STAY HEALTHY WITH SEASONAL AND SENSIBLE EATING: YOUR EASY GUIDE
As humans, we are naturally omnivorous, meaning we consume both animal and plant-based foods. Our evolution as hunter-gatherers centered around animal foods, as our gut is designed for meat digestion due to its acid-dominant composition.
Although we did consume plant foods in limited amounts, we had to be cautious as plants have defence mechanisms such as chemicals and poisonous compounds to ward off predators. Our ancestors had the knowledge and skills to forage for safe and edible plant varieties and parts, and cooking was used to further make them edible.
However, as urban animals living in concrete jungles with year-round access to any vegetable or fruit, we must learn to eat sensibly.
It is important to select and grow the right kind of plant-based foods and prepare them properly to avoid or minimise harmful effects caused by defense chemicals and anti-nutrients like lectins, oxalates, phytates, etc. found in plant foods. Here's everything you should know from Mugdha Pradhan, the expert functional nutritionist who is also the CEO and Founder of iThrive.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO EAT SEASONALLY? FIRST THINGS FIRST
Before we get into discussing the importance of eating seasonally, we need to understand that it's not the singularly most important factor in good nutrition. This is a common mistake- a lot of people believe that the way to a healthy diet is to solely focus on eating local and seasonal foods. This isn't true. Eating local and seasonal is an important part of a healthy diet- but far from the most important one.
- You need to prioritise the basics first. Getting adequate protein and essential nutrients in our diet should be our first priority. Never compromise on these, no matter what the season.
- Protein is the very building block of your body and most Indians are severely protein deficient. Animal foods like meat, eggs, organs, and bone broth are the best source of protein and essential nutrients.
- Plant foods have other supplemental benefits such as providing antioxidants, phytonutrients, and healthy fiber.
- But even when selecting plant foods there are more important factors to consider before worrying about seasonality. You need to consider your bio-individuality first of all-different people react to different foods differently.
- And it is highly important to make sure your produce is organic. Different pesticides and other chemicals used in modern industrial farming comprise some of the worst modern-day health offenders. They cause the accumulation of toxins in our body, disrupt the gut microbiome and have a vast number of other detrimental effects.
BENEFITS OF CHOOSING LOCAL AND SEASONAL PRODUCE
- Choosing local and seasonal is also a key part of selecting plant foods optimally. This was, of course, by default in ancestral times- but modern farming practices and transportation have made it possible to have produce from practically any part of the world grown in any season at your local supermarket shelves all year round.
- Plant foods are optimised, not just for growing but also for consumption according to the local climate and environment.
- When you buy seasonal produce, you can be assured that those foods haven't been processed in unnatural ways to ensure off-season availability. So eating off-season and non-local plants can be detrimental to health, and it is recommended to eat local and seasonal as far as possible.
NUTRIENT DENSITY AND STORAGE OF PLANT FOODS
Studies have shown that plant foods are at their peak in terms of nutrient density during their harvesting and rapidly deplete nutrient density after that. Off-season and non-local foods are most often stored for long periods.
FROZEN PRODUCE-BAD FOR HEALTH?
Frozen storage, however, has been shown to preserve nutrients very effectively. Some food producers ensure that freezing their produce quickly after harvesting-this ensures effective nutrient preservation. Thus, frozen produce usually looked down upon in terms of health, is often actually the healthier option.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN SEASON?
The easiest way to know what foods are local and seasonal is to frequent the local farmers' markets in your area. Farmers don't have systems for storage, so they usually sell whatever they're growing at the time. Buying here is not only healthier but also more economical.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
Eating local and seasonal is not only good for your health but also highly beneficial to the environment. In fact, the most profound benefits of eating local and seasonal foods actually have to do with environmental conservation than personal health. It is the most effective thing you can do in terms of your diet to help the environment.
Besides ensuring the avoidance of artificial farming methods that are usually harmful to the soil and environment, eating local and seasonal drastically reduces your carbon footprint- because off-season and non-local foods utilise a lot of energy for their transportation and cold storage.
2023-07-27T10:48:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd