成熟的东西:为什么应季饮食可以是一种健康的乐趣

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超市是一个很难与季节同步的地方. 我们不是在谈论万圣节的装饰品是如何在8月份到达的, 要么:这是因为在农产品区, 许多水果和蔬菜全年都有供应, 而那些不含这些成分的食品可能会在冷冻食品货架上找到.

如此丰富的资源几乎不是问题. 但营养学家说，吃应季食物有好处. Here are some of their fresh-picked thoughts on how and why you might enjoy doing so.

这是个品位问题

让我们直接跳到美味的部分:应季水果和蔬菜很美味.

“从个人经验来说, I've found that the taste and nutritional quality of certain foods can vary significantly depending on whether they are in season or not,温迪·洛佩斯说, a registered dietitian nutritionist and co-founder of a virtual diabetes nutrition counseling service in the Hudson Valley area of New York.

She describes in-season tomatoes, harvested in the summer, as "incredibly rich, sweet and juicy.“但是过季的西红柿, 哪些是温室种植或进口的, 因为它们是在完全成熟之前采摘的."

Fall apples tend to be juicier and more flavorful because they are picked at peak ripeness, 洛佩兹说. ”相比之下, apples that have been kept chilled for several months may lose some of their crispness and natural sweetness, 它们的质地会变成粉状."

一场视觉盛宴

You can sometimes see the difference between a fruit that is in season and one that is not, 安妮·卡瓦莱尔说, 达拉斯的注册营养师. 想想夏天最受欢迎的传统食物:草莓. 过了季节，“它们不会很甜. But more than that, when you bite into one, it's going to be really white on the inside."

A ripe, in-season strawberry is "going to be a lot sweeter" and red all the way through. 她说，这些色素对应着较高的抗氧化剂含量. “所以当你有那些颜色更丰富的水果和蔬菜时, 口味更丰富, 这通常意味着它们的营养含量也更高."

营养优势

在一般情况下, 漫不经心的说, “吃着农场的东西, 或者从它的原产地花园, 能确保你从食物中获得最多的营养吗."

这是因为一旦水果被摘下来, 它的营养成分会下降, 洛佩兹说, 收获和消费之间的沙巴足球体育平台越长, 维生素和抗氧化剂的潜在损失就越大. “维生素, 尤其是维生素C, 存储过程中退化, meaning apples kept for several months may have lower levels of certain nutrients compared to freshly harvested ones,她说.

Frozen foods are nutritionally equivalent with those that are fresh and in season, 漫不经心的说. Food producers "actually flash-freeze those almost immediately after they're harvested, 所以它保存了很多营养物质."

But freezing can change a food's texture – which might not matter sometimes, 她说. "Depending on the form that you're going to eat it in – like if you're doing it in a soup or stir-fry or something like that – it might not even be noticeable."

洛佩兹说，这仍然是一种权衡. "Thawed frozen fruits like strawberries or 桃子 may not have the same crispness or juiciness as fresh ones."

卡瓦列尔说，季节性饮食也提供了一些间接的营养优势. 如果你的饮食随季节变化, it "ensures that you're eating a wider range of those fruits and vegetables – which in turn means that you're getting a wider variety of nutrients."

钱和渠道的问题

在很大程度上, 漫不经心的说, 季节性食品可能更便宜, 由于供求规律:如果一种食物是应季的, 供应商将有更多的稀土，价格应该会更低. “然而，如果这是一种不合时宜的食物, 你不仅拥有更少的沙巴足球体育平台, 但他们也不得不从很远的地方运输,她说. “所以你必须支付这些交通费, 冷藏费, all of those things that really add up and can make the out-of-season foods more expensive."

一些超市签订合同，使价格全年保持一致, 她说, 而是在当地的农贸市场, 在应季购物，“你肯定会省更多的钱”.

季节性食品的供应受到许多因素的影响, 洛佩兹说, 而且获取它们的途径也不平等. 但创新的方法可以解决这个问题.

一些地区, 例如, take part in community-supported agriculture programs to connect consumers directly with local farmers, 她说. 从卡车上运营的移动市场, 货车或公共汽车可以到达杂货店很少的社区.

全国范围内的项目, 比如纽约市的健康基金, provide vouchers that match federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits spent at participating markets, 她说, "increasing the purchasing power of low-income families and contributing towards a healthier, 更公平的粮食体系."

Lopez once worked with New York City's health department doing cooking demonstrations in farmers markets in the Bronx. "We would engage the community about how to incorporate local and seasonal produce in ways that were culturally relevant,她说, which provided nutrition education and helped create a sense of community "by bringing people together to learn and share about what foods they grew up eating."

如何判断什么是应季食品

洛佩兹和卡瓦利尔都推荐季节性食物指南(Seasonal Food Guide)，这是一款应用程序 网站 from the GRACE Communications Foundation that draws on data from several sources to offer a state-by-state look at what's in season.

Both also say that visiting a local farmers market can show you what's in season and pay off in other ways, 太.

“与当地农民交谈真的会派上用场, 因为他们会确切地知道在那个特定的沙巴足球体育平台什么在生长,Cavalier说。. 通过与卖家交谈，她发现了美味的传家宝品种. “他们会向我介绍一些我以前从未尝试过的东西, 大多数时候, 非常美味."

它们在任何形式下都很重要

In season or out, fresh or frozen, fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy eating pattern.

"Fruits and vegetables are going to be some of the most nutrient-dense foods that we have in our diet,Cavalier说。. 联邦膳食指南 建议成人食用1份.每天吃5到2杯水果，3到4杯蔬菜. A diet rich in plant-based foods can lower the risk for a heart attack and other types of cardiovascular disease.

“如果季节性饮食不适合你, making sure that you're eating those fruits and vegetables regardless is the most important thing,Cavalier说。.

但如果这是一种选择, eating fresh produce in season definitely falls into the category of things that are good for you that you can actually look forward to. 只是要确保正确地储存新鲜农产品. 例如, 把李子和桃子放在纸袋里成熟, 然后把它们放到冰箱里多保存几天.

“我夏天最喜欢的食物之一是桃子, 当它们完全成熟时，充满了甜味和香味,洛佩兹说. 她也有一些食谱需要南瓜花.

Local farmers markets have helped Cavalier discover tasty new varieties of salad greens. 她对“所有核果”的到来感到兴奋. 这是杏, 桃子, 李子, 樱桃——我认为所有这些水果都是如此, so, 当季的时候好吃多了."