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Eating seasonally is a fantastic way to improve your health by adjusting your nutrition. However, it is not necessarily obvious why. In this article, we will explain the benefits associated with eating seasonally to encourage you to give it a try.
Let’s first review what is seasonal eating. The concept is to rotate the food that you eat based on what is naturally growing in your area a different times during the year. This primarily applies to fruits and vegetables although a research has demonstrated that dairy products are also impacted by seasonality. Of course, the produces that are considered in season will vary based on where you live in the world. This website is a good resource if you live in the United States. Now that we understand what eating seasonally means, let’s look at its many benefits.
1. More nutritious and flavorful produce
Fruits and vegetables growing at their own pace using unmodified nature’s resources are more flavorful and contain more nutrients. This is because to grow crops year-round, significant modifications are made which have a negative impact on the end product. When mass-producing, the products are harvested before being ripe in order to not spoil during transportation. Food companies use ripening agents, preservatives, and cooler temperatures to preserve the products during travel. Each of these agents and processes can have an impact on the taste. Additionally, it is important to note that the moment a fruit or vegetable is picked, the nutritional value starts to slowly decrease. Therefore, the further a product needs to travel, the less nutritious it becomes. However, the nutrients loss is considered minimal and should not deter you from eating non-locally grown produce.
2. Varied diet
Eating seasonally allows you to eat a wider variety of food throughout the year. It is understood by most that each fruit and vegetable contains unique nutrients and minerals. Our human bodies need all of those nutrients to function properly. By eating what is in season in your area, you naturally vary what you eat most of each month. This in term helps you to incorporate all essential nutrients and minerals into your diet.
3. Positive environmental impacts
When you eat what grows in your area you positively contribute to keeping our planet healthier for several reasons.
- Less travel distance to reach consumers means less fuel emission
- Use of natural resources to grow the crops rather than modified processes which require the use of massive amounts of non-renewable energy.
- Allows the environment to cycle through natural resources such as water utilization
4. Save money
Each player in the food supply chain takes a cut of the profits along the way. Modified growing processes and long transportations including controlled temperatures and refrigeration all add to the final cost of the product. Therefore, eating locally grown food can often be cheaper. As an example, look at the price of blueberries in January versus August. The difference is quite astonishing.
5. Support local farmers
Last but not least, when eating locally grown produce, you are supporting local farmers. Many areas have farmer’s markets from the Spring to the Fall. If like me you struggle to get out of the house early enough on the weekend to get your fresh produce, consider using a service like Market Wagon. Market wagon is an online farmer’s market that delivers local food products directly to your front porch. It launched in 2016 in the Indianapolis area and has now expanded to more than 20 states in the United States.
In conclusion..
I hope this article gave you the motivation to start or continue to put an emphasis on including a large proportion of in-season fruits and vegetables in your diet. Eating seasonally has many benefits as we discussed and can be a great way to change up what you eat and your go-to recipes throughout the year.
See what my favorite spring recipes are to get some cooking inspiration for the new season.
Bon appetit!
Cat xx