Why eat seasonal produce?

The word season originally comes from the world of agriculture and means sowing. It refers to what is sown at the right time. Seasonality means growing food according to its natural growth cycles. It will be consumed when ripe.

The seasons

In Europe, most vegetables and fruit grown in the natural environment are grown from spring to autumn. However, foodstuffs are easily deseasonalised. Zucchinis are available in December, and lamb’s lettuce in mid-summer. And yet there are so many advantages to eating ‘in season’: nutritional benefits, animal welfare, protection of biodiversity, etc.

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For my nutritional well-being

Let’s examine everything you stand to gain from eating food in season. In our hemisphere, our bodies are subject to four seasons. There is a logic between the seasonal rhythm and the food we eat.

 

• Spring: vital energy rises with the return of light and warmth. Most plants emerge from the earth: first buds, new leaves, new flowers. The first peas, new carrots and milk-fed veal appear. Asparagus and artichokes support our liver. And fresh birch sap flows from the trees.
• Summer is in full bloom. Their appetite is moderate, but hydration needs to increase. We need antioxidants to combat the sun’s UV rays and heat. Peppers, apricots, and red berries help.
• Autumn: Plants rot to enrich the underground, and the body prepares for winter. As energy levels fall, the immune system needs to be strengthened. This is the season for mushrooms, which are rich in beta-glucans and good for the immune system. Chestnuts provide the first nutrients that are beginning to be lacking.
• Winter: The body is at its lowest energy level to adapt fully to the cold and darkness. This is the wave of “seasonal” depressions. The body wants minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. Crustaceans and shellfish, rich in sea minerals, are at the height of their season. Citrus fruits and lamb’s lettuce, rich in vitamin C, grace the market stalls.

 

Pure coincidence? No. The food products available reflect the needs of the moment.

To protect my body

Growing out of season requires chemical inputs. The only known means of activating out-of-season growth is to cover plants with fertilisers to stimulate growth. Various antifreeze and preservative pesticides have also been added.

Eating ‘out of season’ means agreeing to expose yourself to more chemical molecules. Skin irritations and allergic reactions, respiratory problems, nausea and vomiting, have all been reported in people who use them, and some behave like endocrine disruptors.

As a reminder, an endocrine disrupter is a particle with a molecular structure similar to a hormone. This can lead to dysfunctions in some people.

Eating seasonal, local and organic food helps to limit this exposure.

Respect for animals

Female animals only give milk after gestation. Goats and ewes calve at the end of winter. In intensive farming, the reproduction and lactation periods are deseasonalised by hormones and artificial insemination.

By respecting the seasons, flavour and nutritional quality are optimised. In spring, the cows take advantage of the early grass to produce soft, creamy cheeses like the summer Reblochons. Maturation then gives the cheese its character. The same goes for the meat. Grazing can only take place in the warmer seasons. And meat from an animal that has grazed is tastier. 

For the good of my planet

Now, let’s talk about sustainable food. Seasonality is a simple way of protecting the environment and biodiversity by refusing to use chemical inputs—such as JustBob.shop does with all its CBD plants!

Chemical inputs significantly impact water and air quality and impoverish the land—for example, the ravages caused by bee populations and the disappearance of insects. Snails, frogs, wild birds—all ecosystems are affected.