The ripe stuff: Why seasonal eating can be a healthy delight
A supermarket can be a tough place to be in sync with the seasons. We're not talking about how Halloween decorations arrive in August, either: It's because in the produce section, many fruits and vegetables are available year-round, and those that aren't can probably be found in the frozen foods aisle.
Such abundance is hardly a problem. But eating foods in season has advantages, nutritionists say. Here are some of their fresh-picked thoughts on how and why you might enjoy doing so.
It's a matter of taste
Let's skip straight to the yummy part: In-season fruits and vegetables are delicious.
"Speaking from personal experience, I've found that the taste and nutritional quality of certain foods can vary significantly depending on whether they are in season or not," said Wendy Lopez, a registered dietitian nutritionist and co-founder of a virtual diabetes nutrition counseling service in the Hudson Valley area of New York.
She describes in-season tomatoes, harvested in the summer, as "incredibly rich, sweet and juicy." But out-of-season tomatoes, which often are grown in greenhouses or imported, "can be quite bland and watery because they're picked before fully ripening."
Fall apples tend to be juicier and more flavorful because they are picked at peak ripeness, Lopez said. "In contrast, apples that have been kept chilled for several months may lose some of their crispness and natural sweetness, and their texture can become mealy."
A feast for the eyes
You can sometimes see the difference between a fruit that is in season and one that is not, said Annie Cavalier, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Dallas. Consider a traditional summer favorite:...