Have you ever wondered why a peach tastes amazing in the summer and apples are at their perfect crunchiness in the fall?
If you haven’t guessed already, it’s because those fruits are at their peak freshness during those times of the year. In addition to tasting more delicious, eating with the seasons can maximize your budget, your food quality and your health.
Want to learn more about the benefits to eating with the seasons and how they contribute to a healthier you?
We outline the reasons to eat with nature’s calendar below:
When you purchase fruits and vegetables in-season, you’re getting them at the lowest price because farmers want to sell a large harvest more easily. You also benefit from a cheaper price because farmers don’t have to pay for shipping and importing costs to get the food to you.
Off-season, the price per pound of your favorite foods have to absorb the cost of transportation and a low supply and high demand. Eating in season also lowers the cost to the environment, as avoiding long-distance shipping contributes to a lower carbon footprint.
Food that’s fresh from the farm maintains a higher quality than food that’s been shipped or processed, and fresh food is always tastier. This is also why foods eaten out of season aren’t as sweet or as flavorful as they should be. If food is grown and shipped before it ripens, which often happens for tomatoes out of season, it can affect its flavor or texture.
The closer to its origin you can eat a piece of fresh food, the more nutrients it contains at the time you eat it. In fact, the moment a piece of food is picked from the vine or the earth, its nutritional density begins to decline.
As it turns out, nature does a great job of providing us the right foods at the right times of the year to stay healthy. Eating certain foods can help you stay energized and can even help ease your allergies. Incorporating the best seasonal food ingredients into meals can keep you feeling your best.
You don’t have to eat with the seasons for every meal, but local and seasonal produce that is in-season will taste best and have the most nutritional value.
Contact us today to work with a PartnerMD certified health coach and learn more about an approach to nutrition and wellness that will work for you.