Best Seasonal Foods to Eat Throughout the Year to Stay Healthy

There are many reasons you should eat with the seasons. One of our favorites is that it can keep you healthy and protect you from seasonal ailments.

Don’t know what types of foods to eat in season? PartnerMD has you covered with a list of the best foods to eat during the seasons to stay healthy.

Best Seasonal Foods to Eat in the Winter

Although most of the earth hibernates during the winter, it’s a great time to dig into root vegetables harvested in the late fall and early winter.

Winter vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, herbs, and squash deliver healthy carbs that can help you maintain healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, and mood levels. Eating slightly more carbohydrates during the winter can also help you avoid the winter blues.

You can turn almost any winter vegetables into fries by slicing them, tossing them with olive oil, and baking them with seasonings. One of my favorite things is to actually slice up a sweet potato into fries, put some olive oil, sea salt, and pepper over them. 

Best Seasonal Foods to Eat in the Spring

In the spring, the growing season really gets going, especially with greens and fruits like spinach, asparagus, onions, strawberries, and herbs. It is also a time when allergies kick in for many people. Spring’s bounty of fruits and veggies can make it easier to incorporate sources of plant-based nutrition.

Spinach is a great food choice in this season. You can get it through salads, but you also can get it through green smoothies.

If you're not sure how to make a smoothie or need some ideas on recipes, check with your health coach so that we can go into a little bit more detail for you.

Best Seasonal Foods to Eat in the Summer

Summer is when the majority of produce grows, from blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries to cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, and tomatoes.

These juicy foods also offer a double-hit of nutrition as the high water content can help you stay hydrated and cool throughout the summer.

This is my favorite time of the year to go berry picking. And this is a great activity for the family so that your children are also engaged in healthy eating. It's something that they start learning at a young age so that they continue to hopefully have these healthy habits.

But a great idea is to make yogurts, smoothies, parfaits, things of that nature, to mix it up because it's a really great time to get all those great antioxidants for your body.

Best Seasonal Foods to Eat in the Fall

There are many vegetables still in season in the fall, like pears, beets, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkins, and squash.

Nature knows what it’s doing for your health, too, because these foods contain a large number of nutrients and antioxidants that can help you avoid or recover quickly from the flu.

This is my time to really roast my food. Whether you're roasting a vegetable or roasting something like pumpkin seeds. This is one of my family favorites. Sprinkle some olive oil over pumpkin seeds, sprinkle some old bay, and oven roast them. A great healthy snack for the entire family.

Make It Fun

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables has clear health benefits, but you can incorporate these seasonal treats into some family fun.

Many states have farms open to the public where you can pick your own strawberries, apples, peaches, etc. Getting children into the game of picking their own fresh food might help some picky eaters try something new!

Talk to your physician or contact a PartnerMD certified health coach and learn more about an approach to nutrition and wellness that will work for you.

It's really important to stay creative so that you stay interested in your foods as the season changes. This will help, obviously, increase your health through the various vitamins and micronutrients you get, but it's also really important that you don't get bored. You want to make sure you are changing it up and staying creative so that you stay interested in nutrition and healthy food choices.