Today we want to tell you about the advantages of a seasonal diet. But before we do that, let’s first answer the following question:
What does seasonal mean?
Seasonal actually means “pertaining to the season.” According to Global 2000, seasonal means “the natural, seasonal conditions in agriculture – for example, climatic conditions (temperature, precipitation,..) or the length of the day. These conditions dictate when which plants (e.g. fruits and vegetables) can grow.” [1] So, this means that fruits and vegetables are seasonal when they can be grown and harvested based on existing site conditions.
Thus, to eat seasonally means to pay attention to buying, cooking and eating food – especially fruits and vegetables, but of course other foods as well – seasonally and thus regionally. And now but really the…
Advantages of a seasonal diet
One of the most important points here is the protection of the environment. On the one hand, seasonal fruit and vegetable cultivation does not require pesticides and genetic engineering, as the food practically grows by itself. On the other hand, long transport routes are excluded, which not only reduces the CO2 footprint, but also saves packaging materials.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious. This is because when they are harvested in season, they are ripe and fully developed. They also have a great taste. In contrast, just think of bananas, which are delivered to us in Central Europe (our manufacture is situated in Austria) from the other side of the world, green and unripe. Or strawberries in winter, which are tasteless, probably low in nutrients and, what’s more, usually expensive.
If you shop seasonally, you ensure a variety of foods are incorporated into your diet. The more varied and diverse we eat, the healthier our diets will be as well. In addition, buying seasonal foods can encourage us to try new recipes.
Seasonal eating can be beneficial to our health and thus have a positive effect on our bodies. The variety of foods and the variety in the diet according to the season bring a wide variety of nutrients for the body. Because whether it’s spring, summer, fall or winter, “each seasonal food has an important role in our diet at its time of ripeness.” [2]
We would like to conclude this article with a quote from the German Nutrition Society: “Those who take advantage of this seasonal offer can provide themselves with a varied supply of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. The more fruits and vegetables eaten, the lower the risk of severe obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and certain cancers.” [3]
We’ve summarized the key benefits of a seasonal diet for you today. And if you are now really motivated to eat seasonally, you can find a variety of seasonal calendars on the Internet. Maybe one or the other of you will print out such a calendar and hang it in the kitchen. And the next time you go shopping, the seasonal fruits and vegetables might already be in your shopping basket…
Do you already know our series of posts on conscious nutrition? The articles are full of tips for a conscious diet: Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 can be found here.
References
https://www.global2000.at/saisonal-einkaufen
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/saisonal
[1] https://www.global2000.at/saisonal-einkaufen
[2] https://www.medizinfuchs.de/blog/leben/ernaehrung-erholung-fitness/warum-saisonale-lebensmittel-gut-sind/
[3] https://www.dge.de/presse/pm/saisonstart-fuer-heimisches-obst-und-gemuese/?L=0&cHash=edf82fded9f5a37dc489fb2091ea87d5
This was: Advantages of a seasonal diet
