Nourished Living

27 - Fall Nourishment: Grounding Foods, Cozy Rituals & Seasonal Support

• Courtney Podany

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In this episode of the Nourished Living Podcast, Courtney explores the rich, grounding energy of fall and how we can align our nourishment, movement, and rituals with the season. As nature slows down, our bodies crave comfort, warmth, and restoration—and fall foods and practices provide exactly that.

You’ll discover:

  • Seasonal foods that naturally ground and support your immune system 
  • Warming spices and cozy recipes perfect for autumn 
  • Restorative teas that balance digestion, immunity, and energy 
  • Grounding rituals like breathwork, journaling, and chakra support 
  • Ways to shift your movement into alignment with fall’s slower, restorative rhythm

Fall is more than just a season—it’s an invitation to reflect, release, and root down before winter’s deep rest. Tune in for your complete fall toolkit filled with foods, practices, and rituals to keep you grounded, cozy, and nourished.

Connect with Courtney: 

Welcome to the Nourished Living Podcast, where I'll be diving deep into nutrition, holistic wellness, and practical tips to help you live your healthiest, most vibrant life. I am Courtney Podany, a nutritional therapist, certified personal trainer, type one diabetic and mom. I'm here to help you take charge of your health with ease and competence. Together we'll explore how to nourish your body, mind, and soul in a way that feels good and sustainable. So grab your favorite beverage. Take a deep breath, and let's get into the episode. I. welcome back to the Nourished Living Podcast. I am your host, Courtney Podany. Today we are going to talk all about fall nourishment. This episode is being released on September 9th, nine, nine portal for anyone out there. Um, but anyway, I wanted to give you a little bit of time to prepare as we transition out. Summer and into autumn, our bodies, minds, and souls crave a different pace of life. So I am going to share some ways to support that. Just how nature is cyclical. For example, you know, the various seasons we go throughout the year, we are cyclical beings as well. So let's dive into what fall nourishment looks like and the best ways to provide support during this transition. Fall is one of my favorite seasons for food because it brings so much richness and comfort. And as you continue listening to this episode, you will really find that richness, comfort, and grounding are the key themes here. And like I always say, our body tells us exactly what it needs as long as we are paying attention. Nature gives us exactly what we need if we pay attention as well. The foods that are abundant in fall are nature's way of providing the perfect nourishment and support during this season. So you'll want to think of grounding foods, foods that grew in the ground to ground us. Funny how that works, huh? These will look like sweet potatoes, squashes, pumpkins, carrots, apples, pears, cranberries, beets, and Brussels sprouts. These foods are starchier and a little denser, but they naturally help to ground us as the weather cools. They're also packed with immune supporting nutrients like vitamin C, betacarotene, and fiber, which is extremely beneficial as we move into the cold and flu season. You'll want to utilize warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Okay. During fall, I start roasting my starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes or the Brussels sprouts, and I make tons of soups and chilies. Stews are also great at this time of year. I actually don't know what the difference is between soup and stew, but if you have a favorite stew recipe you love, please share it with me. I would love to try it. Some of my favorite recipes with these flavor profiles are coconut curry chicken Instapot Thai pumpkin curry. Loaded sweet potatoes, butternut squash soup, and chicken ginger soup. As the weather gets colder, you might be more inclined to reach for some tea to help warm you up. So here are a few that will feel restorative and healing. Ginger tea. Ginger tea is warming and grounding. Perfect for cooler weather. It supports digestion, circulation, and immunity. And since we were talking about how some of the fall foods are denser than the summer foods we were just enjoying, ginger tea is great after those heavier fall meals to help ease discomfort cinnamon tea. Cinnamon tea helps to stabilize our blood sugar and brings warmth and comfort. Chai tea, either herbal chai tea, or traditional chai tea has a blend of warming spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper. It stimulates our digestion and circulation and it also feels cozy and grounding. Peppermint tea, Peppermint tea is refreshing, but also supports digestion and our lungs, which is great for our accompanying the cold that comes with fall, and it's also energizing without any added caffeine. Chamomile tea. Is calming and supportive for stress, digestion, and sleep, and it's perfect for winding down on cool fall evenings. And lastly, tulsi or Holy Basil tea. This is an adaptogen that supports stress resilience. Something we've talked about many a times on this podcast, how important it is to build up our. Resilience to stress, so this could support that. It also balances our energy, mood, and immunity, and it's lovely for seasonal transitions. So what does fall mean for our bodies? Every season carries its own unique energetic rhythm. We are just coming out of summer, which is fiery and social and full of movement. Fall, however, invites us to slow down. It's about grounding, preparing, and