The Benefits of Eating Seasonally
Food has become more about convenience in the U.S., and sometimes we lose touch with how it was designed to help nourish us. We have become so accustomed to food “on demand” that we have forgotten that produce naturally grows in seasons. Eating seasonally and locally are two habits that have an immense impact on not only ourselves but everything around us.
Have you ever eaten a strawberry in the winter and wondered why it was bland and not like the usual flavor-gushing sweet strawberry you’ve eaten in the summer? That’s because strawberries are naturally grown in the summer. That is when they thrive. When produce is grown out of season, it often requires additional products (gasses & chemicals) to make it grow and meet demand. They don’t have the environment to naturally ripen and flourish in flavor. Not to mention, this has a negative impact on the nutritional value of the food. When intervention is used to force the growth of produce, it diminishes the vitamins and minerals available in the food.
On the flip side, when you eat the produce that is currently in season, you are meeting the nutritional NEEDS of your body! How cool is that!? For example, citrus is a winter fruit. That goes hand in hand with our bodies' need for higher Vitamin C intake in order to boost our immune system and fight colds. In the summer, the seasonal produce has high beta-carotene and carotenoids that help protect us from sun damage. Summer fruits and vegetables are often juicy and refreshing to combat the heat of the season, while winter fruits and vegetables are usually great for cooking warm and nourishing meals!
The nutritional benefits of produce are not only specific to the season, but also location. Nutritional needs vary broadly as you stretch across the globe, but even within the states, eating locally has mass benefits. When you source your food from the local farmers market, ranches, or CSA (community-supported agriculture), you are supporting your local farmers and ranchers. Since the transport time is next-to-nothing, there is no need for any kind of preservation such as chemicals or coatings that are applied to produce when they are transported longer distances. Buying locally also helps reduce the negative environmental impact that comes from increased fuel emission and the need for refrigeration.
All of these aspects also help make the produce more affordable. Less money needs to be spent on fuel for transport and growth-aid products for out-of-season produce. Plus, when a fruit or vegetable is in season, they grow faster and more abundantly. This often makes them cheaper when following the supply and demand concept.
I encourage you to do your homework and find out what foods are in season and where you can get them locally. This seasonal food guide is a great site that will list foods in season specific to your location. This topic is something that is so inspiring for me. It shows the intricacy and intention that God put into His creation. He met our practical nutritional needs with the perfect design of produce for every season and in every environment! I hope this encourages you and helps you see the intentionality and care that our Creator put into our existence.
