Eating Seasonally

In last month’s column. I shared with you the importance of eating locally and organically. In this column, I want to stress the importance of eating seasonally. Eating fresh, local, seasonal foods is a great way to connect with the land around you. By eating seasonally, you can attune yourself to the cycles of nature and adjust how you think about food, greatly improving your health.

It’s easy to forget about seasons when we shop for food; strawberries are not in season in January, nor winter squash in August, but with our produce shipped from all over the world, we lose sight of appropriate seasonal offerings within the supermarket.

However, by purchasing local foods in season, you follow natural cycles more closely, your food is fresher and more vibrant, and you help eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles. In addition, your money is likely to go more directly to the farmers.

As seasons are a source of natural diversity, each season’s foods have specific benefits for that time of year.  By learning how to eat seasonally you can help nurture your body’s diverse needs for vitamins, minerals, proteins and cleansing and storing.  Plus, eating seasonally can help you get out of the rut of eating the same foods over and over.   

Springtime is a time of purging, a time for your body to clean itself out.  Early spring is meant to be the lowfat time of the year and foods should be alkalizing, cleansing and astringent.  Nature provides us with foods such as dandelion root and burdock root.  Dandelion root tea has been enjoyed in the transitional seasons of spring and fall for many years.  In French, it is known as pissenlit (or “pee in the bed”) due to its diuretic properties.  It is a gentle diuretic that also purifies the blood and the liver and stimulates digestion.  It is rich in the anti-oxidant vitamins A and C, and in minerals, especially iron, zinc and potassium.

Later in spring sprouts begin to grow and these are dense, nutritional powerhouses.  In some cases a sprout of a plant can have more than 400 times the nutritional value of the full-grown plant.  Try alfalfa or bean sprouts on your salad, or alone with just a little dressing.  They are full of protein, minerals and antioxidants, and, thus, will help your body deal with free radicals which cause aging. 

For fruit, spring brings us more lymph-boosting and anti-oxidant sources in delicious, darkly colored berries and cherries.  Enjoy raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and cherries. As a general rule, the deeper the color of the plants, the more phytonutrients they contain. According to Mark Hyman, M.D., four-time New York Times best-selling author and international health expert (www.drhyman.com), phytonutrients hold the key to our health. Phytonutrients in our diet can influence gene messages that affect our overall health and our weight. According to Dr. Hyman, they “turn the genes that control metabolism on and off and help prevent every known chronic disease of modern civilization”.  You may actually be able to influence your genes through what you eat.

Here are some general guidelines for eating seasonally:  

In springtime, think of renewal and focus on tender. For example, leafy vegetables represent the fresh new growth of this season. Similar to what is currently growing outside, your plate should be full of greens, including spinach, green beans, artichokes, asparagus, Swiss chard, and Romaine lettuce. Add flavor with onions, leeks, basil, and dill. These astringent foods according to Ayurvedic medicine help to clean out the mucus lining of your intestines.  Greens are also blood purifiers so as you eat them you are cleaning out your blood.  Animals naturally know this and you will see for example that that deer love to eat sprouts and young greens.  Eat lots of young spring greens and you may also notice that you have less symptoms of seasonal allergies.

In summer, stick with light, cooling and high energy foods to help make it through the long days and short nights.  Some of these foods include fruits such as strawberries, watermelons, tomatoes, apples, lemons, limes, and vegetables, such as broccoli, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, and cauliflower.  These foods will provide you with energy and help your body naturally cool down.  Try and avoid or eat less of warming grounding foods such as animal proteins, fried foods, and root vegetables.

To make the best seasonal eating choices, I highly recommend a leisurely morning at a local farmers’ market (Glover Park’s is on Saturday mornings at Hardy Middle School). The farmers offer what grows best in our region during that season. It’s a great place to try out some new vegetables, learn which fruits and vegetables are in season, and to get advice on how to prepare them.

For all seasons, use creativity and a full color palate and enjoy your meals.

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at Martha@RestoringBalancenow.com. I would love to hear from you!  

Martha Rebour, CHHC, CNC