Do you know what fruits and veggies are in season at the moment? Do you prefer those or do you eat whatever you want whenever you want?

The health and environmental reasons for eating according to the seasons and from farms in your area are numerous. Eating locally is defined as food from growers that harvest and raise food in your city or region. Following the seasons with your meal-planning means eating foods that are grown during the season when you enjoy them.

Making those two choices naturally equates to eating sustainably, meaning less impact on the environment and its inhabitants.

In the spring, for example, we eat lighter after the heavy winter meals in January and February. Spring greens like arugula and collard greens lighten and detoxify our bodies from the fatty foods we may have enjoyed during the colder months. Foods like radishes, dandelion greens, sorrel, and asparagus provide cleansing properties to promote detoxification. These foods also help prepare us for the warmer summer months.

In the summer, with increased activity, we have the need to replenish fluids. There is a bounty of produce filled with nutrient-rich liquids and foods higher in carbohydrates to provide energy for those extra hours of daylight. Foods like watermelon, tomatoes, peaches, and cucumbers refresh and hydrate us.

In the fall, the days begin to shorten and we begin to yearn for warmer foods, moving away from the raw fruits and salads of the summer. We begin to enjoy foods like apples that are high in pectins to help digestion of heavier-cooked meals and look for warming foods in soups and stews.

In the winter, when the air is cold and dry, the diet is filled with high protein and high-fat foods that warm, sustain and moisturize. We greet this dormant season with dried beans and seeds from the plentiful fall harvest. Foods such as root vegetables, winter squash, meats and citrus fortify our appetite. These insulating foods keep us warm (source).

Overall, if you eat local and seasonal food, it brings quite a few benefits to all aspects of all life.

   •   We decrease the amount of fossil fuels used in transportation - the food doesn’t have to travel across the globe.
   •   We reduce our reliance on unhealthy pesticides and chemicals used to grow to produce out of season, therefore we save money.
   •   We also increase the strength of our local community and we support our own economy.
   •   Shopping at a farmer’s market is a great way to support local growers and to increase your exposure to seasonal, locally grown, and organic produce. And there you can meet farmers, so you can ask any questions you want to know about your food.

Do you know where is your closest local market?

Week #23 Eat seasonably - Eat local, seasonal food