10 Reasons To Eat What's In Season

Once upon a time not so long ago, humans had no choice but to eat what was readily available. Which meant eating only what was grown in nature, during the cycles of different seasons. This was how many other cultures, our ancestors and even our grandparents only knew how to eat.

It has only been in the last 50-60 years that our food systems have shifted gears into chemical induced agriculture, that allows us to have access to any type of fruit or vegetable just about anywhere, any time of year. Unfortunately, this is an unnatural process that is harmful for the environment and our health.

Today, supermarkets are filled with any kind of vegetable or fruit one desires. We have become a culture that is so disconnected from the food we eat, where it comes from, and what season it is actually grown in. A perfect example- purchasing strawberries, blueberries or tomatoes during winter months. Instead of only purchasing them during their normal growing season, at the end of Summer. When we eat out of season, we are disrupting the natural flow of biodiversity on the planet.

This has only been made possible because of advances in modern agro-technology, and the ability to use chemicals such as pesticides, synthetic preservatives, and waxes necessary to keep produce looking fresh and edible for long periods of time. Have you ever looked at the label on your fruits or veggies?? More often than not you'll find that your bananas are from Ecuador, or tomatoes from Mexico. That's quite the food miles your produce travels just to make it to your table. Something has to help your veggies look perfect after traveling thousands of miles and still be edible. As well, because many fruits and vegetables are grown on farms with lots of insects farmers have to spray crops with pesticides to kill pests and insects. Or, spray herbicides to kill superweeds that can destroy crops.  All of which we later consume. Also making a great argument for purchasing foods labeled "organic", to ensure no synthetic chemicals have been used during the growing process. 

Our Health:

Many studies have concluded that when you consume a "conventional" apple or tomato, you are also ingesting over 30 different pesticides. At this point rinsing won't help, because they have already lingered long enough to seep inside the fruit. Even more studies have largely linked pesticides to growing diseases such as cancer, ADHD, and Alzheimer's. This is because such chemicals are stored in your colon and slowly start to poison your body. They can also have effects on our nervous systems, reproductive system and endocrine systems when accumulated by consumption. I'm not saying that eating a piece or two of non organic fruit will kill you. What I am saying is that too much of any chemical isn't good for us. Children, pregnant women, and those already sick are more susceptible to the consequences. As well, farmers and workers who spray these chemicals are seeing major health effects, both internally and externally.

The Environment:

The problem of using of synthetic pesticides and herbicides in order to grow produce out of season, is that these chemicals can travel through air by turning into a gas or vapor and contaminating air quality and additional crops. This is also known as "Vapor drift" or Volatilization. More often not, they can also make their way into a local water source, such as a river, pond, or ocean, due to runoff or leaching. Resulting in contamination of freshwater resources that many rely on for drinking. Aquatic life and other animals are also affected. Causing them to get sick, have reproductive problems, or die. This can disrupt and shift entire ecosystems. Pesticides are also now being linked to human induced causes of climate change.

As you now know, eating out of season can have harmful effects on your health and the environment. Below I've listed the top 10 takeaways to start eating in season.

Not sure where to start? Scroll below to sign up for my free e-book on Eating In Season. 

10 reasons to start eating in season:

• Support local farmers who choose to farm sustainably & organically
• Preserves the environment
• Protects & Increases biodiversity
• Less expensive-Seasonal foods are easier to produce and often cheaper to buy when they are in season. Growers are likely to produce mass amounts of in season crops, enabling them to reduce the cost for crops
• Best nutritional value-the longer produce sits on shelves the more nutrients and antioxidants they lose.
• Supports Your Body’s Natural Nutritional Needs-just like in nature our bodies go through different cycles and rely more on certain nutrients during different seasons of the year. 
• Avoids Overseas Contaminates-many vegetables and fruits grown out of season also come from other countries where regulations are often less severe and unregulated in foreign countries.
• Fresher produce-  less travel time your fruits or veggies have take to get to your plate.
• Tastes Better- conventional produce is generic and altered in taste. Nothing tastes better than a fresh peach or ripe tomato naturally grown in the middle of summer.
• Helps combat climate crisis-growing in season without the use of chemicals helps keep the production of oxygen in the atmosphere positive and offsets carbon emissions or green houses gases.