We live in modern age, where everything is easily available to us. We get pomegranates through out the year, we eat Avocado toast everyday, we have frozen options for berries and we eat carrots & beetroots even in summers.
When it comes to our diet there are lots of facts and figures that come in consideration like preservatives, pesticides, additives and these are all things that a modern day consumer has to think about choosing the food that will go in to their body. It is wise thing to choose & eat food which is seasonal and as much as possible local.
In our ancient India practise of Ayurveda it is called as "Ritucharya".
Benefits of eating seasonal:-
It is better for you
Food that are grown & consumed during the appropriate season are more nutritionally dense. When food are grown out of season they are not able to follow their natural growing and ripping process. In order for certain fruits and vegetables to be available around the year, post harvest ripening agents are used. These includes chemicals, gases and heat process. Some produce are also coated with an edible film or wax to keep the produce fresh for longer time. While this process ensures that farmers can meet year around demands of consumers, researchers have found that artificial ripening produce are often not as nutritious as seasonal ones.
It is more sustainable
Basing your diet around which vegetables & fruits are in season is a great strategy to support sustainability. Seasonal produce helps cut down on artificial emissions associated with transportation & importing. Local farmers are more likely to be practising sustainable agriculture methods.
Think about it- How far didi the avocado or kale that you bought from your local store travel before it was stocked at your grocery store? Did it come from your local farmer, did it drive across country or did it arrive by aeroplane?
We give little or no thought to this effect of long distance and preservatives used to keep it fresh.
Nutritionally dense with lots of variety in your diet
Plants provides us with many vital minerals, vitamins, antioxidants etc. Eating well variety plant based food so that we are able to get those various nutrients and nutrition abundance they provide.
When you eat seasonally , you naturally rotate your food choice through of the year, giving you plenty of variety in your diet.