Eating Seasonally—Where Nature & Health Collide

No matter where you live, it’s officially Fall, which means pumpkins, squash, apples, and so many other amazing autumn foods.

Even in the heat of Arizona or Las Vegas, a pumpkin spiced latte is all the rage. Thank GOODNESS someone invented pumpkin creme cold brew for these poor people. It’s about time.

The change of seasons begs the question: does nature wisely dictate what we should be eating?

The answer, because nature is wiser than any of us, is of course, YES.

Eating Seasonally

Like pretty much everything in life, food has cycles. Spring brings us unique crops such as asparagus, cherries, and avocado. Summer brings the berries, fall gives us apples, pumpkins, squashes. Winter adds in leeks, brussels sprouts, turnips (there is quite a bit of overlap between fall and winter veggies, fyi).

Because of amazing advances in agricultural techniques and machines, the average American can enjoy most any vegetable or fruit at any time of the year.

But is this good for us?

It’s not bad, per se. But it’s maybe not the best, and here’s why:

1. Eating seasonally ensures that the vitamin mineral quality is at the plant’s highest levels. Studies indicate that when foods mature and are picked immediately, they have higher levels of bioavailable nutrients. This is seen in vegetables, fruits, as well as cow’s milk! A lot of foods that we eat out of season (or even in-season from the grocery store), have been picked early and unripened and are sprayed with chemicals to get them to the grocery store without going bad. They are then left in rooms to help them unnaturally mature. You can tell fruits and veggies that this is done to because they do not taste good. Additionally there is evidence that what grows seasonally is uniquely needed by our bodies in that time of the year. For example, as we head into fall some of the most popular foods are pumpkins, squashes, citrus, and mushrooms. All of these foods (and others) contain vitamin C and compounds that support our immune system. In the summer, when fresh berries are all the rage, their high antioxidant capacity may, in fact, offer a protective effect from the long sunny days. We do know that lycopene from tomatoes and watermelon do support our bodies natural response to sun and can prevent sunburns by offsetting the free radial effects (although I am a pro-sun fan, too much is never a good thing).

2. Which brings me to the next point. Non-seasonal foods just do not taste as good! A fresh vine-ripened tomato from your own garden doesn’t even compare to the blandness of a grocery store tomato. Even if tomatoes are “in season” the ones picked and transported to the grocery store were most likely picked before their prime (see point #1).

3. Maybe not as exciting but just as important is that eating seasonally (and especially locally) helps converse vital resources such as water and energy. Additionally, if foods are grown seasonally, it ensures that our soil is getting greater diversity of plants which supports the health and biodiversity of one of the earth’s most important resources.

4. Additionally, and this is especially true of fall foods, the nutritional content matches what our bodies. Plants that are harvested in fall are suspiciously full of vitamin C, and important support for our immune system. Foods that are harvest in the summer (berries and stone fruits) reflect the needs for lighter foods as the days are hot and long. It may see silly, but indeed it is true, that nature dictates what we should be consuming.

So as you begin incorporating fall foods into your menu planning this year (because I know I’ve inspired you), keep in mind the foods that our bodies are designed to consume this time of year. This Seasonal Food Guide is a great place to start—you can plug in your state and the season and it will generate the types of foods that are in-season for your area! I dare you to try one new food from the list this week. Let me know how it goes!

Here’s to your health!