Go Seasonal With Your Diet This Spring
Anna Langridge from Wellbody Health & Fitness and 1FitLife talks about the benefits of eating seasonal foods and provides insight into what you should be buying this spring.
It’s so easy to walk around the supermarket and buy the same things each week without thinking about where the product is from and what impact it will have on your health. Life is busy and easy is usually the option most people choose to take. But do you often find your food lacking in taste and find it uninspiring?
By eating foods that are in season you can reduce your carbon footprint, enjoy healthier, better-tasting foods and even save money!
So what is in season this spring and what are the health benefits behind each food type?
Green peas: Vitamin C and thiamin, green peas help allergy sufferers and help ward off depression.
Artichokes: Contain cynarin and a probiotic called inulin. Aid digestion and stimulate your taste buds.
Asparagus: Vitamin K, vitamin A, protein and folate. Helps transport calcium to your bones whilst boosting your immune system.
Lettuce: Full of antioxidants (apart from Iceberg!)
Radishes: Vitamin C. Eaten with broccoli, they’re thought to work together to ward off cancer.
Spring onions: Antioxidants. These lowers your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. They also act like an antihistamine, which is great for allergy sufferers..
Spinach: Vitamin C, folate, betaine, lutein and zeaxanthin. Helps ward off age-related eyesight issues, gives you more energy for exercise and boosts your immune system especially when eaten raw.
Yellow squash: Vitamin C, folate, beta carotene, calcium and all 10 of the amino acids your body needs but doesn’t produce.
Fruits
Strawberries: Fiber and vitamin C. They protect your heart, increase good cholesterol, lower your blood pressure and help ward off cancer.
Sweet cherries: Potassium, antioxidants and fiber,
Apricots: Beta carotene, potassium, fiber and vitamin C. They help prevent heart disease and are great for your eyesight, and even lower in calories than cherries.
Berries: Antioxidants.