Eating Seasonally

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Nicole Meadow, MPN, RD, Founder of NutritionWise

Thursday, September 24, 2009

In today's global marketplace we are able to buy foods grown almost anywhere in the world all year round. Shopping out of season and the abundance of options year round negatively impacts our environment and the quality of the foods.

By purchasing local foods in-season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, your dollar goes directly to the local farmer, and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Not to mention that it tastes better!

Nutritional Benefits of Eating Seasonally:

As soon as a fruit or vegetable is harvested, the nutritional breakdown begins. Many vitamins present in the fruit or vegetable before harvest are highly unstable and are largely depleted after a few days. Since supermarket produce may be shipped from a thousand (or more) miles away, it sits around for many days while in transit, stocking, etc, all the while losing some of the key nutrients. Many supermarkets are now carrying local produce so look for the point of origin.

Locally grown produce is generally picked the day before arriving at your neighborhood farmers market. As a result, the produce is picked ripe or at its peak.
Supermarket produce is usually harvested well before peak ripeness so that it can withstand handling and long distance shipping. That means that when supermarket produce first hits the shelf, it is usually at least a week old.
Many of the small growers at farmers markets are grow organically, meaning they do not use any synthetic chemicals on their crops. However, many might not be "certified organic" due to the high cost of obtaining the certification, so just ask if they are pesticide free! And for the local farmers using synthetic chemicals, the amount is generally far less than large commercial farms. All of this AND you are getting produce that is in season... it's a win-win!

Now that you’re excited about eating seasonally you might be thinking, how do I get started?

Here are a few pointers:

1. Get a chart of seasonal produce and foods.
2. Buy from your local farmers market. Find one near you!
3. If shopping at your supermarket, ask a knowledgeable employee where your produce comes from. Even if you don't want to change any of your eating habits, you can at least make sure to buy local produce when it's available instead of the same type of food that might have been grown 3000 miles away!

In summary, there are a number of good reasons to eat more local, seasonal food:

-to help decrease the CO2 emissions needed to grow and transport the food we eat
-to support your local economy
-to reconnect with nature's cycles
-and (most importantly) because they are fresher, taste better and are more nutritious!

Nicole Meadow is a Registered Dietitian with NutritionWise.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Posted by Maggie on 09/25/2009 at 06:28 PM

Great article. The small community I live in on the outskirts of Phoenix (Ahwatukee) recently added a small farmer’s market on Sunday mornings and I love it! It hasn’t gotten the publicity it deserves but I plan to spread the word about eating fresh, local and organic! Mags @ AlivePast5

Posted by Heather @ Life, gluten free on 09/24/2009 at 03:20 PM

Great article! It is very important to eat seasonally, I agree. As summer begins to drift away and fall begins, I notice myself craving foods that are seasonally appropriate for fall and winter. I stop wanting foods that are grown in the summer, like tomatoes.

It makes me wonder, too, if eating non-seasonally (basically, eating the same foods all the time because you can go to the grocery store and buy them anytime of the year) has had an impact on the raising rates of allergies and intolerance.

Posted by smilinggreenmom on 09/24/2009 at 06:59 AM

Always wonderful information- love this! Thanks :)

Posted by Andy on 09/24/2009 at 04:54 AM

I can agree with most of this article, however, does local product really reduce CO2 emissions needed to grow it? Not necessarily!! If you eat locally but grown in green houses the CO2 impact is probably bigger than the same product grown miles away but more naturally. Same thing goes with the organic thing, since a lot of produce grown abroad is organic. And for more nutritious, well, there are many studies that haven’t been able to proof so! Then again, I agree with the freshness (although, who can give me a definition of fresh?), supporting the local economy, etc. Thanks.

Posted by Living A Whole Life on 09/24/2009 at 04:44 AM

Great post! I love summer in Michigan where you can purchase great seasonal local produce.

Karla

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