With summer over and the evenings drawing in are you thinking about comfort foods?
Seasons form the natural backdrop for eating. Imagine a vegetable garden in the dead of winter. Now imagine this same garden on a sunny, summer day. How different things are during these two seasons of the year! For ecologists, seasons are considered a source of natural diversity. Changes in growing conditions from spring to summer or autumn to winter are considered essential for balancing the earth’s resources and its life forms. But today it’s so easy for us to forget about seasons when we eat! Modern food processing and worldwide distribution of food make foods available year-round, and supermarket shelves look much the same in December as they do in July.
Researchers in Japan found three-fold differences in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested in summer versus winter.
Guides for Eating Seasonally
What does this mean for you? Eat seasonally! To enjoy the full nourishment of food, you must make your menu a seasonal one. some overriding principles you can follow to ensure optimal nutrition in every season:
In autumn, choose the warming, harvest foods, including carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, onions, leeks and garlic. Also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger, peppercorns, and chilis. Delicious fruits like pomegranates, apples, pears, persimmons and amazing cirus fruit here in Mallorca – all locally grown.
In winter, turn even more exclusively toward warming foods. Remember the principle that foods taking longer to grow are generally more warming than foods that grow quickly. All of the animal foods fall into the warming category including fish, meat and eggs. So do most of the root vegetables, including carrot, potato, onions and garlic. Winter greens come into their own with cabbage, kale and cauliflower abundant in the markets pulses also fit in here, as do nuts. Think of Christmas spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
There are Asian curries and handfuls of fresh coriander.
Plus soups and slow cooked meals are more nutritious and satisfying. The selection is endless!
Market stalls smell fresh and look colourful at this time of year, get inspired!!
Upcoming workshops:
Peras and Pears, Portals Nous
Tuesday10 November 14:00-16:00 “Put sunshine into your winter meals!”
Yoga, meditation and nutritional workshop, including inspirational lunch – Peopletree retreat, Alaro Sunday 22 November 10:00-16:00
Delicioso are offering a workshop with me on Tues 17 November 17:30-20:30 at their premises in Son Bugadelles, Santa Ponsa 75€ pp Nutritional cuisine workshop with vitality & healing foods.
Contact Suzanne for more information and book your place!
Tel 647397501
www.vitalnutrition.eu
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