How to Eat Naturally | Eat Fresh & Seasonably

The food we eat and put into our bodies is meant to nourish us.  Therefore, it is in our best interest to choose the most nutritious foods in our diet. How do you know what the most nutritious foods are, you ask.  Well those would be those foods that are most fresh, and the freshest foods are those in season.

Have you noticed the global movement towards Eating Local lately?  Well, for the most part, its about economic sustainability.  Support your local farmer, which is great by the way, keep the local economy booming.  But, think selfishly for a moment as see it as an opportunity to do something for your own good.

I can give you a few reasons off the cuff why Eating Seasonably Benefit YOU

1. Its Cheaper
   Food that's in season is readily available and abundantly so. Supply far outweighs Demand, and you get way more for your buck. Adversely, foods not in season, are not abundantly available and have to be shipped to your location, those costs are past on to you.
2. It Tastes Better
   Food begins deteriorating the moment its picked. Think about a food in season in your region, as opposed to another coming from locale in which it is grown. Each day that food takes to reach your supermarket shelf, and then to your table it loses freshness.  The handling required to prevent that food from 'spoiling' takes it out of its natural maturing environment; its usually placed in a chiller, some are treated with preservatives and irradiation which can change the natural texture of the food.  These prevent the natural development of the food's full flavour as it would have matured to perfection on its branch.
3. Variety Throughout the Year
   All foods are not in season all the time. And they're not meant to be.  We are supposed to rotate the foods we eat.  If we ate the same things all the time we wouldn't get all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that we need for our bodies to survive.  Different foods are in season at different times because they are made up differently and provide different things to our bodies.  And as nature would have it, we need different things in our bodies as the seasons change.  We are all connected to this earth,  The cycle of life is bigger than just us.
4. Peak Nutritional Profile
   A fresh food, picked at its peak contains its highest nutritional value.  Just as foods begin losing freshness the moment it is picked, the same goes for all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and phytochemicals it contains.  And would you rather eat the food the farmer picked perfectly ripe from his garden this week, yesterday, even this morning?  Or the one treated and chilled, wrapped in plastic on the grocery shelf that spent 2 weeks getting to that shelf after it was plucked from his branches similarly 2 weeks before it was at its peak so that it could arrive to your table 'perfect'?

Now that I've made my case, you see why its better for you, the environment and your economy to Eat Fresh & Seasonably; You're wondering where to start.  Especially if you don't actually have access to a farmer's market or local produce stand.  Understandably some of us have no other option but to purchase from the supermarket.  

To start you off, I found a couple infographics.

This first Guide provides the Months of the Year foods are 'In Season'. i.e. when foods have the best chances of providing you with their very best.

Courtesy PopSugar via Pinterest

Alternatively you can use the following infographics. These present the foods in the Seasonal division of the year.  So whether you find yourself in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, your Summer begins in August or December (respectively) you can easily identify the Freshest produce available in your Season

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

Ideally we'd all be able to grow our own foods.  A seasonal diet would be the norm, as it was in the old days, for our ancestors.   They ate what grew, when it grew.  There was no confusion about thinking about what's in season, or how far the food came from if its not in season.  Where was it grown? Was it treated?  How long ago was it picked?  Unfortunately that's not the reality for many of us.  But I do want to encourage you to aspire to get there.  You can start with small herb garden box on your window sill, or above your kitchen sink if you have no outdoor space.  Container gardening is very viable and easy.  You don't need acres to be the owner of your own diet destiny.  

If you're interested, and want tips on how and where to start, let me know in the comments and I'll put together a guide for you.  I'm just starting out myself.  I'll be sure to let you know the progress!

~ Josie Jo ~

Have you ever considered following a Seasonal Diet?