Dietitians are finally settling the debate over whether it’s “healthier” to eat “seasonal” fruit.
Judy Simon, a registered and certified dietitian, says that products that are not in season in the United States are usually imported from countries where they are in season.
However, because fruits and vegetables must be shipped thousands of miles away to American grocery stores, they are harvested much earlier when it is ideal.
It is important to consume fruits and vegetables in your daily diet to benefit from their vitamins and minerals, but depending on the time of year, some products may be healthier than others.
Simon said Very good health : “Because they have to travel a long distance, they are harvested long before they reach their peak.”
Over the course of their long journey, agricultural products can lose nutritional value, become more expensive and less sustainable.
Ms Simon added: ‘Seasonal produce is allowed to remain on the tree, plant or vine until it is fully ripe and mature.
‘This provides us with more natural flavors and nutrients. Nutrients are lost when agricultural products have to travel long distances.’
And unripe foods have fewer nutrients than seasonal produce.
Dr Carolyn Williams, registered dietitian and culinary instructor, told DailyMail.com: ‘Ripe produce tends to have more nutrients, specifically antioxidants like vitamin C, compared to green produce. The mineral content, on the other hand, doesn’t really change.
“There’s no reason to eat green produce unless you prefer the taste (but) you may miss out on higher levels of antioxidants.”
Nutrition aside, seasonal fruits and vegetables tend to taste better and cost less.
Ms Simon added: “If you buy local produce and you can buy it fresh, certainly the flavors can be better and the nutrient content will be higher than something that is shipped and transported.”
When products are harvested locally and do not need to be shipped, transportation and storage costs are reduced, which means you save money at the cash register.
Eating seasonally also means you can rotate the minerals and vitamins you get from foods, adding diversity to your diet and optimizing health.
And seasonal produce can even help your body cope with climate change: watermelon provides extra hydration during warm summer temperatures and potatoes provide extra calories when the air cools.
