There’s a season for everything, a perfect time to plant, reap, buy and eat certain foods, maximizing the nutrients that properly provide for the natural needs of our bodies!
Eating with the cycles of nature promotes balance and harmony with the earth’s resources and its life forms. Eating ‘seasonally’ means including foods in our diet that are grown and harvested at the same time of the year we eat them. This not only has great benefits for our health but also positively impacts the economy and environment.
The changing of the seasons brings a natural cycle of produce which is perfectly designed to support our health. For example, in the Spring, the abundance of bitter and leafy greens help us alkalize, detox our liver and lose some extra pounds after a long winter of heavier foods.
In the summer we need to cool down and stay hydrated by eating more fruits, berries, cucumber, watermelon etc. The Fall harvest begins with an abundance of apples, which are high in fiber and pectin to help cleanse the intestines and support digestion, specifically the digestion of fat. Building a lifestyle around seasonal food facilitates the body’s natural healing process.
Benefits of Eating Seasonally:
- Fresher, better tasting and more flavorful food.
- Healthier, more
nutrient dense foods that support the body’s natural needs. Greater variety of foods, more well-rounded, balanced diet.- Encourages home cooking which is much healthier than eating out.
- Fosters creativity to come up with new, fun and delicious dishes/recipes.
- Saves money and helps preserve the environment.
- Supports the local community and more sustainable farming.
- Avoids overseas contaminates(chemical pesticides, toxic heavy metals, etc.)
It takes a lot of energy and resources to manage, package, and transport foods out of season. This adds to the cost and has a heavier impact on the environment. On average, fruits and vegetables travel 1,300–2,000 miles to get from farms to us. The nutrient density of these fruits and vegetables begins to decline the instant they are harvested.
Buying food in
Eating seasonally can also open up a whole new world of foods! Instead of limiting the diversity of the foods we eat, eating seasonally expands it, providing more variety and helping us eat a more well-rounded and balanced diet.
Making the conscious choice to eat seasonal foods puts us in tune with nature’s rhythm and makes us more aware and appreciative. Getting to know where our food is coming from, who is growing the food and how they do it also makes us feel more connected to the whole process.
If growing food in your own garden isn’t possible, try shopping at a nearby farmer’s market, food co-op, or sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project or other fresh food delivery service. Choosing local, organic, grass-fed and non-processed foods is the best way to go.
Seasons vary in different parts of the world and even in different regions in the same country. Click the Seasonal Food Guide for general guidance by region.