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| Photo courtesy of Can Can Cleanse |
Reasons to Eat With the Seasons
Watermelon.
Raspberries. Zucchini. Tomatoes. Summer’s gardens are a veritable
bounty of mouth-watering fruits and vegetables, bursting with flavor and
nutrients. But now that we can get these foods year-round, why should
we bother stocking up on them
now?
Eating
seasonally is one of the pillars of designing a healthy diet, and for
good reason. Nature provides the nutrients we need exactly when we need
them to ensure optimal health. Before we were able to enjoy peaches in
February, we had a very limited time to indulge in these delicious
sweets. And guess what? We didn’t suffer as many preventable health
problems as we do today.
Perhaps
that’s because most of our summer foods do an excellent job of
preparing us for winter. Chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and
phytonutrients, these fruits & veggies exert potent antioxidant
power to get our immune systems in tip-top shape and protect our
cardiovascular systems. The complex carbohydrates so plentiful in summer
used to help fatten us up for impending fall & winter, when we were
forced to rely on limited amounts of wild game, root vegetables, nuts,
seeds, and
traditional storage techniques (root cellars, pickling, canning and
iceboxes).
In-season
foods improve health because they have more nutrients. Many vitamins
and phytonutrients are denatured with exposure to oxygen, light or heat.
So the longer you have to wait to eat a vegetable after it’s been
picked, the fewer nutrients it offers. One of the benefits of eating
seasonal produce is that it can be grown & sold locally, which cuts
down the time between harvest & a fresh
salad on your plate. And many local growers choose not to use harmful
pesticides, so even non-organic seasonal foods can be safer. Plus, as
anyone who has ever tried to eat a tomato or avocado out-of-season can
tell you, the taste of fresh produce is beyond compare.
Seasonal
foods also provide a perfect counterpoint to the climate. When it’s hot
out, a big sweet potato or winter squash just isn’t appealing. But
berries, cucumbers, and mint? Bring it on!
Besides
being a healthy way to eat, eating seasonally is usually less
expensive. Take watermelons, for example. Watermelons can be grown
nearly anywhere in the summertime, but if your craving occurs in winter,
your watermelon will likely be shipped in from a warmer locale.
Shipping requires fuel, and we all know how expensive that is nowadays!
In addition, foods grow well when they’re in season, so there is a
greater supply available, which also drives the price down.
Affordable, healthy & better-tasting? Sounds like three great reasons to dive into summer produce with abandon. Enjoy!