transitioning inward. Think about nature and what it looks like outside. During this time, the leaves are falling, plants are letting go, and there's a sense of release. It's a great time for us to reflect, simplify, and let go of what we do not need. Before winter's, deep rest. So for your body, that might look like prioritizing restorative, slower movement like yoga, Pilates, stretching, or walking in nature. Spending time outside in the crisp air and soaking up as much natural light as we can before the days get shorter. And supporting your immune system with nourishing foods. Good sleep and hydration for emotional and energetic support. Fall is also connected to the lungs. In traditional Chinese medicine, which ties into grief and letting go, everything is connected. Am I right? It's a great season to release old patterns, emotions, or habits that no longer serve you. Some practices that can support are breath work to strengthen your lungs and release emotional heaviness. Newton's Law of Conservation of energy says that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. It's always moving and always shifting forms. When we think about breath work, it's a perfect example of this principle in action. As you inhale, you're taking in oxygen. That oxygen gets transferred into your bloodstream. Fueling your cells and literally creating energy in your body. As you exhale, you're releasing carbon dioxide, energy waste that your body no longer needs. The breath itself becomes a tool for moving energy, shifting it from stagnant, heavy states like stress, tension, or anxiety. Into something lighter, more fluid and freeing. So in a sense, breath work doesn't make energy. It transforms it. You can transform shallow, anxious breathing into deep calming breath, shifting the body from fight or flight, the sympathetic state to rest and digest the parasympathetic state. You can transform physical stuckness like tight chest or holding tension somewhere into release and flow. You can transform emotional heaviness into clarity and calm. Journaling, is another way to think about what can be released during this time. Reflect, what can I let go of? If nothing initially pops up, think about any fears, limiting beliefs or guilt that seems to keep popping up in your life. Essential oils like eucalyptus for lung support, cinnamon or clove for warmth and frankincense for grounding and chakra focus. The root chakra is a beautiful one to support during fall when the root chakra is in balance. We feel safe, grounded, and stable. Practices like grounding meditation, walking barefoot outside and eating root vegetables can help Also to support your root chakra Crystals like Ruby Garnet. Black tourmaline, bloodstone, obsidian, onyx, red jasper, smoky, quartz, and fire. Agate can support essential oils like myrrh, vetiver sandalwood. Patchouli and Spikenard can help. These are all earthy. I don't know if you've noticed a theme yet, but we have talked quite a bit about grounding during fall. But grounding doesn't always have to mean going outside barefoot. It can also be as simple as cooking a hearty fall meal, wrapping yourself in a cozy blanket or lighting a candle. The goal is to feel rooted, calm, and present some other cozy rituals you can consider using a weighted blanket, heavy quilt. Or warm wrap can soothe the nervous system and create safety, or even a warm bath with Epsom salts can be grounding. What does your movement look like in fall? Well, your body might not crave the same intensity as summer. Instead of pushing for high energy workouts, try longer walks in nature, especially to enjoy all of the beautiful fall colors. Gentle strength training to build resilience as we move toward winter. Or yoga or Pilates, to stay flexible and grounded, the key is to tune into your body and let movement support you rather than deplete you. To recap, fall is truly a season of nourishment for our bodies, our minds, and our souls. Try to fill your plate with grounding seasonal foods. These will be what is found at your local farmer's market. Move in ways that feel supportive and rest when your body needs rest as well. Spend time in nature. Enjoy the sun while it is still here, and allow yourself to release what no longer serves you. Just like the trees release their leaves. This is a season of slowing down, grounding and preparing for winter, but not in a restrictive or heavy way. Just a deeply nourishing way. Of course we can't completely skirt around our responsibilities just to hunker down and stay nice and cozy and grounded all the time, unfortunately. But if you feel a pull towards staying home more, less social interaction and slowing down, you will know why. And now you will have a whole fall toolkit full of practical ways to apply this and nurture it even more. Thank you so much for tuning in today. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who could use some seasonal inspiration, and if you haven't yet, check out my free affirmations, which are a beautiful way to stay grounded and empowered as we move through Fall. Link is in the show notes. Until next time, stay grounded and cozy, and I will see you in the next episode. Thanks for hanging out with me today and tuning into the Nourished Living Podcast. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and found something you can start implementing right away to kickstart your nourished transformation. If you loved this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who could benefit from these insights. You can also connect with me over on Instagram at Nourished Living for more resources and support. Until next time, stay nourished.