The Health Benefits of Seasonal Eating, According to Dietitians
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Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
Key Takeaways
Seasonal produce doesn’t have to travel far to reach your local grocery store.
Produce is typically tastier, fresher, and more nutrient-dense when it harvested at peak ripeness.
Frozen and canned produce can still be a nutritious option in the offseason.
Eating seasonally means filling your plate with fruits and vegetables that were recently harvested in your region. This practice comes with many health, economic, and environmental benefits.
Grocery stores sell fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. Strawberries, for example, are harvested in the spring and summer in many parts of the United States, but they’re always available in supermarkets.
If you buy strawberries in the winter, they’re more likely imported from Mexico, Central America, or South America, according to Judy Simon, MS, RDN, CD, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified health educator at the Nutrition Clinic at UW Medical Center in Seattle.
“Since they have to travel a long distance, they’re harvested well before they have reached their peak,” Simon told Verywell in an email.
Out-of-season produce may travel hundreds or thousands of miles to reach your local supermarket, which can be more expensive and less sustainable. Fruits and vegetables also lose some nutritional value during transport.
“Seasonal produce is allowed to stay on the tree, plant, or vine until it is fully ripened and mature. This provides us with more natural flavors and nutrients. Nutrients are lost when produce has to travel distances,” Simon said.
Related: These 9 Fall Fruits and Vegetables Are Healthy for Your Heart, According to Dietitians
How Does Seasonal Eating Benefit Your Diet?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults eat 1.5–2 cups of fruits and 2–3 cups of vegetables each day. However, most U.S. adults don't meet these goals.
Eating seasonally means you're adding variety to your diet, which helps reduce cancer risk and promote overall health. Switching up fruits and vegetables in your meals can offer a better diversity of vitamins and minerals.
“It really enhances diet variety to shift with the seasons, because you don’t want to eat the same thing, week after week after week,” said Sherry Gray, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and a nutrition educator at the University of Connecticut.
Gray added that certain seasonal foods help the body deal with changing weather conditions. Summer produce, like watermelon, helps hydrate you when it’s hot, while heartier winter produce, like beets and yams, can give your body additional calories as the temperature drops.
Seasonal produce also tends to taste better than out-of-season varieties, which means you might have a better appetite for fruits and vegetables at their peak.
“If you buy local and if you can buy fresh, certainly the flavors can be better, and the nutrient content will be superior to something that’s shipped and transported,” Gray said.
When fruits and vegetables have to travel long distances, factors like temperature and the number of storage days can lead to browning and a loss of vitamins and minerals. Sometimes, post-harvest treatments such as heat, edible coating, and ripening agents are applied to fresh produce to maintain its quality.
Related: Are Processed Foods Really That Bad?
Seasonal Produce Can Vary Based on Where You Live
Seasonality depends on your local climate. For instance, strawberry season runs from May to June in New Jersey, but it peaks from November to April in Florida.
“Things that are seasonal in Florida are not the things that are seasonal in Maryland, or New Jersey, or certainly California. The regions all have different growing seasons,” Jennie Schmidt, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and farmer at Schmidt Farms Inc. in Sudlersville, MD, told Verywell.
Schmidt said most state agriculture departments and university extension offices share seasonal produce calendars online and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also has a seasonal produce guide on its website.
You can find freshly harvested produce at farm stands, farmers markets, and some grocery stores, or you can go to a local farm that offers pick-your-own produce, Schmidt said.
“The farmers that go to farmers markets are harvesting the day before so they’re bringing you the freshest stuff that they have. They’re not bringing stuff that’s from last week’s cooler,” she said.
Fresh, seasonal produce may be the most nutrient-dense choice, but frozen and canned produce can still be nutritious options if you can’t access local fruits and vegetables.
“We’ve grown both fresh vegetables as well as canning and frozen vegetables,” Schmidt said. “Canning and frozen are usually processed within 24 hours. So canned and frozen are actually really healthy, nutritious options, particularly in the off-season.”
Read Next: Rising Grocery Costs May Pressure SNAP Participants to Cut Back on Fresh Produce
USDA Seasonal Produce Guide
Here are some seasonal fruits and vegetables you can look out for at your local grocery store or farmers market:
SPRING
Asparagus
Broccoli
Celery
Radishes
Rhubarb
Strawberries
SUMMER
Bell Peppers
Blackberries
Corn
Peaches
Summer Squash
Strawberries
FALL
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Cranberries
Pears
Pumpkins
Turnips
WINTER
Beets
Cabbage
Collard Greens
Grapefruit
Swiss Chard
Winter Squash
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
