WHY EATING ACCORDING THE SEASON IS GREAT FOR YOU. (Meal Plan For February Inside)
Humans were designed as a part of nature, to live in harmony with it and mutually benefit, enrich and complement.
During thousands of years humans were consuming what was available and were using food as medicine, because it certainly has that power.
Of course they were struggling with all kinds of diseases and bacteria we don´t have to deal with nowadays because of science, but they´ve been using natural resources more effectively than we do now.
I believe that we are really fortunate to have all that science available while having access to all the information collected during centuries.
By using it wisely we can achieve optimal health and longevity quite easily through healthy lifestyle choices.
But there are also some obstacles we need to address and they mostly come from the comfort.
Everything is available all the time, but the hidden power is not the same.
When it comes to food, conventional farming using pesticides, herbicides and soil depleting and damaging practices make our food less powerful.
And even if you eat organic and locally grown produce, the best nutritional density can be only achieved when you go with the flow with nature and respect the seasons.
Do you eat according to the season?
It might be difficult to know, because supermarkets usually offer everything all the time and people are slowly losing the idea about what´s local and what´s seasonal. So why is it important?
If you care about the nutritional value of the food you eat, the best way is to stick to mainly seasonal local produce. It means the plants don´t need to be grown in greenhouses under artificial light (which leads to tasteless produce with less nutrients) and loaded with chemicals to grow out of their thriving season.
And if you care about the planet, you don´t want your veg to travel from the other side of the globe either.
Even if the seasonality of fruit and veg varies according to your location, if you live in the northern hemisphere, you should focus on these in your menu because of the nutritional value and taste during February.
Let´s have a look at just some of them before I introduce you to my February menu. They are pretty awesome!
🥬 CABBAGE & FRIENDS.
All kinds of them - chinese cabbage, sauerkraut cabbage, bok choy. They are rich in Vit C, antioxidants and potent phytochemicals known to help protect against breast, colon, and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" levels in the blood.Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin-K that has the potential role in bone metabolism through promoting osteoblastic activity. Sufficient amounts of vitamin-K in the diet contribute immensely to your bone health.
Also, vitamin-K also has established a role in the cure of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.
🥑 AVOCADOS.
They need warmer climate of course, but if you live in the northern hemisphere, it´s best when you get them between November till May, when they are in the main season so they don´t travel from the other side of the globe (traveling and storage in cold makes them very vulnerable).
Its creamy pulp is an excellent source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic and palmitoleic acids as well as omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid. Research studies suggest that the Mediterranean diet which is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids help lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol, and thereby, help prevent coronary artery disease as well as stroke risk through favoring healthy blood lipid profile.
They are an excellent source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, the creamy flesh holds many health promoting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants and they are also good in many health-benefiting vitamins - A, E, and K primarily concentrated in its creamy pulp.
Avocados are also excellent sources of minerals like iron, copper, magnesium, and manganese.
🥕 ROOTS.
Carrots, celery, parsnip are great for warming soups and stews. 🍲
Carrots are an exceptionally rich source of carotenes and vitamin-A. In humans, carotenes convert into vitamin-A in the liver cells. Beta-carotene is the important carotene type present in these roots. Beta-carotene is one of the powerful natural antioxidants that protect the human body from harmful oxygen- derived free radicals.
It also carries out all the functions of vitamin-A such as maintaining good eye health, reproduction (sperm production), maintenance of epithelial integrity, growth and development.
🥦 BRUSSELS SPROUTS.
Ok, this one might be a love or hate item, but they are an amazing source of vitamins and minerals, they are basically like a superfood with effective immune, antibacterial and anti-viral properties. Brussel sprouts contain a glucoside, sinigrin.
Early laboratory studies suggest that sinigrin fights against colon cancers by destroying pre-cancerous cells.
They are excellent sources of vitamin-C, vitamin-K, B-complex groups of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid that are essential for substrate metabolism in the human body and minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
I know that they might be less popular and if you struggle with the cooked option, just throw them in your green juice and you won´t even know about them while having all the amazing benefits.
🍏 APPLES, 🍊ORANGES, 🍋 LEMONS
are in their season during winter, the best is to enjoy them whole or juiced, but there is an amazing potential for sweet treats too.
And here is a handy list of veggies and fruit that you enjoy in February with its full nutritional potential:⬇️⬇️⬇️
VEGETABLES
Arugula, avocado, beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, collard greens, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnip, potatoes, radishes, radicchio, spinach, sunchokes, sweet potato, turnips, winter squash.
FRUITS
Apples, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, lime, blood oranges, oranges, passion fruit, pear, persimmon, pomegranate, rhubarb.
And now, let´s dive into February menu.⬇️
SATURDAY:
✅ get ready for your meal prep by making first the VEGAN BIOME BROTH. It will shift your meals to the next level in terms of taste and nutrients.
SUNDAY MEAL PREP:
✅ Make a PARSNIP & SWEET POTATO SOUP - the most comforting soup I´ve tried so far. You can do a big batch and freeze portions for later.
✅ Make BROWN RICE VEG WOK - another great big batch recipe, because it´s tasty also the next day, you can easily heat it on a dry pan.
✅ Make GLAZED BRUSSELS SPROUTS - they are great as a side dish and also tasty the next day. Tip : they go really well with VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE 👌🏼
✅ Make CARROT & TURMERIC MUFFINS
Well done! Easy, right? 🤷🏼♀️
And here are more of my tasty February favorites:
BEAN DIP WITH SWEET LEEKS - this can be your next favorite snack or party food!
TREAT OF THE WEEK.
Check out these vegan CARROT & TURMERIC MUFFINS, they are amazing!!
And why I chose vegan? For me it´s just easier to digest, didn´t even feel it in my belly… and I like that.👌🏼
Enjoy, take care of yourself and let me know in the comments which one was your favorite.
Have an awesome week! 💙