Eating oranges in summer, melon in winter, or strawberries all year round? Before globalization and food preservation became commonplace and allowed us to have access to all types of food all year round, this was practically impossible. Following a diet based on the season of the year – spring, summer, fall, or winter – was common, normal, and had some benefits.
What foods are in season?
Seasonal foods are those that are purchased and consumed during the season in which they are grown. Indeed, the change of season not only marks a change in our wardrobe and the ambient temperature, but it is also a transition to new, newly grown and diversified products that we should add, without hesitation, to our dishes and recipes.
In short, seasonal foods are fresh foods that are ready to be eaten during the season you prefer. The cold of winter, for example, is not at all a friend of strawberries, and the heat of summer does not help foods like lettuce, escarole or arugula at all, but it is a great ally of peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers.
Although fish and seafood can also be “in season,” we are mainly talking about fruits and vegetables.
Why is this option not only a delicious way to help our body, but also helps us many times in the national economy and benefits the planet? How to know if a food is in season or not?
Benefits of seasonal foods
When we choose to eat what is in season, we not only please our palate, but we also give our body a healthy gift. Let’s look at all these benefits in detail.
These are fresher foods and their nutritional value is at its peak.
Seasonal products better preserve their nutritional properties, flavor and aromas. This is largely due to the fact that its natural development cycle is better respected, without the need to force the maturation process with the use of refrigeration rooms, which would largely explain why the concentration of nutrients is generally higher.
This is demonstrated by research such as that published in the Journal of the Science of Food of Agriculture, according to which the vitamin C present in spinach in winter, at the time of its harvest, is significantly higher (436 mg/kg) than that detected in spinach harvested in summer (180 mg/kg).
Fruits and vegetables that ripen naturally and are eaten soon after growing contain higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than those that have had to travel long distances and sit in cold storage for long periods.
Some antioxidants such as vitamin C, folate and carotenes deplete rapidly if stored for long periods.
More flavor
It’s hard to disagree on this point: buying produce at the right time of year allows, as we’ve already seen, for it to ripen naturally, resulting in fruits and vegetables that are full of flavor and rich in nutrients.
On the other hand, and in line with the previous point, the refrigeration and artificial maturation (using chemicals and gases) to which the products are subjected so that we can access them throughout the year reduce the flavor and diminish the sweetness of freshly grown products.
As they travel long distances, they are harvested long before they reach their peak.
They are usually more affordable (although this is not always the case)
In general, they tend to be cheaper, although it is true that the price is not always a reliable source as it varies between supply and demand, whether they are seasonal or not.
Diet variability
Eating according to the season promotes a varied diet, with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables that alternate throughout the year. This diversity is the key to a balanced nutritional intake.
So, instead of repeatedly eating the same five fruits and vegetables throughout the year, seasonal eating encourages us to recycle our foods a little more, which adds variety, not only to the flavors but also to the nutrients they provide us.
Bringing us closer to sustainability
One of the benefits of choosing seasonal foods is that, according to this study, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions because such high energy consumption is not required. When we eat seasonal foods grown in our region, we reduce the carbon footprint of the food, because out-of-season transportation from distant destinations contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Spain, despite being a country with optimal conditions for growing many foods, imports millions of tons. According to the 2019 Agri-Food Trade Balance report, in 2018 almost 43.40 million tons of food were imported, and some traveled up to 7,000 kilometers before reaching our plates, which represents more than 6.5 billion tons of CO2.
How do you know if a food is in season or not?
To find out if a product is seasonal, we have several ways to do it. We can go to the website of the Ministry of Agriculture which, through Foods of Spain, offers calendars with the seasonality of fruits and vegetables. There is a search engine for local food products in each autonomous community. Or we can also consult the website 5 per day, where information on the seasonality of fruits and vegetables is also available.
They all tell us, in general, that in spring and summer we can incorporate more seasonal fruits and vegetables; in spring, foods like broccoli or strawberries are at their peak of freshness. As summer approaches, it is the perfect time to eat peppers, melon, watermelon or tomatoes.
