Eat the Seasons

Many of you, local to me, know we used to run “Brentwood Spice and Olive Oil” and of course as with many small businesses in 2010 we had to close our doors.  That being said I always spoke of knowing your foods, “fresh is best” and “eat the seasons” were words preached by me and still to this day!!

In this day and age, we have the luxury of heading to the local store to pick up, almost, whatever we want to eat.  Mother Nature knows best, remember this. 

Foods that are picked at the peak of ripeness provide us nutrients that fruits and veggies picked early do not have.  Studies have shown that produce picked when mature and consumed immediately or flash frozen at the time of harvest have greater levels of these vital nutrients than those we find at the grocery store.  Specifically, levels of vitamin C and antioxidants are especially sensitive to harvesting too early.  These studies are also showing that fresh vegetable can lose up to 51% of the vitamin C with in 48 hours.  Even when stored at the proper temperature vegetables can lose nearly half of the water-soluble antioxidants within a matter of days.

 

Mother Nature’s brilliance shines here.  She knew what she was doing when she created these beauties.  The benefits of in seasonal produce is that the aroma and taste are amazing.  As I stated earlier, the nutrients are much higher when fresh picked.  We need our liquids for hydration during the high heat but that’s not all.  We lose electrolytes, amino acids, and vitamins when we sweat.  Summer fruits have a higher water content than the fall produce.  Strawberries and watermelon have the highest fluid content at 92% seconded by grapefruit and cantaloupe, summer veggies that are high are summer cucumbers and zucchini at a whopping 96%.  Research suggests that refueling with summer fruits and veggie actually rehydrates you better after a workout better than drinking water or sports drinks.  For a winter example, we need more vitamin D due to the extended darkness and cold weather we experience, so a good source is portabella mushrooms which are best in the winter months.

So what does this mean, head out to the local farmer’s market or the actual farm, better yet, grow your own fruit and vegetables and set the most out of your food!!  Mother Nature is amazing – she knew what she was doing. J