Don’t Let Your Food Celebrate A Birthday

You may be wondering what I mean by a “food birthday.” Most of us assume that if you find a fruit or vegetable at your local grocery store, and it looks and smells like it’s supposed to, how could it be out of season?  The ugly truth is that the food and grocery industries have a variety of ways to preserve your produce so that they can keep stores stocked year-round.  While this is good for convenience (and their profits), it’s actually depriving you, the consumer, of the health benefits and quality of truly seasonal produce.

Think about it. Have you ever wondered where store-bought apples come from, how they get to your local store and why they last longer in the fridge?  Have you ever compared the smell and taste of an apple from the store to one freshly picked off a tree?  You may be surprised (and probably a little concerned) to learn that the apple sitting on your kitchen counter is actually close to celebrating a birthday. 

In order to maintain a well-stocked food supply, a harvested apple can be preserved for months at a time under the right conditions. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, if you store your harvested apples in temperature-controlled conditions, they can last up to 10 months. This is nearly a year! Your apple will be one year old by the time you eat it!! 

What’s truly mind blowing is the demand to have produce available year-round results in changes to the nutritional value of your apple. In fact, some produce is harvested early in order to better withstand the shipping process. This means that some fruits and vegetables are being picked before their nutrients reach their peak so that they last long enough to withstand being shipped to far locations. 

 According to a 2007 study done by the  HYPERLINK ("https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.2825") University of California at Davis, vegetables can lose anywhere between 15 to 55 percent of nutrients like Vitamin C, carotenes, and folate within a week of being harvested. Some produce, like spinach, can lose up to 90 percent of its nutritional value within the first 24 hours. 

Early harvesting and transporting of produce a long way from where it’s been grown does a fair amount of damage to the nutritional make-up of fruits and vegetables. Food picked while still unripe is often gassed to force it to ripen after transport and then doused with preservatives and other active ingredients to keep it stable for transport and sale.  

None of this sounds very appetizing, right?  I mean, who wants to eat old food that’s been covered in preservatives to survive a long journey in the back of a truck?  This is especially true if you have had the pleasure of eating fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables at the peak of their seasonality because you know that they are far more delicious than anything you will get in a grocery store.  

So, how do you eat more seasonally? Well, there are a few ways to do this depending on how much effort you want to put into having fresh, seasonal, nutrient-packed produce available to you.

The best thing to do is to grow what you can yourself by season.  There is no fresher produce than what you can pick from your own backyard. Eating seasonally also expands the diversity of your diet and adds a dash of freshness to every meal. And while your options will vary depending on where you live, learning how to grow your own fruits and vegetables will yield so many nutritional (and delicious) rewards. If you live in California, your range of produce through the winter months will be vastly different than the selection in Utah. It’s best to consult a growing guide to determine what can be grown in your area and when it’s in peak season.

You will likely first notice a change in taste, smell, and appearance of your food when you grow it yourself and practice seasonal eating. Strawberries grown in the summertime—their natural season—are far more nutritious and flavorful than strawberries grown in the wintertime. 

I encourage you to try seasonal eating this fall.  In October, you’ll find assorted squash, particularly butternut, in season. Other seasonal produce to enjoy in the fall includes arugula, beets, potatoes, pomegranate, dates, ...etc  and, yes, the nutrient packed apple.  

Eating seasonally is healthy in so many ways.  For example, citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits contain high levels of Vitamin C and are typically ripe in winter. Consuming these during the winter months helps to prevent winter-prevalent conditions like colds and the flu. On the other hand, consuming summer produce like berries and watermelon keeps us hydrated for the warmer days and outdoor activities.  It’s amazing how Mother Nature gives us what we need for each season through the food that is naturally available to us to strengthen our immune system.

If you don’t have the time or space for your own garden, you can also check out local farmer’s markets. In addition to being a nice way to spend time and relax with loved ones, a farmer’s market will showcase local produce being harvested in your area. You will be supporting your own community of local producers and farmers while also acquiring the most nutrient-rich and naturally ripe produce. Essentially, this little extra effort on your part results in a win-win for everyone. 

While eating seasonally has so many positive benefits, just enjoying food grown locally even if it’s not in its peak season, is much more healthy for you than what you are likely to find in the store and even contributes to a greener lifestyle overall.

By growing your own food or supporting your local farmers you will not only be improving your health, but you will also be helping the planet by supporting a more sustainable food ecosystem. You limit the total amount of travel your food did to get to your tummy.  If more people ate local,” including foods that may not be in “peak season,” this would result in lowering greenhouse emissions being released into the atmosphere and reducing the number of large, refrigerated trucks used to transport produce to the stores. 

Our bodies, families, local communities, and the planet benefit when we eat seasonally and consume what has been grown locally, so remember don't let your food celebrate a birthday!!