When the words “western diet” are spoken, what does this phrase evoke? Like most people, images of greasy pizza, hamburgers, and chicken wings start dancing in your head. And while there’s nothing wrong with occasionally indulging in this sort of fare, there’s a reason that comfort foods like these are not associated with good health in the long term.
Part of the miracle of the 20th century’s economic and industrial expansion is the proliferation of processed foods. These high-calorie, high flavor foods are often shelf-stable, or can at least be frozen and reheated months or even years after their initial production. The 20th century created this entire model, and it was a wonder for the people who, before this, only had access to foods that grew near their communities.
The 20th and 21st century food production and distribution economy have revolutionized the way people are fed across the world, but it has also led to people being overfed and undernourished in some populations. Thus, some people are beginning to look for ways to eat before industrial revolution-driven Western Diet became a thing, back when the food came from farms near where you lived.
This has created a whole new generation of buzzwords, like “farm to table” and “eating with the seasons.” But what do these phrases mean to you? Well, let’s dig into “eating for the seasons” to explain why it’s still a great way to live well into the 21st century.
Eating With the Seasons
If you live in the United States, you’ll witness four distinct seasons, three of which are suitable for growing at least some type of fruit or vegetable. Farms still abound in most of the United States, so you can have fresh produce almost anywhere you live if you’re willing to look for it. And when you start to frequent the veggie department of your local grocery or farmer’s market, you’ll begin to notice some patterns.
Fruits and vegetables are seasonal. Sure, places like California may grow them year-round, and factory farms have certain fruits like tomatoes and apples on the shelves year-round. But these foods are at their best and most flavorful when they are in season. That’s why, at the end of the summer, you see succulent tomatoes in gorgeous patterns and colors, and why these taste so much better than the uniformly red and virtually flavorless tomatoes you see on the shelves the rest of the year.
When veggies grow in season, they respond to stimuli from the sun and rain and specific nutrients in the soil. They turn these nutrients into the healthiest and most flavorful version of themselves, and this wholesomeness gets passed on to you. By eating a rotating cast of seasonal fruits and veggies, you get the tastiest and most nutritious food that the planet has to offer, rather than the relatively nutrient-poor fruits and veggies stocked by the factory farm system, regardless of the season.
If you want to boost your seasonal produce or want to find a way to get the same degree of nutrient satisfaction in the dead of winter when nothing is in season, we’ve got some great supplements that can do just the trick.
Vitamineral Green Capsules from Healthforce Superfoods, Beet Organic Juice Powder from Pure Synergy, and Vitality Super Green Powder from Body Ecology all take whole vegetables at the peak of seasonal freshness and distill their best nutritional elements into powders and capsules that can be easily taken with any meal.
Whether taken alongside seasonal veggies, or in times when nothing is in season, these products may help boost your overall health.