitake: Also known as Hen of the Woods (2g fiber per cup), these will wow when simply sauteed in butter.

Roots and Tubers

Root vegetables thrive in the cooler autumn soil and last a long time (for those of us guilty of letting greens wilt). For some of them, a frost actually makes them sweeter!

• Carrots: Guess what, you don’t actually have to peel carrots (3–4g of fiber per cup). Scrub them well in water and roast them with cumin and honey, shred them into a slaw, or dip into hummus.

• Beets: Red, golden, and candy-striped beets (about 3.5g fiber per cup) can go from earthy to sweet when you roast them, and the OG red kind are great at turning a recipe perfectly pink.

• Parsnips: Sweeter and more aromatic than carrots, parsnips (6g of fiber per cup) are great when roasted until caramelized, blended into soup, or mashed alongside potatoes.

• Late-Planted Turnips and Rutabagas: The crisp and peppery turnip (3g fiber per cup) is in the mustard family like a radish, but better suited for roasting than eating raw. Rutabagas (3g fiber per cup), also called swede in the UK, is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip.

• Sweet Potatoes: You already know this fiber star (8g fiber per cup) and its endless versatility. Keep that skin on for extra fiber and a rustic look.

• Sunchoke: This is the edible tuber of a North American sunflower species, Jerusalem artichoke (2.4g fiber per cup) but it features the prebiotic inulin, which can give some folks gas, so try sparingly and see how your body takes to it!
  

• Late-planted Radishes and Daikon: Crisp, peppery radishes and their longer, milder cousin, daikon (about 2g of fiber per cup) are fun to slice them into salads, pickle, or grate into noodle bowls and dipping sauces.

Something Sweet

Spring and summer may be fruit’s time to shine, but there are still late season fruits to sink your teeth into. Many of these autumn era fruits are fiber stars.

• Apples: There are endless different varieties (usually about 5g fiber per apple), some better for snacking and some better for cooking. Look for an interesting variety you’ve never tasted before, like Cortland (great for pies) or Mountain Rose (pink inside!).

• Pears: Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc, and Asian varieties of pears (6g fiber per pear) all have their own vibe, from crisp to floral to juicy.

• Dates: The most magical and versatile of fruits, usually dried, and serving as a secret ingredient to many a dessert or smoothie. Medjool are larger, softer, and more caramel sweet (and 6g of fiber per ½ cup), while Deglet Noor are smaller, firmer, and nuttier in flavor (with 7g of fiber per ½ cup). If you live in places like California, there are even more varieties available to you during this season, as well as fresh dates.

• Grapes: They’re doing amazing things with table grapes these days (a gram or two of fiber per cup). Cotton Candy Grapes anyone?

• Pomegranates: These luscious fruits (1.5g fiber per ¼ cup) may be tricky to render, but bejewel any salad or dish with the ruby seeds and you’ll find it well worth it. One trick to getting out pomegranate seeds without staining everything is to gently loosen them from their matrix under the surface of cold water.

• Honey: Don’t forget the fall honey harvest for carrying over some summer sunshine into the next few months. Honey doesn’t have a significant amount of fiber, but it is a beautiful way to support your local apiary and pollination efforts and a lovely natural sweetener for all your dishes and drinks.

Tips for Success

To make the most of your autumn-winter grocery haul, try these simple strategies:

• Keep the Skins On: Whenever possible, leave the skins on fruits like apples and pears, and root vegetables like carrots and parsnips. That is where most of the fiber is found.

• Batch Cook: Roast a large tray of seasonal root vegetables and cruciferous veggies at the start of the week. They make for an effortless, high-fiber addition to any meal.

• Stay Hydrated: When increasing your fiber intake, it is crucial to drink plenty of water to help your digestive system process the extra fiber efficiently.