When Should I Eat It?

When should I eat it?
What a question. Eat when you are hungry, right? Right.The question I am going to answer today is what to eat when.There are a lot of answers to that question but the one I am going to focus on today is based on that lovely bowl citrus.

My wonderful friend Julie, grew these nutritious filled, flavorful, organic oranges, grapefruit, and lemons on the trees she lovingly attends to. This is what we need to eat now, while in SEASON. Fruit and vegetables that are locally grown and in season are the most nutritious. They contain the nutrients that are the building blocks for our energy, skin, our brain function….and the list goes on.Organically grown is also more nutrient dense. There are studies that support the fact that food grown without the help of chemicals have higher levels of antioxidants. The natural self defense mechanisms of the plants provides us, with more protection for our immune system, anti-cancer properties and more ability to fight inflammation .Not to mention that eating foods with chemicals puts an extra stress on our detoxification systems.

So, in summary: eat fresh organic food in season when you can. I know it’s not always possible, don’t obsess about it. Just be aware and do your best.

Reference:
Br J Nutr. 2014 Sep 14;112(5):794-811. doi: 10.1017/S0007114514001366. Epub 2014 Jun 26Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses.Barański M¹, Srednicka-Tober D¹, Volakakis N¹, Seal C², Sanderson R³, Stewart GB¹, Benbrook C⁴, Biavati B⁵, Markellou E⁶, Giotis C⁷, Gromadzka-Ostrowska J⁸, Rembiałkowska E⁸, Skwarło-Sońta K⁹, Tahvonen R¹⁰, Janovská D¹¹, Niggli U¹², Nicot P¹³, Leifert C¹.