Modern times have transformed our eating habits so much that one can barely discover any similarities between food consumption nowadays and the way our grandparents organized and integrated food in their lives. We grew up to a reality where supermarkets are full of tomatoes and berries all year round, where you can squeeze oranges for juice in the summer and have a green salad as a side dish in the winter.

But this is not the way our grandparents ate back in the day. Their plates were mainly restricted to the season’s crops; thus, the entire food consumption process was based on the nature’s cyclicity and good energy. Their diet was influenced by the regional climate and the human body complied to this and not only did it survive, but it thrived through the centuries.

So, there’s no wonder that more and more voices – especially among specialists in health and nutrition – have been lobbying for the seasonal eating method: its benefits for human health, as well as for our planet’s health are indisputable

Eating seasonal is more nutritious because fruits and vegetables are picked at exactly the right time for consumption when the nutrients have fully developed in their flesh. Early picking in view of shipping them overseas, for instance, stops nutrient development and deprives the consumer of a good bite of vitamins and minerals.

Eating seasonal is healthier due to the lower intake of chemicals such as pesticides and preservatives. These substances are used for crops meant to survive shipping on long distances and most of them end up in our bodies, generating health problems.

Eating seasonal meets the body’s nutritional needs. This is linked to the cyclicity of nature for thousands of years and the population adapting to the range of fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts each season brings. For instance, the body needs more vitamin C in the winter, so the citrus comes to the rescue. When the sun gets stronger in early Summer, we can protect our skin with the beta-carotenes in apricots, carrots, red and yellow peppers, and romaine lettuce.

Seasonal produce has more flavor because they are allowed to grow at their own pace, without the haste imposed by commercial reasons. Also, chilling the crops to prevent spoiling during transportation takes away some of their flavor.

Eating seasonal and local is more environmentally friendly by reducing pollution with transportation, refrigeration and chemical treatments applied to fruits and vegetables to prevent altering.

And last but not least, choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables at the local traditional markets instead of supermarkets means supporting the local producers and economy.
 
Using seasonal ingredients is one of Stradale’s values. Our entire food is cooked having this in mind, so you will always find in our menu delicious products based on fresh ingredients.

Credit Foto: Markus Spiske; unsplash.com