Eating seasonally seems to be a fairly hot topic at the moment, which got me thinking about whether it really is as important as the health bloggers would have us believe, and whether it’s even feasible for most people. You see, I live in the Jura mountains in France. It’s idyllic. Rolling mountain ranges with views over Lake Geneva, vibrant colours throughout spring and summer culminating in a crescendo of kaleidoscopic tones in autumn that have to be seen to be believed. Then comes the cold, crisp winters with blankets of snow and glittering frost hanging in the air through the forests. As you can tell, I quite like it here! But living here and eating seasonally? Forget it! If I were to try to do that here I would have been surviving on a steady diet of potatoes, carrots, cheese and meat for the last 3 months! Given that one of the cornerstones of a healthful diet is variety, you can see why eating seasonally in this region would not be ideal which kind of leads us to the question, what qualifies as eating seasonally anyway?
Locally seasonal, as the name suggests, means that the produce has been grown within their natural growing season in the region they are to be sold. -They are typically (although not always) cheaper than imported or out of season foods - When foods are transported over long distances or stored for a long time, chemicals are used that delay ripening and prolong shelf life (even the organic ones). Although these are all rigorously tested and safe for human consumption, some emerging research shows that they may have a detrimental effect on our gut microbiome so we should try to avoid eating them in huge quantities. Locally grown produce doesn’t need these chemicals, so will always be better for the microbiome. - Delayed ripening and longer storage also reduce micronutrient and antioxidant content. - Locally grown fruit and vegetables are usually better for the environment than those that have travelled a long distance. - Anything locally and seasonally grown usually tastes so much better!!
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seasonal. Globally seasonal means that somewhere in the world, the fruit or vegetable is in season. - Some research seems to show that fruits and vegetables grown during their natural season have higher micronutrient content than those grown out of season, for example, broccoli has higher levels of vitamin C when grown in the autumn compared to spring. - Growing vegetables in season is also much more environmentally friendly than out of season. When the natural conditions are right for growing a crop, the farmer usually needs to do a lot less in terms of temperature control, artificial light and often watering as well. All of that adds up to a lesser environmental footprint than, say, tomatoes grown in artificial light, in heated plastic poly tunnels during the winter.
Sophie Pelham-Burn
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