Why eat seasonal fruits and vegetables?
To find all year round tomatoes, green beans or strawberries on the stalls of our supermarkets, we come to forget that for fruits and vegetables, everything is a matter of seasonality! Yet many of us have been disappointed after cracking a tray of strawberries or tomatoes in winter. And beyond taste, the benefits of seasonal consumption are multiple for our health, but also for the planet! Why consume seasonal vegetables? Benefits, tips, examples, we explain everything.
A taste and preserved properties
Off-season fruits and vegetables are often from distant countries, where they were harvested long before maturity. And if they continue to ripen during transport, their taste is significantly degraded. Just like their properties!
To take full advantage of the many benefits of fruits and vegetables, it is advisable to consume them quickly . Difficult thing when the products come from the end of the world.
Nutritional needs better met
Nature has everything planned to meet our nutritional needs throughout the year. In the throes of cold and lack of light, our body requires more nutrients in winter . Now, it is precisely the season of vegetables rich in minerals and citrus rich in vitamins C!
Summer, the season of fruits and vegetables waterlogged (tomatoes, melons, zucchini ...), is precisely the period where our body requires the most to be hydrated!
In short, nature is well done, we must trust him!
Less processed fruits and vegetables
Cancers, infertility, pesticides are increasingly singled out for their negative impact on our health. However, fruits and vegetables produced out of season are most often treated much more than fruits and vegetables produced in season.
In addition, regulations on phytosanitary treatments in importing countries are not always as demanding as those in European countries.
Eating in season: an eco-friendly gesture
In addition to limiting the use of pesticides, just as harmful to the environment as our health, consumption of seasonal products reduces our carbon footprint .
Less transport to get goods, so less CO2!
Vary your diet with seasonal vegetables!
Squash, cabbage, carrots, leeks, winter is a season richer in vegetables than it seems. They provide our body with all the nutrients it needs to help fight the cold. And in the kitchen, it is easy to vary the pleasures by concocting multiple soups, gratins, pies ...
Spring is heralding new flavors, with the arrival of new vegetables such as asparagus, radish or beetroot , which complement our appetizers. And to find the line, choose without hesitation for the spinach, very little caloric.
Often taken for a fruit, rhubarb is also back. This vegetable rich in fiber is for example excellent for intestinal transit.
The days warming up in May and June, the first vegetables of the sun (zucchini, eggplant ...) will begin to appear on the stalls, accompanied by beans or peas. What succeed in beautiful fried and savory pies!
Seasonal fruits to be favored and their virtues
In the spring , apples continue to benefit from their benefits, pie, compote, or just chew. Rich in fiber and antioxidants, they boost the immune system and protect against cholesterol. Hence the saying: "An apple every morning keeps the doctor away"!
Think also about kiwis, mangos and papayas, to bring exoticism to your fruit salads.
At breakfast, do not forget the citrus fruits (mandarins, clementines ...), also available in abundance, and rich in vitamin C.
With sunny days, sunny fruits , such as apricots or peaches, and the delicious red berries, all very rich in antioxidants, will gradually reappear. Not to mention the tomato! This essential of our salads and other salty dishes, is indeed a fruit, although it is consumed as a vegetable.
But fruit or vegetables at the bottom, you'll understand, the important thing is to choose them in season!