People all over the world have heeded the call to save the environment by making small changes in their lifestyles. You, too, can help save the environment in your own little way. Some of these ways include recycling, choosing renewable forms of energy, using energy efficient appliances and eating produce that is in season. When you eat in season, you choose only fruits and vegetables that are locally grown and harvested at the appropriate time. Fruit bearing trees do not produce naturally all year round. Some plants bear fruit only at certain times of the year which fruits ripen after a period of time. When the market is flooded with fruits and vegetables during their natural harvest time, it is said that these food products are in season. There are many good reasons to eat fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Abundance of phytonutrients
Fruits and vegetables are naturally high in fibre, free from bad cholesterol and rich in antioxidants and health giving nutrients or phytonutrients. Phytonutrients also give fruits and vegetables their great taste and attractive colours. The deeper the colour that a fruit has, the tastier and more nutritious it is. Plants need enough time to produce phytonutrients that you get from their fruits. When these plants are "forced" to bear fruit and ripen quickly, what you get are products with little nutrients. This is why non-organic products are not as delicious and as nutritious as organic ones.
Avoid water pollution
Fertilizers and chemicals that are used to promote reproduction in plants are often washed away into rivers and seas. These chemicals are toxic and are responsible for mutation in fishes as well as the death of marine life. In some cases, the chemicals in fertilizers find their way back into the community's water system as water treatment plants are unable to neutralize these substances. If we all choose to eat only what is in season, perhaps the farmers will stop using harmful fertilizers.
Help your community
Your local farmer is the best source of fruits and vegetables that are in season. Because of the proximity of local farm to market travel, you are assured of the freshest quality of these seasonal products. Patronizing the local produce supports the local farmers and benefits the domestic economy. Your valuable support will allow farmers to grow more high quality fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Economical
Food coming from local sources tends to be cheaper because their farmers do not incur the same transportation and shipping expenses that foreign food exporters have. Furthermore, when a particular fruit or vegetable is in season, nature produces them in abundance. When supply is high, the price of food tends to go down. This is why most fruits are expensive if you buy them at a time when they are not in season.
Realign with nature
Nature has its own growing cycle that we should go back to. Back in the day when man caught and harvested his own food, food preparation was very simple: whatever was in season was what a mother would serve her family during meal times. We should rediscover how nature intended to nourish us and eat what is in season.
Originally published on Jul 28, 2009
