Four Surprise Benefits of Eating Seasonally
Fruits and vegetables taste better when you get them from a farmer’s market or farm stand because they’re fresher. Even if you usually shop at the grocery store, eating foods that are in season has big benefits.
Four reasons to eat produce when it is in season:
Taste: Food harvested at optimal times tastes better because it has a shorter journey to your home, with no storage delays.
Health: Produce is at its ripest and most nutrient-dense when it is in season. Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year also helps you get a balanced mix of vitamins and nutrients.
Environment: Consuming fresher foods has a positive impact on the environment. Fewer "food miles" are spent on transportation, and less energy is used to grow food in greenhouses.
Cost: Buying food by season is better for your wallet, as it can eliminate transportation and storage mark-ups. When produce is more abundant, farmers want to sell it before it goes to waste, which can drive down the cost.
Summer isn’t the only time for fresh fruits and vegetables. Jump-start your menu all year long with this seasonal list:
Year-round: apples, avocados, bananas, bell peppers, Bok choy, broccolini, cabbage, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, coconut, leek, lemons, lettuce, mushrooms, olives, onions, papayas, parsnips, pearl onions, potatoes, snow peas
Spring: apricots, artichoke, asparagus, butter lettuce, collard and mustard greens, green beans, honey dew, spinach, snow peas, strawberries, Swiss chard
Summer: Asian pears, beets, bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, cherries, corn, cucumber, eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, limes, okra, peaches, plums, raspberries
Winter: Belgian endive, Brussels sprouts, buttercup squash, clementines, collard greens, dates, delicata squash, grapefruit, kale, kiwi, leeks, mandarin oranges, oranges, passion fruit, pear, persimmon, pomegranate, sweet potatoes, tangerines, turnips
Fall: acorn squash, Asian pear, Belgian endive, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butter lettuce, butternut squash, cauliflower, cranberries, endive, garlic, ginger, grapes, guava, hearts of palm, jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, passion fruit, pear, persimmons, pineapple, pomegranate, pumpkin, sunflower kernels, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, turnips
Are you searching for recipes to fit your specific dietary needs? Do you have any nutrition goals to achieve? Consider making a Nutrition Counseling appointment at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. Ask your doctor to complete the Diabetes & Nutrition Education Prescription and fax it to 757-312-6271, or call 757-312-6673. If you have questions about the program, call the Lifestyle Health & Fitness Center at 757-312-6132.
